Reduced admission likely for re-fixture

CORK County Board may agree on a reduced admission charge for the Cloyne/Newtownshandrum SHC semi-final re-fixture next Sunday, after incessant rain caused the abandonment of the game following just 11 minutes of play in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday.

With questions being asked on both sides afterwards why it was begun in the first place, there was general agreement that referee Diarmuid Kirwan made the correct decision to call it off.

“Common sense prevailed. It was all about the safety of players and it was the correct decision,” commented Donal Óg Cusack.

Supporters were asking if any arrangement would be made to compensate them as they streamed out of the ground and many callers to 103FM Radio were asking for the County Board to offer free admission for the game next Sunday.

This will now form a double fixture with the replay of the football semi-final involving Nemo Rangers and Duhallow.

Asked if anything would be done to compensate patrons who were in Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday, board chairman Mick Dolan said it was something they would decide on at their meeting tomorrow night.

“But, you can rest assured, we won’t be severe,” he said.

On the issue of the game being started when it was clear that conditions were totally unsuitable, he accepted that there should have been more consultation in advance.

“We did discuss it with him prior to the start and he was going to ‘chance it’ for ten minutes. But, he saw straight away that it was a danger.”

Cloyne manager Sean Motherway agreed that ‘in hindsight’ the game should never have started.

Newtownshandrum chairman Denis O’Mahony had no doubt that canceling the game was the correct decision.

“It should not have been started. I was saying to the lads in the dressing room before they went out that the conditions were unreal. We had an idea it would be called off, but there had been no consultation with ourselves or Cloyne.”

* For the record, Cloyne were leading 0-2 to 0-1, when the game was abandoned.