High Court reprieve for Clare’s Bugler
The Banner boss has had more than his share of legal argument in recent weeks, and found himself facing the prospect of losing Bugler to a bizarre disciplinary twist outside his control.
The High Court granted members of University of Limerick Hurling club, including Bugler, a temporary order restraining the GAA from holding a disciplinary hearing due to take place at Croke Park last night.
Club chairman Dr Peter Tiernan, secretary Bulger and player Kieran Joyce, secured an interim injunction. The outcome of that hearing could have resulted in 12 week suspensions for the three applicants. The order was granted in the High Court yesterday afternoon on an ex-parte basis (one side only) by Mr Justice Vivian Lavan. He made the matter returnable to Monday of next week.
In an affidavit to the court, UL Hurling Club chairman Dr Peter Tiernan said that all the applicants are facing a 12 week suspension arising out of UL’s game against Limerick Institute of Technology in the Colleges Intermediate Hurling Final in Kilmallock on March 29.
Before the game the club checked out the eligibility of Kieran Joyce with Croke Park and were advised he could play in the game. However the information given to Croke Park was incomplete. Through inadvertence the information that Kilkenny man Joyce had played in the Fitzgibbon Cup on March 7th was not relayed to Croke Park.
As a result, the GAA wrote to say that Joyce had played illegally and each of the defendants would be suspended for 12 weeks. The club was also informed that they had the right of appeal by requesting a hearing before the Central Hearings Committee, which they chose to exercise.
That hearing was originally scheduled to take place on June 29 last. Dr Tiernan said that the UL club requested an adjournment of the hearing because some of the parties and officials involved were out of the country and are not due to be back on campus until September.
The GAA, he said, agreed to a short adjournment but contacted the club to say that the hearing would take place on July 3. As a result of that, Dr Tiernan claims the club are not being offered any fair or adequate opportunity to present their case.
Meanwhile Cork may have to plan without Noel O’Leary for their opening All-Ireland SFC qualifier in just over two weeks
O’Leary is likely to be called before Croke Park’s Competition Competitions Committee (CCC) to explain an incident seen by the tv cameras but missed by referee Mary Duffy in Sunday’s Munster final defeat to Kerry
Television replays showed O’Leary kicking Kerry’s Paul Galvin in the back of the leg after the two became entangled midway through the first half at the Fitzgerald Stadium tie.
The Sligo official yellow carded Galvin but took no action against the Kilnamartyra defender.
Under new powers given to the CCC a referee can be shown a video re-run of an incident and ask for it to dealt with it appropriately.
Neither the Cork County Board or Croke Park would comment on the matter last night.
Cork have made one change in personnel and two positional switches for Sunday’s Munster MHC final against Tipperary in Thurles.
Pádraig Gould comes in for Maurice Sexton. In a positional change Killian Murphy moved to wing back with team captain Stephen McDonnell going to midfield to form a new partnership with Denis O’Sullivan while Gould takes over from O’Sullivan at left half forward.
Denis O’Sullivan, Chris O’Donovan, Lorcan McLoughlin and Ciaran Sheehan, who were members of the successful minor football last Sunday, are chasing the double.
D. McCarthy (Sliabh Rua); J. Herlihy (Newtown). A. Kearney (Midleton), E. McCarthy (Na Piarsaigh); L. McLoughlin (Kanturk), C. O’Donovan (Valley Rovers), K. Murphy (Erins Own); S. McDonnell (Glen Rovers), D. O’Sullivan (Ballinascarthy); R. White (Carrigtwohill), M. Bowles (Newtown), P. Gould (Na Piarsaigh); L. O’Farrell (Midleton), D. Stack (Buttevant), R. Clifford (Newtown).
James Logue (Ballingarry), Kevin O’Gorman (Thurles Sarsfields), Padraig Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Sean O’Brien (Newport); Darren O’Connor (Roscrea), John Coghlan (Moyne-Templetuohy), Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields); Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney), Joe Gallagher (Kildangan), Seamus Hennessy (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Ciaran Lorigan (Moyle Rovers), Brendan Maher (Borris-Ileigh - Captain); Michael Heffernan (Nenagh Eire Og), Patrick Maher (Lorrha-Dorrha), John O’Neill (Clonoulty-Rossmore).
