Houlihan quits Limerick panel

THE LIMERICK hurling stand-off took another twist yesterday with the withdrawal of goalkeeper Timmy Houlihan from the Shannonsiders’ 2010 National Hurling League panel.

The Adare club man was included on the NHL panel released on Thursday and was expected to provide much-needed big-game experience, but yesterday Houlihan withdrew his name from consideration for the foreseeable future.

Goalkeeper on Limerick’s three-in-a-row All-Ireland U21 side from 2000 to 2002, Houlihan captained the side to their 2001 triumph.

The news of Houlihan’s withdrawal follows the meeting of the Limerick County Board earlier this week, at which it was decided to seek mediators from Croke Park to help resolve the row between management and players in the county which has been rumbling on for almost five months.

The stand-off centres on the row between the 2009 Limerick senior hurling panel and manager Justin McCarthy which was sparked when 12 members of last year’s panel were dropped last October, followed by the resignation of another 12 after an acrimonious meeting with McCarthy.

At the meeting earlier this week, Limerick County Board chairman Liam Lenihan put up a strong defence of the board’s handling of the situation so far, but he also proposed that a mediation team – possibly involving representatives of the Gaelic Players Association – could come to Limerick from Croke Park to help sort out the problem.

Lenihan also offered a defence of Justin McCarthy’s training methods, but McCarthy’s position came under fire from the club delegates who attended the meeting.