Punch-ups mar Wicklow quarter-finals

A TOP-of-the-bill SFC quarter-final between county champions Rathnew and Blessington was marred by ugly scenes at Aughrim yesterday.

Near the end of the game players from both teams flailed into each other with the champions leading 2-4 to 0-8. Most of the players got sucked into the free-for-all, in which punches were thrown liberally, after it apparently started with a Blessington player and was fuelled when the Rathnew goalie came off his line to get involved.

The row lasted eight minutes and eventually, when the referee appeared to have order restored, he sent off a player from each team before restarting the match.

But as the Rathnew player who had been sent off was heading towards the sideline, hostilities broke out once again with several skirmishes again taking place between rival players.

One Rathnew substitute removed his jersey as he came off the bench to get involved.

The game continued for another seven minutes, with Rathnew adding three more points to their total until a Blessington player sustained a neck injury in a tackle and the game was halted for an ambulance to arrive.

Blessington players and officials retired to their dressing room, Rathnew players resumed warm-up exercises. When the injured Blessington player was taken off to hospital by ambulance, Blessington said they were not returning to the field to play out the five minutes remaining.

Referee Kieran Kenny gave them the regulation three minutes to return to the field before ending the match.

By that stage the second half had lasted one hour and 41 minutes with Rathnew ahead by 2-7 to 0-8.

It is now a matter for the Competitions Control Committee to decide what do about the match, whether or not to award it to Rathnew.

County chairman Mick Hagan said he was passing no comment on what had happened but another official said they would await the referee’s report before taking any action.

There was also a bit of a melee towards the end of another SFC quarter-final on Saturday as Annacurra, had a player sent off just before the end of their 0-5 to 3-12 defeat to Baltinglass.

In all, 10 players got red cards in senior football matches in Wicklow over the weekend, with five of the cards dished out in a relegation match between Carnew and An Tochar, who won by a point.

Mick O’Dwyer’s son Karl guided group team St Mary’s to the semi-final in their first season as they beat Hollywood by 1-9 to 1-6 at Aughrim yesterday. Full-forward Eamonn Rossiter was top scorer for the winners with 1-2.

Donard-Glen had two players sent off as they crashed to a 1-4 to 2-11 defeat to St Patrick’s in their quarter-final on Saturday. County star Paul Earls scored 1-4 for the Saints; with his inside-forward colleagues Donal Fitzgerald and Dara O’Sullivan adding 1-1 and 0-3 respectively.

Wicklow SFC semi-final draw: St Patrick’s v Rathnew, Baltinglass v St Mary’s.