Hurling league tweaks are voted in

NEXT year’s hurling league willretain its six-team divisional format but with league semi-finals involving the Division 1B champions.

Central Council last night voted to back a Management Committee amendment after eight counties’ attempt to rescind the original August decision failed to receive the necessary two-thirds majority.

Following five rounds of games, the top team in Division 1A (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford) will face the winners of a “quarter-final” play-off between the top two counties in Division 1B (Antrim, Clare, Laois, Limerick, Offaly and Wexford) in one semi-final.

The other semi-final will be contested by the second and third-placed teams in Division 1A.

The bottom two sides in Division 1A will battle it out in a relegation play-off with the losers going down to Division 1B and winners of the top two in Division 1B taking their place in the top-flight.

The system voted in by Central Council in August would have seen the six teams contest the Division 1 title with the top two teams challenging for the title in a final.

The proposal was carried by a large majority.

Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford and Waterford, who would have made up the old eight-team Division 1 next year, had organised a committee among themselves to support an eight-team top-flight with semi-finals.

Limerick, who have been the most vocal in their opposition, now stand a chance of winning a Division 1B title, promotion and the overall Division 1 crown.

The development represents better news for new Limerick and Clare managers John Allen and Davy Fitzgerald, both appointed last night, as well as Offaly’s new manager Ollie Baker.

Divisions 2A and 2B will be played off on a different format to Divisions 1A and 1B.

The top two teams from five rounds of games involving Down, Carlow, Kerry, Westmeath, Wicklow and Derry will contest a final with the winners gaining promotion to Division 1B.

The bottom two teams will compete in a relegation decider.

The same structure applies to Division 2B involving London, Kildare, Meath, Armagh, Mayo and Roscommon.

The lowest rung of the Allianz Hurling League, the Táin Division, will take place as a separate entity until a 2013 review.

Louth, Fingal, Donegal, Sligo, Monaghan and Tyrone will take part in five rounds in Section A; with the top two teams contesting the final and the bottom teams going into a relegation play-off.

In Section B, Fermanagh, Longford, Leitrim and Warwickshire will play on a round robin basis with the top two teams contesting a final to win promotion to Section A.