Sunderland and staff quit Kildare hurlers

Kildare hurling has been rocked by the resignation of manager Willie Sunderland and his backroom team of Mattie Dowd, Don McSweeney and coach Bertie Sherlock, a little over one month before the 2013 campaign begins.

Wexford native Sunderland, who took the reins of Kildare midway through the 2011 season following the dismissal of former Dublin coach Michael O’Riordan, informed the players of his decision after training on Friday night.

There has been disquiet amongst the hurling fraternity in the county in recent weeks over the revelation that the senior, U21 and minor county teams would only receive a combined €75,000 in funding from the county board for the coming year.