Offaly pay tribute to boss Baker as he decides to step down

Ollie Baker’s resignation as Offaly senior hurling manager was announced to the county board last night, after the former All-Ireland winning midfielder with Clare and St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield decided not to seek a third term.

Baker is on holiday with his family but he communicated his decision to chairman Pádraig Boland, who paid tribute to the former Clare great: “Ollie Baker is a man of the highest integrity and while he was always an extremely formidable negotiator on behalf of his players, everything he did was in an environment of openness and honesty.

“He displayed tremendous respect for the needs of clubs and was a keen proponent of county players being made available to their clubs throughout the year.”