No complaints from clubs over six-day turnaround

Not one Cork club expressed reservations over the six-day turnaround for their inter-county players.

The Cork hurlers open their Munster campaign this Sunday, with the local championship throwing-in the following weekend. Bishopstown are involved in the opening game of the County championship on Friday, May 30, affording Cork hurlers Shane O’Neill and Pa Cronin just five days reprieve from the Déise encounter.

“No there was no issue from any club,” said Cork PRO Tracey Kennedy.

“This is the done thing. Clubs know to expect that. It is part of the downside of having an inter-county player on your club team that you have to take this. It is not possible with the time-frame to do any better than that.

“The football championship is traditionally started first so the period of time between inter-county and club hurling is always tighter.”

Defeat for the Cork hurlers this weekend could see a lull in club championship action for up to six weeks.

Round two of the Cork SHC is pencilled in for June 15, but victory for Cork would rule out that weekend as the Munster semi-final is also fixed for that date. Defeat would send Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s side down the qualifier route which takes centre stage from June 28 onwards, meaning a weekend would have to be found in mid-July to play the second-round fixtures.

“The second round of club games is subject to how Cork fare against Waterford. If Cork are playing on the June 15, the games will have to be postponed. If Cork are playing on June 28 you have a chance to get some of the second round games played before that, but it all depends on what clubs are involved and whether or not they have inter-county players,” Kennedy said.

Newtownshandrum and former Cork hurler Cathal Naughton said the uncertainty of the local fixtures schedule must be resolved.

“You play your first round and you don’t know when you are playing again. It is nor fair on club hurlers. They cannot plan their summer because they do not know when their next match is. That cannot be expected to sit around and wait.”