Tipp county board criticised for ‘making a bags’ of fixture list
Tipperary will not have any representatives in this season’s Munster’s Club intermediate hurling championship as Sunday’s final between Moyne-Templetuohy and Thurles Sarsfields is scheduled for the same day as the Tipperary winners are fixed to play Waterford champions Cappoquin in a quarter-final. That county final may not yet go ahead as both Sarsfields, who face Loughmore-Castleiney in the senior decider which follows it in Semple Stadium, are managed by the same group.
However, the Munster fixture has already been scratched meaning Tipperary will have no representatives in a third Munster Club competition as they have already withdrawn from the senior and intermediate football championships because their own schedules have not yet finished. As Thurles Sarsfields are the club’s second team at intermediate level, Moyne-Templetuohy would have gone forward as the county’s representatives to face Cappoquin. Fogarty, a Moyne-Templetuohy clubman and whose son Diarmuid captains the side, said the club are greatly disappointed they won’t have the chance to compete for Munster and All-Ireland honours.
“Tipperary fixed their final for Sunday in spite of the fact the first round of the Munster intermediate competition being fixed for last Sunday. They put the cart before the horse and have made a bags of the whole thing.
“ We are a small club and most young fellas only get one chance in their lifetime to play in Croke Park. I’m not saying we would have gone all the way but we have been deprived that opportunity.”
It is understood the Tipperary County Board unsuccessfully attempted to have the Cappoquin game pushed back a week. Cappoquin are agreeable to playing the game on November 15 but not the weekend after next as they have players who will be unavailable. The Munster Council are said to be against the quarter-final being delayed until November 16 as it is too late.
Fogarty said Moyne-Templetuohy may yet appeal the decision to scratch the game against Cappoquin as they have not yet received any official notification that they will not be able to participate in Munster. He said they were shocked the county board conceded the game prior to their semi-final win over Clonakenny on Saturday. “If we knew this was the situation, we would have asked to play the final yesterday (Holiday Monday).”
