GAA chiefs may replay Christy Ring Cup final

The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) are set to order a replay of the Christy Ring Cup final between Antrim and Meath when they meet to discuss the referee’s report from Saturday’s game. 

Meath were deemed the victors by one point in Croke Park. However, referee John O’Brien since admitted he miscalculated the scores and the game should have ended as a draw, as was the belief of several journalists working at the game.

The CCCC are expected to confirm the replay date tomorrow in the wake of suggestions Antrim were preparing to appeal the result.

It is understood at least one match officials alerted O’Brien to his error after the game. As things stand, the winners of the final will be awarded with a spot in next year’s Leinster quarter-final.

Meanwhile, a defiant Davy Fitzgerald is confident Clare will still have a major say in this year’s championship. Fitzgerald saw his team’s unbeaten run of 13 games come to an end yesterday but promised Clare will return a force in the qualifiers.

“Let me make this clear, we’ll be fighting in this championship. Clare are better than that. Wouldn’t it be great to meet down the road, ourselves and Waterford, I’d love that. Whatever the difference was, there isn’t that much between the teams.

“Waterford had the best of it today. Last day I thought we were better by a margin. We gave away two soft goals and a few points the last day. Today, no doubt about it, Waterford were the best team. The way they’ve things organised, they’ll be hard beaten if they play with that tenacity, that fire they had. From Clare, we have no gripes with anything. I made some comment during the week that you’ve to enjoy it a bit more, it’s hard to enjoy today but at the same time nobody’s dead, nobody’s ill. We’ll bounce again. We’ll fight on our backs for the rest of the year.”

Elsewhere, Meath County Board is set to hold investigations into incidents during a stormy league tie at the weekend in which six players were sent off. The tempestuous tussle at Cortown in which the home team defeated Drumconrath by 1-13 to 0-10 got out of hand at times in the second half when referee Stephen Murray issued dismissal notices to six players, five of them straight reds.