GAA: Injured ref home after surgery

The referee who underwent surgery on his arm after he was attacked by a player during a hurling match returned home from hospital today, a health board official confirmed.

Eddie Walker, 37, needed a metal plate fitted in his broken arm after he was allegedly hit by an irate player wielding a hurley during a weekend junior championship match.

Detectives are investigating the incident and, while no arrests have been made, they are following a "line of inquiry", a Garda spokesman said.

The trouble flared soon into the match between Crumlin and Naomh Barrog at Ayrfield, in Dublin, on Saturday.

John Costello, of the Dublin GAA board, said: "The referee booked a particular player during the game and following that was subjected to verbal abuse.

"He stopped the game and took the player’s name and dismissed him with a red card. With that the player then allegedly struck the referee a number of times with his hurley, breaking his arm."

He said Mr Walker, from Dublin, was "traumatised" at the time by the attack, which was witnessed by his daughter, and was taken to Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital for surgery.

He described Mr Walker as a "well-respected" referee and a "very able administrator".

Mr Costello said: "I visited him in hospital yesterday and he was in good spirits.

"He was determined to resume refereeing when he completes his rehabilitation - he is not going to be deterred by this isolated and unprecedented incident."

The junior championship is the lowest of three grades of hurling competition.

Phil Gough, chairwoman of Crumlin Hurling Football and Camogie Club, said the team was "fully co-operating" with an inquiry by the local Dublin GAA board.

She added: "We are holding our own internal inquiry into the matter and we in no way condone this incident."