Waterford GAA laments the sad passing of the man who ran Fraher Field

Always the first to arrive and the last to leave Fraher Field on match days, he took great pride ensuring that all was right for players and supporters alike and often returned to the ground afterwards to help reunite many people with various lost property

DÉISE DELIGHT: Ollie Drummey's smiling welcome was one of the reasons Fraher Field in Waterford is such a popular haunt with GAA supporters

He was the first to arrive at Waterford GAA’s Fraher Field in Dungarvan – and undoubtedly the last to leave. And for Déise supporters of club and county, his absence will leave a huge hole in the match day experience.

Every GAA ground in the country has a special caretaker, groundsman or scoreboard operator who become part of the fabric and the occasion, the gatekeeper who keeps the operation ticking over, seamlessly. In Waterford, Ollie Drummey was that man, and his sudden passing on Sunday in advance of the Waterford SFC semi-final between Rathgormack and Ballinacourty puts the relevance of winning and losing on the day into the sharpest perspective.