Row erupts as Carlow club kicked out of hurling championship after fixtures debacle

A major row has erupted in Carlow GAA circles which has seen Ballinkillen's senior hurling team kicked out of the championship after a dispute arose over the scheduling of the club's semi-final. 

In a statement, Ballinkillen moved to clarify the reasons for the "postponement" of Sunday's semi-final, scheduled for Netwatch Cullen Park at 3:30pm versus Naomh Moling.

Ballinkillen told the County Board that they could not fulfill Sunday's fixture and requested the match to be rescheduled over player welfare concerns. However, the County Board did not accede to this request. 

Carlow Live understands that the County Board have now awarded the match to Naomh Moling. 

A statement by Ballinkillen over the weekend said: "Last Sunday, the club learned via social media that the intermediate football semi-final between Kildavin and Naomh Eoin had been scheduled for the preceding Saturday evening, September 28, at 6pm.

"On confirming this report, we immediately contacted the County Board with request that either of these fixtures be re-scheduled.

"There are five Ballinkillen hurlers involved with the Kildavin panel and the club took the view that to ask players to play two important matches within 18 hours of one another was unjust, against player welfare and against the player development pathway."

The SHC Semi-Final is OFF today in NCP.
Both other games, at 2pm & 5pm respectively, proceed as planned. pic.twitter.com/8yd6p8rlmB

— Carlow GAA (@Carlow_GAA) September 29, 2019

The statement by the club added: "Given the fact that only five weekends had been set aside all year as hurling weeks it is unprecedented that a senior hurling semi-final would be disrupted in this way.

"It is one thing for a football fixture to encroach on a Monday or Tuesday of a hurling week, but for a match involving senior and intermediate hurlers to be re-fixed the evening before a senior semi-final is unacceptable.

"This weekend should have been a special occasion for our club. Ballinkillen has not reached a senior semi-final for several years, and a huge amount of voluntary work has been put in at juvenile level and with this group of players in order to make progress.

"It is deeply disappointing to us that team preparations have been disrupted all week, culminating in this morning’s announcement that the senior semi-final has been postponed.

"We have communicated to the County Board all week, up to and including late [Saturday] night, attempting to find a resolution.

"Alternative dates were proposed that would allow both fixtures go ahead without compromising player welfare. Unfortunately, none of these suggestions have been taken on board.

"We have therefore informed the County Board that we cannot fulfill [Sunday's] fixture and have again requested the fixture to be rescheduled.

"We take this decision in the interests of player welfare and for the greater good of Carlow hurling and appeal to the better judgement of the County Board."