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GAELIC GAMES:IN A further escalation of the Cork hurling dispute, team manager Gerald McCarthy has issued a stinging response to senior county player Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, whose criticisms of McCarthy's training methods and the county board were widely reported yesterday.

He also revealed that attempts at mediation by "two highly respected former Cork players" had been broken off because the intermediaries had now walked away in despair at finding a solution. In a statement circulated to media yesterday evening, McCarthy accused the former All-Ireland winning captain of "flip flopping" on the issue of the manager's coaching ability.