Dublin hurlers stay up but Wexford cry foul

NATIONAL LEAGUES:Wexford hurlers are relegated after yesterday's rulings but feel hard done by and intend to keep fighting their corner. IAN O'RIORDANreports

THE FALLOUT from the Cork players' strike looks set to continue for another while as Wexford and Roscommon await the outcome of appeals against the decision that Cork merely forfeit the points and pay a small fine as penalty for missing their opening two games of the national football and hurling leagues.

The GAA's Central Appeals Committee heard those cases last night, but only in a preliminary capacity, and will announce this morning if Wexford and Roscommon actually have the right to have their appeals heard.

Wexford are appealing the outcome of Division One A in hurling, Roscommon the results of Division Two in football, on the grounds some counties had to play Cork to earn points while others didn't; they argue Cork should have been deducted four points rather that just forfeiting them.

In the meantime, the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee met yesterday to address the situation in Division One A of the hurling league, after it was decided scoring difference could not be used to determine second and third positions - Cork and Waterford having ended up on six points apiece.

As expected, it was decided a play-off would be necessary, and this was fixed for next Sunday at Limerick's Gaelic Grounds, with a 2.30pm start. As both teams are already assured of a place in the quarter-finals on Sunday week, it's effectively a meaningless game beyond determining who plays Limerick (the prize for winning), and who plays Tipperary (the prize for losing).

Tipperary finished second and Limerick third in Division One B, and the quarter-finals pair the second in one division against the third in the other.

In their statement, the CCCC confirmed "as the counties were affected by the unplayed matches in the division, scoring difference could not be used to determine the final finishing positions".

It was also ruled, however, that as the scoring differences of Dublin and Wexford were unaffected by unplayed games, Dublin, with their superior difference, were fourth in Division One A.

Dublin will therefore play in Division one in 2009, while Wexford, deemed to have finished fifth, will play in Division Two.

"That was the consensus of the CCCC," confirmed chairman Jimmy Dunne, "and we're happy with that. It was dictated to us that no play-off was necessary in the situation with Dublin and Wexford."

The CCCC pointed out these decisions were in accordance with Rule 116(c) of the Official Guide, which provides for scoring difference as the initial means of deciding qualification for the concluding stages of leagues or promotion and relegation except where "the accumulated scores of a team, so involved, are affected by a disqualification, retirement or walkover, the tie shall be decided by a play-off".

This decision, not surprisingly, has enraged Wexford, who felt they were equally entitled to a play-off to confirm their final standings, instead of automatically being relegated. Wexford chairman Ger Doyle said they would for now await the outcome of their appeal against Cork's mere forfeiture of points, but it's also clear they won't accept their fate without further fight.

"We submitted our appeal . . . to Central Appeals Committee last Thursday," said Doyle. "We were told they would be having a preliminary hearing, among themselves, to decide if we were in fact entitled to a hearing, and that they would tell us in the morning, which is something I never heard of before.

"We've been trying to establish why Waterford and Kilkenny were handed the two points off Cork. Was it a walkover? Was it because Cork were disqualified? Our big problem is they won't tell us on what rule this was adjudicated.

"Their attitude has been unbelievable really, in that they're telling us we have no right to know why they arrived at that decision, when it doesn't affect us, when quite clearly it does.

"They talked about mediation and arbitration. But you have to apply some rule in order to award two points to another team. The CCCC have simply hidden behind this. In any other sport, Cork would have been deducted those points and started with minus four points. That would have been common justice."

In the meantime the Wexford management committee will meet to decide a response to the relegation scenario, having been mandated by the last full county-board meeting to pursue an appeal.

"Any right-minded person would see that they're applying one rule for certain teams and one rule for other teams," added Doyle. "And that makes no sense whatsoever. We feel we are entitled to a play-off, absolutely.

"They're not applying scoring difference to Cork and Waterford, but they're applying it to us. That's the other big puzzlement.

"We know we also have ourselves to blame for this situation, because we didn't win on the playing field. But . . . it wasn't a level playing field. On top of that, there are all sorts of committees and groups charged with promoting hurling, and then they do this. This situation does nothing for the betterment of hurling."

Wexford manager John Meyler was equally dismayed and urged GAA president Nickey Brennan to intervene: "As a hurling man, Brennan has to stand up. I met him before and he knows what's going on in Wexford and what George O'Connor is trying to do so why can this happen? We know we're not good enough to compete with Kilkenny at the moment but we're not going to give up.

"Nickey should be looking after the best interests of hurling and counties like Antrim, Wexford, Laois and Offaly and, for God's sake, look at reality. It's not about money and Cork and Kilkenny playing at Nowlan Park. That's not the only thing that matters; it's about promotion of the game."

Central Competitions Control Committee ruling:
DIVISION ONE A
Cork and Waterford (who both finished on six points in Division One A of the National League) will play-off in Limerick on Sunday at 2.30pm to establish which of the teams will qualify for the quarter-finals in second place and which in third place.

The team that finishes second will play Limerick (third in Division One B) and the team that finishes third will play Tipperary (second in Division One B).

Kilkenny and Galway advance straight into the semi-finals.

It was also determined that as the scoring differences of Dublin and Wexford were unaffected by the unplayed games in their division, Dublin, with their superior scoring difference, had finished in fourth place in Division One A.

Dublin will therefore play in Division One in 2009.

Wexford thus finish fifth and are relegated to Division Two along with Antrim.