Browne has demanding schedule

The recent heavy schedule of matches - some played on Saturdays - may have been welcomed by some but for others it is proving to be a bit of a strain or even impossible.

A good illustration of this is the situation in which Declan Browne of Tipperary finds himself this week. Last night he turned out for the Tipperary under-21 footballers against Cork in the first round of the Munster championship, he has also been selected for the Tipperary hurlers who meet Cork in Thurles on Sunday and is also included in the Munster football team to play Ulster in the Railway Cup semi-final in Killarney on Sunday.

Others who have somewhat similar demands on their time are the three Armagh players who are included in the Ulster side to play Munster on Sunday. They are expected to be included in the Armagh team to play Leitrim in a National League match in Crossmaglen on Saturday.

This is a very important match for Armagh as a win or a draw would put them into a National League quarter-final against Sligo while defeat would see them playing Derry - a clash they would sooner avoid.

The three Armagh players who are engaged at the weekend are Kieran McGeeney, Paul McGrane and Diarmuid Marsden and, following their crucial match against Leitrim in Crossmaglen, they face the long trip to Killarney for Sunday's Railway Cup date.

Meanwhile, the Games Administration Committee of the GAA will meet in Croke Park tonight to arrange the venues for the National Football League quarter-finals. The date for the matches is April 11th and the likelihood is that there will be a double header at Croke Park that day with Dublin and Kildare meeting in a very attractive fixture and one of the other ties (probably the one featuring Cork) as the curtain raiser.

In the National Hurling League on Sunday, Tipperary will entertain old rivals Cork in Thurles. After their disappointing performance against Kilkenny last Sunday they make one change with Declan Browne selected in place of Eugene O'Neill at left corner forward.

On the football front Leitrim are expected to appoint their fifth team manager in five years following the resignation of Peter McGinnity. The belief is that they will appoint a native Leitrim man having had four outsiders in recent years.

In his match report following Sunday's National Football League game against Cavan at Breffni Park referee Mick Curley cited the former Wexford football manager JJ Barrett for striking. Contrary to our report in some of this morning's editions Barrett apologised and resigned as manager on Monday after striking Curley. We apologise for the error.

ULSTER (SF v Munster): F McConnell (Tyrone); P McGuinness (Fermanagh), M Magill (Down), S M Lockhart (Derry); N Hegarty, Donegal), K McGeeney (Armagh), G Coleman (Derry); A Tohill (Derry), J McGuinness (Donegal); P McGrane (Armagh), D Marsden (Armagh), J McCartan (Down); J Brolly (Derry), P Canavan (Tyrone), B Devanney (Donegal). Subs: M McVeigh (Down), P Devlin (Tyrone), Martin Mulholland (Antrim), Pascal Canavan (Tyrone), N Marron (Monaghan), P Brewster (Fermanagh), D Heeney (Derry), G Cavlan (Tyrone), E Gormley (Tyrone).

MUNSTER (SF v Ulster): D O'Keeffe (Kerry); M O'Donovan (Cork), B O'Shea (Kerry), M Hassett (Kerry); C O'Sullivan (Cork), S Moynihan (Kerry), E Breen (Kerry); D O Se (Kerry), J Quane (Limerick); M Daly (Cork), L Hassett (Kerry), R O Cinneide (Kerry); P Clifford (Cork), J Kavanagh (Cork), D Browne (Tipperary).

CLARE (SH v Offaly): C O'Connor; R Woods, B Lohan, F Lohan; L Doyle, S McMahon, A Daly (Capt); C Lynch, J Considine; N Gilligan, O Baker, L Hassett; B Murphy, R O'Hara, D Forde.

CORK (SH v Tipperary): D Og Cusack; F Ryan, J Browne, W Sherlock; D O'Sullivan, B Corcoran, S Og O hAilpin; P Ryan, D Barrett; T McCarthy, M Daly, S McGrath; S O'Farrell, A Browne, J Deane.

ROSCOMMON (Under 21F v Galway): E Daly; M Cunniffe, J Whyte, A McPadden; M Costello, B Bourke, D Harney; S Lohan, D Gillooly; G Cox, G Kelly, J Tiernan; J Hanley, G Lohan, F Dolan.