Bumper crowds to bring bonanza

The GAA stands to rake in more than £1 million at the weekend, as three provincial football finals are expected to attract about 115,000 spectators.

The Leinster final between Meath and Kildare at Croke Park is likely to attract a capacity crowd of 65,000 and the Connacht and Munster finals are expected to attract 25,000 each.

All three matches will be screened on Network Two, with the Connacht match at Hyde Park between Roscommon and Galway at 4.45 tomorrow evening the first Championship match to be played on a Saturday. The winners will meet the Ulster champions, Derry, in the semi-finals late next month.

The Leinster final will be shown at 2.40 p.m. on Sunday and the Munster final between Kerry and Tipperary at Semple Stadium, Thurles at 4.20 p.m. The Leinster and Munster winners will meet in the semi-finals.

All stand tickets at Croke Park have been sold. Tickets for the terraces at Hill 16 and the Canal End will be on sale at the GAA ground in Newbridge this evening and at the Leinster Council offices in Portlaoise tomorrow morning.

On Sunday tickets will be sold from a caravan at Belvedere Road, near Croke Park, from 11.30 a.m.

Five of the six counties in the finals decided on their lineouts during the week but Kildare will wait until tomorrow afternoon to decide on the fitness of Martin Lynch, who injured his collarbone in the Leinster semi-final against Laois. His chances of making the team appear to be slim.

Meanwhile, an unusual football tournament will go ahead at the Cooley Kickhams club in Louth today and tomorrow.

It features teams from New York, Scotland, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Hertfordshire and Kilkenny and is designed to give young players from abroad the chance to gain experience and spread the word on Gaelic football. London won the tournament last year.

The New York team has several players with Irish names but will also include one Paul Vassat, while Nathan Godin will play for Warwickshire. Among the Scottish players are Paddy McArthy and Daniel O'Donnell.

The players are expected to be able to watch the Poc Fada competition in the Cooley mountains on Monday.

Kerry (MF v Limerick): K Cremin; R O'Connor (Ballyduff), S O'Sullivan, K Moynihan; M O Se, E Courtney, R O'Connor (Kilcummin); K O'Connor, L Keane; S O'Sullivan, L Boyle, T Kennelly; R O'Connor (St Michael's), C Fitzmaurice, K Lynch. Subs: H Shanahan, E Brosnan, P Galvin, J O'Donoghue, M Burke, F O'Sul livan, G Bryan, JP O'Neill, R Barrett.

Wicklow County secretary Jimmy Dunne has warned GAA clubs to lock their pitches to stop them becoming dumping grounds during a county council ban on collecting commercial rubbish.

The council will stop collecting commercial waste from September 10th to prolong the life of its dump in Avoca, which has two years' life left at most. Dunne said that the GAA council were concerned that this ban would lead to indiscriminate dumping unless grounds were locked.

Business people in Arklow want the council to defer the ban because they say there is no way they can find an alternative dumping ground before the September deadline.