Fixtures finalised for hurling second phase

GAELIC GAMES/ News: Detailed fixtures were announced yesterday for the second phase of the Allianz National Hurling league, which starts on Sunday week and will determine the two teams that go straight into the final on May 9th.

Six counties will play off against each other in both the upper and lower sections. There are some minor changes from last year, primarily in that teams will not carry forward their points from the first phase. But the two teams that topped Division One A and One B - Galway and Cork respectively - benefit from home advantage in two of their three games. As a result, Galway will first play Cork at home on April 11th, travel to Tipperary a week later, and finish at home against Limerick on April 25th. Cork are at home for their last two games against Waterford and Clare.

Runners-up in the division, Clare and Tipperary, will meet in the first round with Clare having home advantage. But Tipperary are then at home twice, against Galway and Waterford, whereas Clare must travel to Limerick and Cork. The top two teams in the upper section go straight into the league final, with scoring difference being used if necessary.

The lower section features Kilkenny, Laois, Dublin, Offaly, Wexford and Antrim and the team that finishes last in this group is relegated straight to Division Two. Dublin have a crunch game first time out away to Antrim, where defeat would almost certainly spell relegation.

Similarly, the two highest finishing sides in the top section of Division Two will go into the Division Two final, also to be played on May 9th, with the winners there gaining promotion.

Teams that finished outside the top half of the Division Two table after phase one meet on April 11th to decide who will enter the round-robin relegation play-off with London. The team who finishes lowest in this round robin will play in Division Three in 2005.

The second phase fixtures for Division Three cannot be confirmed until after Sunday's game between Fermanagh and Tyrone (the game was postponed due to the death of Fermanagh and Ulster official John Vesey).

Elsewhere, the GAA's Games Administration Committee on Wednesday night concluded their investigation into the off-the-ball incident that occurred at the end of the Kerry-Cork National Football League game on February 7th. It was confirmed Cork's Gary Murphy, who was cited in the referee's report for a hand strike, would be limited to the four-week suspension as imposed. Murphy has served those four weeks, and is named to play against Fermanagh at Páirc Uí Rinn tomorrow night.

Roscommon's Gary Cox and Brian McLaughlin of Donegal also received four-week suspensions arising out of their counties' games on March 14th against Monaghan and London respectively. Kildare hurling manager Morgan Lawlor was also suspended for eight weeks from the date of the meeting arising from an incident against Down in Newbridge on March 13th.

The GAC addressed the matter of where to play the football league semi-finals on April 18th. "We'll wait until Sunday's last round before making that decision," said Seán Ó Laoire, "and fix the venue or venues at our meeting next Wednesday night. But it's not a case of using Croke Park if at all possible."

Meanwhile, Wexford have named an unchanged line-up for Sunday's final football league meeting with Laois in Portlaoise.

WEXFORD (SF v Laois) J Cooper; C Morris, P Wallace, N Murphy; D Breen, D Murphy, G Sunderland; W Carley, R Hassey; J Hudson, P Colfer, D Fogarty; S Doran, D Foran, M Forde.

National Hurling League: Second phase

Division One Phase Two (First named teams have home venue): Upper section: Round One (April 11th): Galway v Cork, Clare v Tipperary, Waterford v Limerick; Round Two (April 18th): Tipperary v Galway, Limerick v Clare, Cork v Waterford; Round Three (April 25th): Galway v Limerick, Cork v Clare, Tipperary v Waterford.

Lower section: Round One (April 11th): Kilkenny v Offaly, Laois v Wexford, Dublin v Antrim; Round Two (April 18th): Wexford v Kilkenny, Antrim v Laois, Offaly v Dublin; Round Three (April 25th): Kilkenny v Antrim, Offaly v Laois, Wexford v Dublin.

Division Two Upper section (First named teams have home venue): Round One (April 11th): Down v Kerry, Westmeath v Wicklow, Roscommon v Meath; Round Two (April 18th): Wicklow v Down, Meath v Westmeath, Kerry v Roscommon; Round Three (April 25th): Down v Meath, Kerry v Westmeath, Wicklow v Roscommon.

Division Two Lower section: (April 11th): (A) Kildare v Carlow, (B) Derry v Mayo; Round Robin (Loser A and B, and London): April 18th (1): Loser A v Loser B; April 25th (2) Loser 1 v London; May 2nd; (3) London v Winner 1.