NEWS ROUND-UP:FORMER LIMERICK goalkeeper Timmy Houlihan has been handed a chance to revive his inter-county hurling career under Justin McCarthy. Houlihan, who played on all three of the county's All-Ireland under-21 winning teams, is one of the players in training for the Waterford Crystal Cup opener on January 24th.
Limerick County Board secretary Mike O’Riordan indicated that McCarthy has yet to finalise his squad but confirmed that Houlihan is involved.
It is also believed more trial matches are planned before McCarthy decides upon his panel of players for the Waterford Crystal tournament and beyond in the wake of the controversy that has seen virtually all of last year’s team either dropped or walk away from the county hurling panel.
Houlihan went on to play with the seniors until 2005 before being replaced by Brian Murray as first choice goalkeeper in 2006. He also featured during the 2006 season when he came on as a substitute in the heavy All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Clare in Ennis.
It has also been announced that tonight’s proposed county board meeting, which was called off because of bad weather conditions, has been rescheduled for next Tuesday night at Claughaun.
Meanwhile, the AIB Provincial Player Awards, to be presented in Dublin on Tuesday, February 9th, were announced yesterday. Leading the media vote with a record number of nominations was Cork All Star, Newtownshandrum’s Ben O’Connor, who took the Munster hurling award.
Newtownshandrum will play Leinster and 2007 All-Ireland champions Ballyhale Shamrocks in next month’s All-Ireland semi-finals. For the second successive year Ballyhale’s TJ Reid picks up the Leinster award.
Paddy Richmond also takes a second award for his part in Dunloy’s Ulster title. Richmond will face treble-chasing Portumna in the semi-finals. The Galway club don’t have a representative in the awards, as there is no Connacht championship.
In football the Leinster award went to Portlaoise’s Paul Cahillane, a former soccer triallist with Glasgow Celtic, who marked his first championship with the Laois champions by averaging more than a goal a match. In Munster, Kilmurry full back Darren Hickey was the winner.
The other awards went to Conor McGourty of Belfast club St Gall’s in Ulster and Galway All-Ireland winner Kieran Comer of the Corofin club.
Elsewhere, Cork All-Ireland winner Timmy McCarthy has confirmed his decision to retire from inter-county hurling, according to county manager Denis Walsh, who told the Evening Echo the three-times All-Ireland medallist had indicated to him his intention to opt out of the panel.
Finally the death has been announced of former Limerick dual player, Danny Fitzgerald. From the Claughaun club, he won NHL medals playing at centre-forward with Limerick in 1984 and 1985. After his hurling career, he played football for the county and in 1991 was on the team managed by John O’Keeffe, which reached the Munster final and ran Kerry to two points, as he scored four points from play and was nominated for an All Star later that year.
