Marsden wins appeal over ban

Central Council Meeting: Armagh's Diarmuid Marsden won his appeal against his one-match suspension at Saturday's Central Council meeting. It was a rare example of a suspension being overruled at this level.

On a margin of 22-6, delegates voted to overturn the GAC decision on the basis that there had been a failure to clarify if referee Brian White had consulted with an umpire before sending off Marsden in September's All-Ireland final.

Given that the world saw White talking to his umpire before the sending-off this was a fortunate ground on which to succeed, but, given the season, there will hardly be too many complaints, especially given Marsden's good disciplinary record.

Video evidence that cast doubt on the alleged offence against Tyrone's Philip Jordan was probably more influential, even if re-assessing the facts isn't part of Central Council's remit.

Earlier, the meeting had heard proposals from the Hurling Development Committee for a three-tier intercounty championship in 2005 and a suggestion from the Competitions Work Group that provincial finalists get a two-week break before playing in the qualifiers.