Prenty reiterates opposition to interprovincials

NEWS ROUND-UP:CONNACHT SECRETARY John Prenty has reiterated his opposition to the interprovincial series, which begins this weekend but said that his previously expressed misgivings on the grounds of cost no longer apply since the provincial council decided to levy the counties involved.

“We discussed participation and while anyone can pull out of a competition, Central Council had decided to give the interprovincials another go and we accepted that. Central Council’s made up of the counties so we took a decision that those involved in the team could cover the costs of taking part depending on how many players they had on the teams.”

The interprovincials, formerly known as the Railway Cup, stage their semi-finals on Sunday, with Leinster playing Munster in Parnell Park in football and Nowlan Park in hurling. Connacht’s footballers face Ulster in Sligo’s Markievicz Park, while the hurlers play in Ballinasloe.

The competitions secured a reprieve last year when it was decided not to abolish them despite their having been suspended for two years. The intercounty calendar has been cleared this weekend to facilitate the semi-finals in what is a very busy time of the season.

“There are too many fixtures for the same guys,” according to Prenty, whose previous financial objections had been voiced at a time when the finals were played abroad. “We were lucky or unlucky that every time the finals went on tour we were on it.

“There were finals in Dubai, Rome, Paris and Boston, which cost us a huge amount of money. We haven’t won the football since 1969 but we’ve seen the world.”

Meanwhile, it has been announced that Sunday’s football semi-final between Leinster and Munster will have the following promotional offers available: admission for children under-16 is free and in a further concession announced yesterday adults will be admitted free to the stand if accompanied by two children.

The general admission price is adults €10 and students/OAPs €5.

Elsewhere, Kildare name nine first-time starters for tonight’s (7.30pm) O’Byrne Cup final against DCU at Portlaoise.

MUNSTER PANEL(SF v Leinster): G Brennan (Clare), G Kelly (Clare), D Tubridy (Clare), G Canty (Cork), M Collins (Cork), P Kelly (Cork), P Kerrigan (Cork), P Kissane (Cork), A Quirke (Cork), B Kealy (Kerry), A O Mahony (Kerry), T Ó Se (Kerry), S Scanlon (Kerry), S Buckley (Limerick), J Cooke (Limerick), S Lavin (Limerick), J McCarthy (Limerick), P Ranahan (Limerick), I Ryan (Limerick), S Briggs (Waterford), G Hurney (Waterford), P Hurney (Waterford), M OGorman (Waterford), T OGorman (Waterford).

MUNSTER PANEL(SH v Leinster): J Conlon (Clare), C Dillon (Clare), P Donnellan (Clare); P Cronin (Cork), D Og Cusack (Cork), J Gardiner (Cork), P Horgan (Cork); T Murnane (Kerry), S Nolan (Kerry); T Condon (Limerick), D Hannon (Limerick), D O'Grady (Limerick), N Quaid (Limerick); M Cahill (Tipperary), P Curran (Tipperary), E Kelly (Tipperary), B Maher (Tipperary), P Maher (Tipperary), P Maher (Tipperary), S McGrath (Tipperary), C O'Mahony (Tipperary), G Ryan (Tipperary); L Lawlor (Waterford), K Moran (Waterford), S O'Sullivan (Waterford), M Walsh (Waterford)

ULSTER PANEL(SF v Connacht): B McVeigh (Down), D Gordan (Down), B Coulter (Down), M Poland (Down), N McGee (Donegal), K Lacey (Donegal), RKavanagh (Donegal), B Donaghy (Armagh), C McKeever (Armagh), P Harte (Tyrone), J McMahon (Tyrone), M Penrose (Tyrone), O Mulligan (Tyrone), J Devine (Tyrone), M Donnelly (Tyrone) C McCarron (Tyrone), T McCann (Antrim), J Loughrey (Antrim), V Corey (Monaghan), O Lennon (Monaghan), K Hughes (Monaghan), D Hughes (Monaghan), R Flanagan (Cavan), C Gilligan (Derry).

CONNACHT(SF v Ulster): G Claffey (Roscommon); S McDermott, F Hanley (Galway), C Harrison (Sligo); G Bradshaw (Galway), D Vaughan (Mayo), W McKeon (Leitrim); M Finneran (Roscommon), S O Shea (Mayo); K McLaughlin (Mayo), D Shine (Roscommon), A Dillon (Mayo); C Mortimer (Mayo), A Marren (Sligo), N Joyce (Galway).