This article is from page 88 of the 2009-02-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 88 JPG
COUNTY board delegates will vote ona masters fixtures list that has been drawn up and presented to clubs by a special Structures Committee at to- night’s meeting of the Clare County Board.
Effectively, this is the first time clubs had a major say in competition structures and it follows last year’s backlog of championship hurling games which occurred after the Clare manager, Mike McNamara, called on clubs to defer the second round of the championship as Clare were prepar- ing to play Tipperary in the Munster
Final. This meant some clubs didn’t play any championship game until late August and an avoidance of such problems was one of the key terms of reference for the committee.
The committee, which has five hurl- ing representatives and four football representatives, will point out at to- night’s meeting that they have aimed to ensure that dual clubs will have at least five days between championship games in hurling and football.
One of the most significant dates to be tied down is the opening round of the hurling championship. The committee had initially proposed that Rounds | and 2 of the hurling
championship would take place on the weekends of May 16/17 and May 30/31, but were asked by the Clare management to change the dates to May 9/10 and May 23/24. As this would require altering the Clare Cup Fourth Round, the committee have suggested playing the opening two rounds on consecutive weekends in May. Tonight, delegates will get the Opportunity to discuss these dates further. If Clare win the Munster Senior Hurling Championship, the third round of the club championship will go ahead on the weekend of July 18/19 and should that not come to pass, those games will take place on
August 15/16.
In terms of club leagues, the com- mittee proposes to begin the Clare Cup in March and the Cusack Cup the final weekend of February.
However, due to inter-county ac- tion, the second round isn’t sched- uled until March 29.
In relation to the football club championship, the opening round is
scheduled for June 20 with games involving dual clubs, where neces- sary, scheduled for six days later.
In the proposal submitted to clubs, the committee pointed out that while all would accept that it 1s preferable to play club hurling and football in
summer months, “it is extremely dif- ficult to plan club games during these months.
“The playing of club leagues and championships in a meaningful and competitive way will require a posi- tive approach and a certain degree of flexibility and goodwill on the part of all involved.”
The recommendations are expected to be generally accepted by delegates and discussions on the recommen- dations will form the main talking point at tonight’s meetings.
Meanwhile, the draw for the Under 21 hurling championship will also take place at tonight’s meeting.