Abandoned final re-fixed for Saturday next

SATURDAY night’s abandoned county senior football final between Fr. Casey’s and Drom-Broadford has been re-fixed for next Saturday (October 17) in the Gaelic Grounds at 4.30pm.
An injury to Fr. Casey’s Thomas Cahill brought Saturday night’s game to a premature end at the Gaelic Grounds.
The sides were locked at five points apiece in the 35th minute when Thomas Cahill collided with teammate Owen Joy under a dropping ball and the inter-county star suffered a broken leg in the unfortunate incident.
An accident earlier in the evening had seen the attending ambulance remove a child to hospital and as a result there was a significant and regrettable delay before the ambulance returned to transport the prostrate Cahill to casualty - Thomas Cahill was left lying on the Gaelic Grounds pitch for fully 33 minutes before being carefully lifted into an ambulance.
Twenty-six minutes after Thomas Cahill suffered his misfortunate injury the respective teams were told that the authorities, in conjunction with referee Mike O’Connor (Na Piarsaigh), had decided to abandon the game.
County Football Board chairman John Galvin explained the background to the decision: “The match was called off in the finish for health and safety reasons and after consultation with the referee.
“The players had gone cold following the delay caused by the injury and it was dangerous to play since the surface had got very slippery because of the due on the grass.
“It’s different to rain; they would be sliding all over the place.
“You had two cold teams there so trying to start off all over again there were bound to be more injuries. So, the decision was taken to call off the match in the best interests of the players.
“Finally I would like to wish Thomas a speedy recovery and I hope he will be back playing for Abbeyfeale and for Limerick in the coming months,” Galvin said.
On Saturday afternoon the Na Piarsaigh intermediate footballers beat Galbally in the county semi-final (1-8 to 0-10) to book their place in the decider against city division rivals St. Patrick’s - the final is due to take place in two weeks time.
Meanwhile the excitement is building this week ahead of next Sunday’s county senior hurling final (3.30pm) which will see Na Piarsaigh take on Adare in the county senior hurling final at the Gaelic Grounds.

BRIAN MCDONNELL