Board meeting will examine club championship

A specially convened County Board meeting takes place this Thursday night to re-structure the county senior hurling championship.
The proposed new structure involves the introduction of a group system (four groups of four which includes a divisional side) where each team plays each other once with the previous year’s county semi finalists seeded. The top two teams in each group progress to the county quarter-finals where group winners will be seeded while the bottom two sides in each group contest the ‘County
Senior Cup’ (an open draw knockout competition) - the final of the newly-introduced County Senior Cup would be played as a curtain-raiser to the county senior or intermediate final. Teams that lose the first round of the County Senior Cup would then enter the relegation semi-finals.
Additionally it has been proposed that the group stage of the championship be concluded the week before senior inter-county championship break (third week in June to first or second week in August).
It has also been proposed that the All-County Leagues would begin much later in the year and run during the inter-county championship break.
The introduction of the ‘mid-season break’ is one of the more controversial elements of the new structure.
Club delegates will be asked to vote on the proposed changes - what happens if the delegates dont accept the new structures is unknown. The proposals come from a sub committee comprising of County Board chairman Liam Lenihan, County Board secretary Mike O’Riordan, County Board vice-chairman Mickey O’Sullivan, Olive Mann (Patrickswell), John O’Brien (Claughaun) and Val Moloney (Kilmallock).

Croke Park ruling
CROKE Park is to deliver two rulings to Limerick GAA officials ahead of the Annual Convention on December 7.
Limerick could yet be left without a Development Officer. Eibhear O’Dea is to step down from the role and earlier this month Tim Ryan (Crecora) was the only candidate nominated for the position.
However, Ryan already served in the position (prior to O’Dea) for five years and his eligibility is to be clarified by Croke Park.
The eligibility of Mike O’Riordan to stand for the position of Munster Council delegate has also been queried to GAA headquarters.
O’Riordan is one of five nominated for the two positions. However, as a full-time paid official of Limerick GAA, it is unknown if he is eligible to stand for the position.
Also nominated are Oola’s Denis Holmes, Mungret’s Donal Fitzgibbon, Eddie Wade of South Liberties and Patrickswell’s Oliver Mann.
It’s unclear if Fitzgibbon and Wade are to allow their names go forward for election.
Elsewhere, both Ger O’Connell (Pallasgreen) and Eamonn Phelan (St Patrick’s) have been nominated to run against current PRO Helen Cross (Ahane).

Minor hurling
LIMERICK’S minor hurling management begin their quest for 2010 success this Saturday with the first round of the County under-17 inter-divisional championship.
In Bruff, the East division play the West at 2.00, while at 3.30 the South face the City.
Ger Hegarty continues as minor manager for a second year and will be joined by selectors Brian Begley, George Lee and Paul Finn.

Jerome O’Connell