Down board fined after game delay

Pairc Esler was the venue for the delay to the hurling fixture

The Down County Board has been hit with a 250 euro fine after chaos ensued following the football challenge game against Cork at Páirc Esler on 24 May.

It resulted in a 38-minute delay for the Ulster SHC quarter-final between Armagh and London at the same venue.

The challenge game finished on time, but problems arose when the sides took up the changing rooms available.

The Armagh and London players were forced to wait until their football counterparts left the changing rooms.

Both sets of hurlers had arrived an hour and a half before throw-in time.

London won the match by a point, but had the game gone to extra-time, because of the enforced delay the Exiles would not have been back in Dublin Airport on time for their flights, which cost in the region of £400 each because of the UK Bank Holiday that weekend.

The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) dished out the fine to the Mourne side in accordance with Rule 143 (b) of the GAA's Official Guide.

The rule states, "An inter-county challenge shall be sanctioned by a provincial or a central council.

"The sanction must be obtained from a provincial council when the teams are from the same province, and from the provincial councils and central council when teams are from more than one province."

Down were deemed to have taken part illegally in the game as they had failed to notify the CCCC about their participation in this challenge match.

In contrast, Cork had informed Croke Park officials that they would be taking part in a series of challenge games, which also included fixtures against Laois and Louth, in the build up to their Munster Championship opener against Limerick.