PatrickFayandhis offenceofplaying forthePondlads
October 1938
THE Woodington Rangers G.F.C. objected to the Gaelics being awarded the McArdle Cup tie played on September 4th at Drogheda on the grounds that Patrick Fay ( Gaelics ) had played for the Pond Rovers against St. Magdalenes in the Minor football championship, contrary to Rules 1 and 4. page 21 Official Guide.
Mr. Dunne ( Woodington Rangers) said that while he was waiting on the stand of the Gaelic Grounds to referee a senior football match he saw Patrick Fay playing with the Pond Rovers against the St. Magdalenes in a minor football championship match.
The Co. Secretary said that he should like to explain his position in this matter. When the Gaelics defeated Woodington Rangers in the McArdle Cup he listed for the following Sunday the Gaelics v. St. Josephs (Mell) for the final of the South Louth Division. The night before the final the Woodington Rangers handed in at his house an objection to the Gaelics. On examination he found that the objection was not in order.
The next day he endeavoured to get in touch with the Woodington Rangers in the hope that they would withdraw the objection and allow the match to proceed between the Gaelics and St. Josephs. Until he had arrived at the Gaelic Grounds to superintend the fixtures he had failed to get in touch with the representative of the Woodington Rangers. He did his utmost to persuade Mr. Dunne to withdraw the objection, but Mr. Dunne said he could not withdraw the objection as he was not the Committee of Woodington Rangers.
He ( Secretary) was in a fix as he could not allow the Gaelics and St. Josephs tie to take place in view of the objection. He (Secretary) then told Mr. Dunne that the objection was not worth the paper it was written on. At this time the spectators had arrived for the tie advertised. In the end he called off the tie between Gaelics and St. Josephs. To his great surprise when he arrived home on Sunday evening he found that the Woodington Rangers had lodged a second objection and this one was in order.
Asked by a delegate what time the second objection was left at his house the Secretary replied that Mrs. Duffy said it was handed in before 3 p.m. and added that he (Secretary) dated it as received at 2.55 p.m. The Woodington Rangers had until 3.30 p.m. to lodge an objection.
A long discussion took place as to the legal position and it was ultimately ruled that the first objection would go out on the grounds that the envelope was not addressed in Irish and the second objection was held to be in order.
In the course of the discusison the representative of the Gaelics Club admitted that Patrick Fay had assisted Pond Rovers G.F.C., but that it was in the minor championship. Then it was pointed out that the Pond Rovers G.F.C. had other teams besides a minor team. Some delegates held that it was not sufficient evidence to say “that he saw a player playing in a match.” There should be positive proof of this by way of a list of players being produced to show that the player did play and that the match in which he played was a County Championship and not a local League game. The Chairman, while agreeing that such proof should have been submitted, reminded the delegates of the fact that the Gaelics representative had admitted the offence. Mr, Dunne ( Woodington Rangers) said that the objection was lodged and was properly before the Board and it was for the Board, through, the Chairman, to say if it was in order or not. He (Mr. Dunne) would not agree to a replay under any circumstances.