Rule tweak required

WHILE WE’RE on the subject of Under-20, there’s an anomaly in the rules for Roinn 1 that ought to be altered for next year in our opinion. All 16 teams graded Premier were guaranteed at least two games, with first round winners moving into the ‘A’ competition, while the losers took part in the ‘B’ equivalent.

Roinn 1 reverted to the four Districts, but the following regulation is where the issue arose: ‘District round 1 losers to play in a Roinn 1B competition on an all-county basis with an open draw to decide these fixtures’.

Through no fault of their own – the luck of the draw in one instance – Munna Abbáin were granted byes into both New Ross District finals, with the free passage in football coming because Bannow-Ballymitty gave them a walkover, while only three teams entered the hurling.

They lost the two games, and didn’t get a second one in either code because those defeats didn’t come in the first round.

They weren’t the only ones in hurling: Crossabeg-Ballymurn suffered by virtue of getting a bye to the Wexford District final which they lost, while St. Patrick’s and Monageer-Boolavogue only got one game apiece since they were beaten at the semi-final stage in Districts that had quarter-finals (or first rounds) to start with.

In football, Hollow Rovers have received a bye to the final in the three-team Enniscorthy District, so the only way they can get a second game is by winning it against Cloughbawn on Saturday.

Under-20 is a critical grade, the stage at which most clubs lose players and, certainly in the case of football, it’s played at an awful time of year weather-wise.

Therefore, the least each and every player should get is two games, and a slight tweak of the wording would ensure that this takes place. Failure to amend this would be a dereliction of duty by the clubs.

Put simply, Roinn 1B should be for all clubs who didn’t get a second game in their District, regardless of the stage when they made their exit.