U-14 boss ready to quit if squad activity put on hold
IT’S NOT an absolute necessity in the G.A.A., but when you look back at the breakthrough teams at Senior level, very often they were preceded by, or accompanied by, successful under-age structures.
Wexford Senior hurling at present is benefiting from a successful Under-21 reign at provincial level, as was evident in the league quarter-final victory over Kilkenny , this coupled with strong Minor set-ups over the past three to four years.
But the value of that connection seems to have fallen on deaf ears at a lower level, with the county Under-14 academy hurling squad manager, Bartley Regan, threatening resignation should the squad be prevented from having sessions during May and June in the lead up to the All-Ireland Féile which is being co-hosted by Wexford in June.
The manager was taken aback on receipt of instructions regarding squad sessions during this period, but he is not willing to accept what he described as a decision that would be detrimental to Under-14 hurling the county.
‘There is talk about it (not having squad sessions), but a lot of people are objecting,’ Regan said.
‘There is a lot of thinking going on. We are thinking it all through. There is talk about it but nothing in place at the moment.
‘We are trying to manage the situation for the good of the chaps.
‘We will see how it plays out but at the end of the day it’s about the young players.
‘If we stop hurling for six to eight weeks, in two of the best months of the year, it would be detrimental to Under-14 hurling in the county.
‘Then we call ourselves a hurling county. It’s 49 years since we won an All-Ireland Minor hurling title. Kilkenny have 24 titles, Tipperary have 21, and then you have Cork and Galway.
‘If Wexford stuck with the system we can be winning All-Irelands at Under-17. But if we stop hurling for six to eight weeks in the summer it would be a joke. If it happens I’m gone,’ he said.
While an effort was made to contact Coaching Officer, Bobby Goff, he was not available to comment before our deadline on Monday. ACHL Division 1A: Shelmaliers 0-14, St. Martin’s 0-13; Glynn-Barntown 3-13, Rathnure 1-16; Crossabeg-Ballymurn 2-17, Faythe Harriers 0-18.
ACHL Division 1B: Buffers Alley 2-24, Rapparees 2-12; Ferns St. Aidan’s 0-17, Craanford 2-9.
ACHL Division 2A: Naomh Eanna 2-17, Oulart-The Ballagh 0-15; Monageer-Boolavogue 0-19, St. Patrick’s 1-12; Ballygarrett 2-12, Askamore 0-16. ACFL Division 2A: Ballyhogue 1-14, St. Joseph’ 2-10. ACHL Division 2B: St. Anne’s 2-14, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown 1-10.
ACHL Division 3A: HWH-Bunclody 1-18, Marshalstown-Castledockrell 0-7; Duffry Rovers 5-15, Shamrocks 0-15; Tara Rocks 0-17, Buffers Alley 0-16.
ACHL Division 3B: Fethard 2-16, Geraldine O’Hanrahans 2-13; Faythe Harriers 2-13, Taghmon-Camross 2-13. ACFL Division 3B: St. Fintan’s 0-9, Volunteers 0-6. ACHL Division 4A: Rapparees 4-15, Buffers Alley 0-11; Liam Mellows 3-10, Naomh Eanna 1-7.
ACHL Division 4B: Our Lady’s Island 3-12, Horeswood 2-12; Clongeen 5-7, St. Mary’s (Rosslare) 1-18.
ACFL Division 4B: Monageer-Boolavogue 1-7, St. Patrick’s 2-1; Ballyhogue w.o., Starlights scr.
ACHL Division 5A: Cloughbawn 3-11, Gusserane 2-11; Rathnure 2-22, Glynn-Barntown 0-9; Kilmore 0-17, Adamstown 0-12.
ACHL Division 5B: Monageer-Boolavogue 3-22, Duffry Rovers 2-7; Ferns St. Aidan’s 2-19, Oulart-The Ballagh 0-16; Craanford 0-14, Crossabeg-Ballymurn 1-5.
ACHL Division 6A: HWH-Bunclody 4-17, Ballygarrett 1-5; Shamrocks 2-22, Askamore 2-18.
ACHL Division 6B: Ballyhogue 4-12, St. James’ 0-8; Oylegate-Glenbrien 2-22, Clongeen 0-5. ACHL Division 7: Blackwater 1-9, St. Patrick’s 0-9. Top Oil Leinster Post-Primary Schools Juvenile hurling ‘A’ championship quarter-final: St. Peter’s (Wexford) 3-9, St. Brendan’s (Birr) 1-10.
TUES. APRIL 11 AT BALLYBODEN: Leinster Club hurling league semi-final, Buffers Alley v. Ballyboden St. Enda’s, time TBC.
ACHL Division 1B (7.45 p.m.): Cloughbawn v. Oulart-The Ballagh (Pat Kehoe).
ACHL Division 4A (7 p.m.): Tara Rocks v. Davidstown-Courtnacuddy (Aidan Foley).
FRI. APRIL 14 ACFL Division 1A (6.30 p.m.): St. Martin’s v. Glynn-Barntown (Fintan O’Reilly); Sarsfields v. Kilanerin (Seán Whelan).
ACFL Division 1B (6.30 p.m.): St. Anne’s v. Gusserane (Kevin Carty); Adamstown v. St. James’ (Anthony Tobin); Bannow-Ballymitty v. Horeswood (David Jenkins).
ACFL Division 2A (6.30 p.m.): St. Mary’s, Maudlintown v. Réalt na Mara (Billy Dodd).
ACFL Division 2B (6.30 p.m.): Taghmon-Camross v. Fethard (John Diskin); Crossabeg-Ballymurn v. Clongeen (Pádraig McMahon).
ACHL Division 2B (6 p.m.): Blackwater (James Flood).
ACFL Division 3A: Craanford v. Kilrush (6.30 p.m., Pádraig Byrne); Naomh Eanna v. Ferns St. Aidan’s (8 p.m., Brendan Martin).
ACFL Division 3B (6.30 p.m.): Shamrocks v. Volunteers (Ian Plunkett); Geraldine O’Hanrahans v. Cloughbawn (Brendan Holohan); Rathgarogue-Cushinstown v. St Fintan’s (John Tobin).
ACFL Division 4A (6.30 p.m.): (Brendan O’Brien).
ACFL Division 4B (6.30 p.m.): HWH-Bunclody v. Ballyhogue (Martin Quigley); Castletown v. St. Patrick’s (Pat Owley); Monageer-Boolavogue v. Starlights (John O’Rourke).
ACFL Division 5A (6.30 p.m.): (Martin Armstrong).
ACFL Division 6A (6.30 p.m.): Mary’s, Rosslare (Stephen Burke).
SAT. APRIL 15 AT NOWLAN PARK: Electric Ireland Leinster MHC second round, Wexford v. Kilkenny, 3 p.m.
ACFL Division 1A (6.30 p.m.): Castletown v. Shelmaliers (Eddie O’Sullivan).
ACFL Division 2A (6.30 p.m.): Ballyhogue v. St. Joseph’s (Barry Redmond); Starlights v. HWH-Bunclody (John O’Loughlin).
ACFL Division 2B (6.30 p.m.): Kilmore (Kevin Kehoe).
ACFL Division 3A (6.30 p.m.): (James Owens).
ACFL Division 4A (6.30 p.m.): St. Anne’s v. Blackwater (Francis Neville); St. James’ v. St. Martin’s (Henry Sinnott).
ACFL Division 5A (6.30 p.m.): Volunteers v. St. Mary’s, Maudlintown (Martin Conway); Marshalstown-Castledockrell bye.
ACFL Division 5B (6.30 p.m.): Adamstown v. Gusserane (Lar Doyle); Sarsfields v. Clongeen (Paddy Campbell); Fethard bye.
ACFL Division 6A (6.30 p.m.): Our Lady’s Island v. Bannow-Ballymitty (Declan Dennehy); Oylegate-Glenbrien bye.
ACFL Division 6B (6.30 p.m.): Kilrush v. Réalt na Mara (Paul Browne); Craanford v. Clonee (Paddy Brady); Naomh Eanna bye. Oylegate-Glenbrien v. Kilmore v. Shelmaliers Duffry Rovers v. Clonard St. Joseph’s v. St. St. Mary’s, Rosslare v. Kilanerin v. Duffry Rovers SUN. APRIL 16 AT NOWLAN PARK: Allianz Hurling League Division 1 semi-final, Wexford v. Tipperary, 4 p.m. MON. APRIL 17 AT BELLEFIELD: Electric Ireland Leinster MFC preliminary round, Wexford v. Offaly, 3 p.m. (Seamus Mulhare, Laois).
WEDS. APRIL 19 AT HOME VENUE: Leinster Special Under-17 hurling championship, Wexford v. Kilkenny, 6.30 p.m. Winners in semi-finals; losers in quarter-finals on April 26 along with Kildare, winners of Meath v. Wicklow, and losers of Dublin v. Offaly.