Districtsareousted byasinglevote

May 1979

District teams will not be allowed in the Wexford Senior Hurling and Football Championships this year, following last year’s fiasco where Wexford District failed to field a team for what should have been the county final against Castletown. The title was awarded to the north county men by way of walkover instead.

By a single vote (16-15), a motion from Gorey District asking that they be allowed to compete was defeated at last week’s Wexford County Board meeting.

Oliver Murray proposed the motion on behalf of Gorey District.

Mr Tony O’Loughlin (Bunclody) was first to speak against their inclusion. He said that the future of the GAA in the county lies in the clubs and the one parish system, and he did not feel it was for the good of the game to allow the Districts in.

He said that last year, all the clubs in the county all fulfilled their fixtures and engagements, only for the Wexford District, with a choice of eight or ten clubs, to then fail to fulfil the showpiece of the senior football championship.

Their excuse was very poor in the eyes of many, as they had so many players to choose from, he said. He also pointed out there was a heavy financial loss from the final not being played.

Joe Shaughnessy (Castletown), whose club were awarded last year’s title, felt that Wexford District has let down the people who voted the Districts in last year, by refusing to play the final. They had also let the Co. Board and all of Wexford GAA down. He said they had even let Castletown down, because they would have preferred to win the title on the field of play. He felt that with the pick of an entire District, the Wexford side could have played.

Oliver Murray said the senior championships should not be ‘a closed shop’ and that players from intermediate and junior clubs should have the opportunity to take part in them too, via the District sides. He said club sides had failed to turn up for other finals in the past, yet they were not subsequently voted out of the following year’s championships.

Despite his impassioned plea though, the motion was defeated by 16 votes to 15. The draw for the first round of the championships is now expected to be made before the end of the month.