Walkover was a backwards step
WALKOVERS remain an all-too-familiar feature around the club scene but are almost extinct across the inter-county arena – or so we thought. It was a bit of a surprise this week to see Donegal concede their Ulster SHC relegation play-off to Down. The thinking behind it is that the Nicky Rackard Cup is more significant to the players’ season – that campaign begins next Saturday against Armagh – and after a heavy defeat to Antrim in the Ulster semi-final, they couldn’t risk another battering to their confidence. But it yet again illustrates that so much more needs to be done to develop hurling in weaker counties.