Three Tipperary clubs forced into play-off because of club not fielding

Niall McIntyre

Hardly ideal.

The final round of group games in the Tipperary senior hurling championship took place over the weekend.

16 teams competed in four groups in Roinn One of the senior hurling championship in Tipperary this year. The top two teams would emerge from these groups into the quarter finals of the county championship – where they would be joined by each of the four divisional (North, South, Mid, West) winners, or the third place team in the group – if a divisional winner had finished ahead of them in that particular group.

These third placed teams, or if it so happened, the divisional winners would have to play in preliminary quarter finals before the last eight.

But the group stages are over now, and we still don’t know the identity of all of the teams who have made it through to the quarter finals.

That’s because three teams from Group Three in Drom and Inch, Thurles Sarsfields and Upperchurch-Drombane are facing into a three round play off over the course of the next ten days to book their places in the quarters.

These three teams were level on points after their three games in the group. Normally, this wouldn’t cause a play-off, seeing as score difference and head-to-head records still hold sway.

However, the fourth team in Group Three, Carrick Swans didn’t field a team in their very first match of the group against Thurles Sarsfields. The club requested a postponement of this fixture due to injuries to key players – sustained in a South Championship match they were forced to play just four days before the Thurles game.

The postponement appeal was rejected, and the un-played match would have knock-on effects in this group down the line. The Swans shipped a €600 fine but it also meant that score difference would be null and void for the rest of the group.

And Thurles, Upperchurch and Drom face a play off because of it.

And as luck would have it, 9/4 shots Drom and Inch stunned Thurles on Sunday evening, meaning the top three teams were tied on points.

The Sars and Drom were ahead of Upperchurch on score difference, but score difference didn’t matter now.

That play off will begin this Wednesday evening when Seamus Callanan and James Woodlock’s club take on James Barry’s Church men in Templetouhy.

Five in a row seeking Thurles Sarsfields will play their first game of the play off against the winner of that game on the 16th, and they’ll play another one three days later.

SH play-off details.
R1 Drom/Inch v Upperchurch Drombane in Templetuohy on Tuesday 11th at 8pm.
R2 winner v Sarsfields on Sunday 16th in Holycross at 5pm.
R3 losers v Sarsfields on Wednesday 19th in Templetuohy at 8pm.

— Tipperary GAA (@TipperaryGAA) September 2, 2018