Earlier date for Junior ‘B’ hurling sought

A motion from the Crookedwood club on the junior ‘B’ hurling championship to the Westmeath GAA County Convention was referred to the planning committee for further consideration.

The club called for the championship to run alongside the senior and intermediate hurling championships (and not after). It would mean fringe players at smaller clubs get meaningful game time.

“Running junior ‘B’ after the higher grades extends the season into December, preventing players from making personal plans and causing frustration. Concurrent scheduling ensures competitive hurling throughout the summer, supports player welfare, aids retention, and allows a defined end to the club season,” explained Kieran McKenna, club chairman and delegate.

“It aligns with fair and efficient use of the playing calendar. Running junior ‘B’ after Senior/Intermediate unnecessarily stretches the fixture list into winter, clashing with weather, work, and personal commitments. Concurrent scheduling compresses the hurling calendar into the core summer months, giving every player a defined season end - fairer on all clubs, especially smaller ones, and a more efficient use of the county’s playing window,” the motion stated.

Outgoing chairman Frank Mescall, acknowledged the spirit of the motion, but explained that the Competitions Control Committee (CCC) this year went with the U20 hurling and football, giving those precedence. “At the semi-final stage, we kicked in with the junior ‘B’ competitions: it’s just the difficulty of fitting them all in,” he said.

The motion needed to go to planning because the CCC cannot be restricted in making their fixtures, he explained.