LEINSTER TEAMS SHOULD be playing in the Leinster championship and not in the Christy Ring Cup.
Laois hurling manager Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett is disappointed that Carlow and Westmeath could potentially be knocked out of next year’s provincial championship under the new round robin structure.
“I would have thought that to grow the game you have to have as many counties as you can competing in the Leinster Championship,” he says.
“This is our province after all.”
Plunkett’s Laois team are guaranteed Leinster championship hurling next year after wins in this year’s round robin over Westmeath, Carlow and London.
But Carlow and Westmeath are still battling the prospect of the Christy Ring Cup next year. London are one of three teams, Galway and Antrim the others, who compete in Leinster despite not being from within the province.
“I can’t speak for Carlow or Westmeath but in general I find that very disappointing for them. I know hurling people in Carlow and Westmeath to a certain extent and they’re very ambitious about their team.
“To tell them that they can’t actually play Leinster Championship when they’re actually based in the province as they are, is I’d imagine very, very disappointing.”
The round robin format was introduced for this years championship with five counties all playing one another once.
So the two top teams from, Antrim, Carlow, Laois, London and Westmeath will advance to the Leinster quarter-final. The bottom placed team will be relegated to the Christy Ring Cup while the second bottom team faces the Christy Ring Cup winner in a promotion play-off.
“I know if it was our county we’d be quite disappointed about that. You’d have to ask the question is this definitely the way to grow the game?
“How are you going to grow the base in those counties in terms of underage development and schools and all of those things unless you’re prepared to commit to that type of development with those counties.
“It’s very difficult just to set a League basis for them in terms of a round-robin. There you go, go on and perform. If you don’t make it you’ll be in the Christy Ring next year. Really, that’s what happens here.”
Laois face Antrim this weekend, with both sides having already qualified for the quarter finals. The winner will face Wexford rather than Galway.
