All four teams competing in this year’s Carlow Senior Hurling Championship have safely negotiated the round robin phase and advanced to the semi finals.
6 in the intermediate (albeit Naomh Brid conceded walkovers in 4 of their 5 games) and 8 in the junior.
Its a complete clusterfuck. There was meant to be 6 in senior. Naomh Brid had opted out of senior a few weeks before it was due to start, as they did last year. Bagenalstown opted out of senior for intermediate about a week before it was meant to start. Its not that long ago since it was an 8 club senior championship.
Mount Leinster Rangers and Myshall have clubs in all three championships - senior, intermediate and junior. St Mullins are in senior and intermediate and Ballinkillen in senior and junior. Carlow Town are in intermediate and junior. I don’t know what’s going on in Naomh Brid. The club seems to have collapsed in the space of about two years, withdrawn from senior and conceding walkovers across all grades. That was an amlgamation in the mid 90’s of Leighlinbridge/Old Leighlin and Ballinabrana, a strong hurling area. There’s still a sprinkling of good hurlers of intercounty standard in the county but not a hope with four senior clubs of living with Galway, Kilkenny, Wexford and Dublin over 4/5 weeks.
June. County board and divisions said before the Munster championship that there would be no games played till August at the earliest regardless of how Tipp did. That way clubs could plan and players could book holidays. This playoff is a result of the board awarding a walkover in April.