Meath tie abandoned over ‘handbags’
By Paddy Hickey
Friday June 15 2007
The GAA’S Hall of Shame on the disciplinary front has racked up yet another notch with the abandonment of a club match in Meath.
The latest outbreak of violence erupted in a senior football ‘B’ clash between St Patrick’s Stamullen and Dunsany on Tuesday at Stamullen, which was called off with 20 minutes to go.
After a prolonged period of fractious behaviour involving a number of players from both sides, referee Ronan Carry decided to end the contest and abandoned the match. Despite the match official obviously feeling he had no option but to take decisive action, a representative from each club - Dunsany secretary Mary Smyth and St Patrick’s counterpart Pat Ryan - argued that what transpired between the players was merely of the “handbags” variety.
When contacted, referee Carry said that he was unable to comment on the bust-up, but he confirmed that he had posted his match report to the County Board’s Games’ Administration Committee on Wednesday.
Asked about the matter, Meath GAA secretary Barney Allen stated that he was unaware of any trouble in the game, and County Board PRO Brendan Cummins refused to make any comment on the issue.
Cummins explained that he was not present at the match, but added that even if he had been, he would not have commented on what transpired.
“I can’t understand why you are interested in highlighting what happened in an insignificant match,” declared the PRO.
It is understood that referee Carry is a member of the Donaghmore-Ashbourne club, and that he has been officiating at matches for three years. He is one of the younger breed of referees at 30, and combines playing for his club with the handling of matches.
The melee follows hot on the heels of another flashpoint in the Royal County when mayhem erupted after an intermediate football fixture between north Meath rivals Castletown and Oldcastle at Kells.
A Castletown player was sent off, and after the final whistle, temperatures soared markedly as the players made their way from the pitch to the dressing rooms.
Castletown were fined 1,000 by the Meath County Board on Monday; the case against Oldcastle is still pending.