Scheduling row forces cancellation of Down V London clash
The Ulster Council has been forced to call off Sunday's Ulster SHC semi-final between Down and London due to a disagreement over the scheduling of the match.
The London hurlers are set to play Armagh in the second round of the Nicky Rackard Cup in Crossmaglen on Saturday, and the fixing of the Ulster semi-final for Sunday afternoon at Casement Park would have seen them play two inter-county games in the space of 24 hours.
The London County Board released a statement, through the Gaelic Players Association, which put across their 'serious disappointment' with the Ulster Council's refusal to reschedule the Down game.
It confirmed that the board had requested that the semi-final be refixed, adding: "The London squad will travel back to London on Saturday evening on pre-arranged flights and will not be fulfilling the Ulster semi-final fixture on Sunday.
"However, it is hoped that common sense might still prevail at this late stage and that the game will be refixed for a later date."
The Ulster Council has since released a one-line statement confirming that the game will not go ahead. "Aising from communication received from London, the Ulster SHC semi-final scheduled for Sunday (June 13) has been cancelled," it read.
Commenting on the situation, London hurler and spokesperson John Joe Burke said: "No team should be required to play two competitive championship matches in 24 hours, this is a serious player welfare issue.
"And it is hard to think of any other squad being asked to fulfil such a farcical schedule. As far as we're concerned, there is no reason why the Ulster Council can't apply some flexibility here, the Ulster Championship does not feed into the national competitions.
"Of course we want to play the two games - but within a rational timeframe."
