Brewing up a storm – Waterford v Clare Munster minor hurling

 

Waterford and Clare live to fight another day in the Munster minor championship as adverse weather forced the referee Anthony Sherlock to pull the plug on this semi final play-off. No quibbles with the decision, as player safety is paramount, just the timing of it. It took until twenty minutes before the throw in for the call to be made and that caused dissatisfaction all round.

A mixture of annoyance and bemusement manifested itself at the gate afterwards as people sought refunds and expressed their feelings on the matter. In the end there was no other option than walk away, turn the car around and head back home. It’s a long way from Clare to here and the Banner faithful will have to make another midweek trek in the near future.

For the second week running, a sticky situation was avoidable. The gusts almost swept people off their feet as they made their way to the ground but they still streamed in. Weather warnings had been issued and the wind showed no signs of easing. It makes the late, late decision all the more head scratching.

The delay can be seen as a positive for both camps. These two teams will now get a chance to fine tune their efforts and in kinder conditions (weather permitting) they can show off their true abilities rather than battling the elements. Fitness doubts hung over ace attacker Bobby Duggan for Clare so he will be a certain starter at the second time of asking. Stephen Bennett also gets the opportunity to get back up to speed and force his way into the reckoning. The gates will be wide open to all comers for the rerun with May 1 suggested as a possible date.