AN Antrim dual club have hit out at the Saffron county board for forcing them to play two crucial matches in the space of 21 hours this weekend.
Clooney Gaels, based in Ahoghill, will face 2015 winners Cushendall in their senior hurling championship opener in Ballymena at 6.30pm on Saturday.
The 2013 Ulster intermediate hurling champions have an overlap of 14 starting players with the footballing branch of the club, St Mary’s Ahoghill.
The hurling and football clubs operate from the same facilities but go under different names to allow players from other clubs in the locality who don’t provide hurling to play for Clooney Gaels while not affecting their football status with their own clubs.
Ahoghill footballers are involved in a last-day relegation battle in Division One and are due to play Aldergrove in a winner-takes-all league tie at 3pm on Sunday.
One of three teams will be relegated with the already demoted St Paul’s, with Ahoghill needing to win by four points or more if they are to guarantee their top-flight status for next year.
The club made a request to Antrim CCC to have their football tie with Aldergrove postponed by at least 24 hours but the game is set to go ahead on Sunday, less than a full day after the club’s knockout hurling championship clash.
Club officials from Aldergrove have denied that they have been contacted regarding a change by either Ahoghill or Antrim CCC.
Ahoghill football manager Paul Bradley said that his players will field in both games as they “don’t want to choose between hurling and football” but questioned the county board’s decision.
“14 players will start both games. We have a sub for hurling that will start for the footballers, and one of the footballers doesn’t play hurling. That’s it.
“Our chairman came to us two weeks ago and told us, and he has been pushing this with the county board since then. But we’ve been told we’re two different clubs and that it won’t be changed.
”We asked for the football not to be the next day. Portglenone’s game has been moved to 7pm but we can’t even get that done because Aldergrove won’t agree to move it.
“From a player welfare point of view, playing two big matches in that short timeframe isn’t what the GAA should be about.”
