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A view of Páirc Uí Chaoimh from May.
curtain raiser

County chair says Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be ready to host hurling championship quarter-finals

Cork county chair Ger Lane has dismissed reports that the venue will not be ready for this year’s Championship quarter-finals in two weeks’ time.

CORK COUNTRY CHAIRMAN Ger Lane has stated that Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be ready to host this year’s All-Ireland senior hurling championship quarter-finals in two weeks despite recent reports to the contrary.

Speaking to Cork’s Red FM Sport, Lane confirmed that the redeveloped venue would be ready in time to host the pair of quarter-finals which are scheduled the weekend of 23 July.

Reports surfaced in the last number of days casting doubt over whether or not the stadium would be ready in time for the games.

The opening game of the redeveloped 45,000 capacity venue was hoped to be either last Sunday’s Munster football final between Kerry and Cork, or this weekend’s hurling final between Clare and Cork.

However delays have meant the curtain raiser has been pushed forward, with doubts this week being raised over the staging of July’s All-Ireland hurling championship quarter finals at the venue.

According to the Irish Times, a meeting will be held next Monday where the matter will be considered, with the final decision not being made until after all of the qualifiers and this weekend’s Munster final have taken place.

The GAA Central Council proposed the idea of hosting the hurling championship quarter finals to the CCCC last month, however a combination of technological issues and a failure to put in place adequate security protocols for games has meant the ground’s opening fixture has been delayed.

A view of ongoing redevelopment at Pairc Ui Chaoimh Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO

The runners’ up of this Sunday’s Munster final between Clare and Cork will join either Dublin/Tipperary, Waterford/Kilkenny and Leinster championship runners’ up Wexford in this year’s quarter finals, with both fixtures currently scheduled for Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Cork county chair Lane expressed his disappointment with the recent delays.

“Clearly we are disappointed but we want everything to be pristine before the stadium hosts its first major games”, he said speaking to the Times.

“We want to be certain that all the expectations for this tremendous new facility will be fully met and we are satisfied that this will be the case by mid-July.”

Lane could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

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