Wexford’s intermediate camogie team have made a major stand against the Camogie Association after opting to withdraw from tomorrow (Sunday’s) scheduled National League Division 2 Group 1 closing-round derby against Carlow.

The game was a dead-rubber as neither side can advance, and Wexford had gained agreement from Carlow to play it at 11.30a.m., in St. Patrick’s Park in order to accommodate anyone who wished to support the Wexford senior hurlers in their 2p.m., Allianz League Division 1 semi-final against Kilkenny at Innovate Wexford Park.

There are quite a number of strong links between the camogie and hurling squads in respect of family members and boyfriends/girlfriends.

But the Camogie Association apparently directed that an earlier start to the camogie game could only be catered for at 12noon if it was a double-header with the hurling match. But with the women’s GAA associations not being affiliated to the main GAA Association, such arrangements are rarely entered into owing to gate-receipts etc.

While the Camogie Association also suggested a 5p.m., throw-in for the Carlow match, unfortunately Carlow were unable to facilitate that proposal.

But with both counties having agreed to the morning throw-in, the apparent unwillingness of the Camogie Association to find favour with that has left Wexford extremely unhappy.

In fact, it represents a breaking-point after the Wexford set up was left anything but enamoured at having home-advantage swiped from them for an earlier group-game against Cork, which was instead played at the Waterford Institute of Technology facilitates in Carriganore.

Wexford Camogie was left utterly frustrated.

That Cork game was set for Castletown-Liam Mellows’ grounds in Coolgreaney. But the Camogie Association apparently said that would be too far to bring Cork and instead, owing to the bad weather’s impact on pitch options, saw fit to move the game out of County Wexford entirely.

Barbara Ryan, the long-serving administrator for the Wexford camogie teams, explains: “The situation was that we put in a request to Croke Park when we knew the men’s match was on Sunday, asking that the time be changed to facilitate the girls going to the match because some of them have family members and/or boyfriends playing on the team.

“That was agreed with Carlow. But Croke Park came back and said, ‘No’, that the only way we could have a match starting at 12 o’clock is if it was a double-header with the GAA, which wasn’t going to happen.

“They then offered us 5 o’clock in the evening, which didn’t suit Carlow.

“So they reverted back to a 1.30p.m., throw-in which was a crazy time to be quite honest.”

Referring to the earlier block on the Cork game going ahead on Wexford soil, Barbara adds: “Coolgreaney was an acceptable ground. Matches had been played there before and it is a perfectly suitable venue. So there were no issues as far as we could see.

“But we lost ‘home’ venue for that and the game went to a Waterford venue!

“As well as that, our girls, for two weekends on the trot had been dragged up North; we were up in Antrim, and the next weekend we were up in Down. That is not good planning.

“The girls just feel they had to make a stand on what is going on.”

Wexford lost 2-9 to 1-2 to Antrim, but rebounded with a 2-9 to 0-8 win over Down, before the upset with the Cork fixture saw them lose out 5-22 to 1-1.

“It is not fair on them to have to make that sort of choice, and particularly families on an Easter Sunday when it’s family time and people want to be together.

“But here we have them trying to split families who have their daughter playing on the camogie team and sons with the hurling team.”