Kelly loses appeal: Offaly selector Joachim Kelly last night lost his appeal against a six-month suspension, picked up for an altercation with a match official during the county hurling final in Westmeath.
The ban was the regulation one stipulated for "minor physical interference" with a match official.
Kelly, twice an All-Ireland winner with Offaly in the 1980s, was coach with Lough Lene Gaels at the time of the offence and appealed the decision of Westmeath County Board to the Leinster Council but at a meeting in Portlaoise last night the suspension was upheld.
He was appointed as a selector by Offaly manager John McIntyre last September and will be suspended during the upcoming National League as the ban will run from the date of its imposition at the end of November.
Cúl summer camps: The GAA yesterday announced details of a new summer camp initiative. Sponsored by VHI Healthcare, it is hoped that 80,000 children will enrol for coaching schemes around the country. The proposal will see co-ordinators appointed in all 32 counties to oversee the camps, to be known as VHI Cúl Camps, for camogie, football and hurling.
The scheme is a rationalisation of the summer camps already in existence in the four provinces. They were first organised in the 1980s on an ad-hoc basis and have developed since.
It was also confirmed that a national promotional programme will be initiated to publicise the initiative and that children will be able to apply for inclusion in the camps from March this year by contacting their local camp co-ordinator or through a special website www.vhiculcamps.gaa.ie.
All Stars' tour begins: This year's Vodaphone All Stars tour leaves today for Singapore. An exhibition match between the hurling All Stars of 2004 and their 2005 successors will be the feature of the week-long trip. There was some surprise when the All-Ireland champions of both years, Cork, withdrew en bloc from the tour and all told there are 19 replacements in the 31-strong travelling panel.
Of the 30 awards, 13 Cork All Star positions had to be replaced, together with players who received awards both years Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny), who isn't travelling, his team-mate Tommy Walsh and Tipperary's Eoin Kelly. Galway's Ollie Canning is the other All Star who can't make the trip and there is one extra place on the trip.
ALL STARS 2004: Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford), Eamon Corcoran (Tipperary), Brian Lohan (Clare), Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny), JJ Delaney (Kilkenny), Seán McMahon (Clare), Ollie Moran (Limerick), Dave Bennett (Waterford), Adrian Fenlon (Wexford), Dan Shanahan (Waterford), Tony Carmody (Clare), Niall Moran (Limerick), Eoin Kelly (Waterford), Niall Gilligan (Clare), Paul Flynn (Waterford), Ken McGrath (Waterford).
ALL STARS 2005: Davy Fitzgerald (Clare), Philip Maher (Tipperary), Darragh Ryan (Wexford), Damien Joyce (Galway), Derek Hardiman (Galway), David O'Connor (Wexford), Tony Regan (Galway), Fergal Healy (Galway), Paul Kelly (Tipperary), John Mullane (Waterford), Séamus Prendergast (Waterford), Eoin Larkin (Kilkenny), Ger Farragher (Galway), Eoin Kelly (Tipperary), David Forde (Galway).
