Wexford Masters hurling team off to a great start with big win over Kildare

The Wexford Masters hurling team are off to a flier…

Hawkfield GAA club in Kildare hosted Kildare versus Wexford in the All-Ireland Masters Hurling Championship on Monday evening.

It was the perfect start for the Wexford greats, managed by Dave Guiney (Rathnure) with help from selectors Bomber Kennedy (Naomh Eanna) and Padge Skinner Walsh (Rapparees). For team members selected, one rule is that players must be over 40-years of age, which in turn sees a lot of legends reeling back the years and playing the game.

Wexford enjoyed a comfortable win in the opening round of the Masters All-Ireland Hurling Championship, defeating the Lilywhites on a score-line of 5-22 to 1-08 in their own backyard.

One player who played with the Masters Hurling team on Monday evening was Declan Browne who highlighted the honour for playing for Wexford, despite age.

“Anytime you get to pull on a Wexford jersey, it’s a privilege. The standard is high and you get to challenge yourself against your peers. The opportunity to play with fellas you might have played with or against years ago is great too. It’s brilliant to recount some great memories. Hurling shouldn’t stop at 35 or whatever and the masters competition gives the opportunity to continue well beyond your 40s,” he told Wexford Weekly.

“There’s other stuff too – like the camaraderie of the team, the craic is always good, and simply the joy of hurling. The games are played in good competitive spirit too and they’re very well organised events,” Declan said.

Wexford’s next clash in Round 2 will no doubt be a tougher test though. They’ll face the Limerick Masters, also an away clash for Wexford, which will take place the weekend of September 7th.

In Round 3, Wexford will take on Galway at home. In Round 4, an away clash against Cork is on the cards, while in Round 5, Wexford have an away clash against Tipperary, a Tipp team which includes players like Benny Dunne, Lar Corbett, and Eoin Kelly to name just a few.

There are six teams in the group for the All-Ireland Masters hurling championship and it’s on a League basis, with 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.

The top two teams in the group will take on each other in the All-Ireland Masters Cup final, while the two teams positioned in third and fourth place will compete for silverware in the Shield final.

For those interested in the Wexford Masters starting fifteen and the line-up, you can check it out in this article here.

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled on Wexford Weekly for a follow-up article with manager, Dave Guiney.