Ulster hurling Championship and Tain hurling league

While i was impressed with the tain hurling league, i couldnt help but think its played a pretty pointless time of year, for those who dont know it includes teams from all ulster counties plus leitrim, louth etc who border ulster, this should be played mid summer and alongside a tain championship if its to have any standing at all.

In recent posts ive also argued that antrim should not be included in ulsters hurling championship and i stand by this, why can the same counties who participate in the tain club league not have a tain intercounty championship with the winners gaining a place in the intermediate all ireland semis? obv a bit more thought could go into into it as in playing it purely knock out, prior to the start of crc, nrc and lmc.

Just seems to be a lot of silly changes going on at lower level hurling without anything significant, i for one think the intermediate teams should have some connection with the lower hurling tiers so that the big counties are in some way linking up with weaker counties to bridge the gap, as christy ring and nicky rackard isnt that far apart, but christy ring to laim in my eyes in a massive gap, i mean do croke park even have a mechanism to monitor progress of winners of the lower tiers and so on or do they just look at gate receipts.

This league serves a very important service to the clubs that don't get enough gametime in their own counties and the fact that it now includes counties from outside Ulster shows just how big a success it has become (in spite of some of the stronger Antrim clubs in the begining)

I personally wouldn't be sad to see this take the place of the farce that is the Derry SH league and the Derry RH league. This is kind of backed up by Eoghan Rua, Coleraine whose hurlers have entered the North Antrim league in order to get more regular, competitive games! They were way too strong for the Reserve (Intermediate) League and were blown away by the teams in the Senior League!

Oh, and to answer your other point, i would love to see a Championship within the Tain Hurling League and from speaking to some of my old club mates that are still playing, they would love to see it too.

It should replace it. the gaa need to make big bold decisions and elect a tain county board and all the rest, end all this gestruress nonsense, big bold changes needed, but too many afraid to rock apple cart.

I think tyrone, monaghan and donegal decision to withdraw from ulster is madness, improving counties due to the last couple of years and now good work could be undone.