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Wexford Club Hurling 2026

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Replying To zinny:  "I believe its drainage works and the assumption is that its not quite ready yet. With the fence so close in Belfield it feels tighter. Not much clubs can do if they have a field that is dry these days."
There is plenty that clubs can do if the will is there to do it - I've seen quite a few social media posts from Blackwater, Oulart, Rathnure of local farmers coming together and watering them. I've also seen this in Carlow and Kilkenny. I was at a camogie game in Rathnure this week and 7 tractors and spreaders were lined up to water their pitch as i was leaving .. Wexford Park has it's own irrigation so should be in good order .. Bellefield is in a bad way and it's dangerous at the moment due to how hard it is and how bare it is. Wexford County Board should have taken it on themselves to have Belefield watered over the past few weeks - There must be 12/15 adult hurling and football games on that pitch.

MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 354 - 31/07/2026 09:17:54    2688242

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "There is plenty that clubs can do if the will is there to do it - I've seen quite a few social media posts from Blackwater, Oulart, Rathnure of local farmers coming together and watering them. I've also seen this in Carlow and Kilkenny. I was at a camogie game in Rathnure this week and 7 tractors and spreaders were lined up to water their pitch as i was leaving .. Wexford Park has it's own irrigation so should be in good order .. Bellefield is in a bad way and it's dangerous at the moment due to how hard it is and how bare it is. Wexford County Board should have taken it on themselves to have Belefield watered over the past few weeks - There must be 12/15 adult hurling and football games on that pitch."
Suppose thats an advantage rural clubs have?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20385 - 31/07/2026 12:02:12    2688271

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Replying To Viking66:  "Suppose thats an advantage rural clubs have?"
Boro, Urrin & Slaney rivers flow around Enniscorthy. Nothing stopping lads from filling up and doing Bellfield. Few lads capable of doing it in the club.

countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 1069 - 31/07/2026 12:34:45    2688276

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "There is plenty that clubs can do if the will is there to do it - I've seen quite a few social media posts from Blackwater, Oulart, Rathnure of local farmers coming together and watering them. I've also seen this in Carlow and Kilkenny. I was at a camogie game in Rathnure this week and 7 tractors and spreaders were lined up to water their pitch as i was leaving .. Wexford Park has it's own irrigation so should be in good order .. Bellefield is in a bad way and it's dangerous at the moment due to how hard it is and how bare it is. Wexford County Board should have taken it on themselves to have Belefield watered over the past few weeks - There must be 12/15 adult hurling and football games on that pitch."
Would it not be up to the Rapps to do that?
I'm not from a farming background but an Aussie friend is from a farm near Geelong, showed him what these farmers were doing and he said its a token effort and you would need to do it every 2nd night at the bare minimum and for it not to be hot during the day to be any use whatsoever.
Has it made a difference to the pitches?

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 2147 - 31/07/2026 12:54:25    2688280

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "There is plenty that clubs can do if the will is there to do it - I've seen quite a few social media posts from Blackwater, Oulart, Rathnure of local farmers coming together and watering them. I've also seen this in Carlow and Kilkenny. I was at a camogie game in Rathnure this week and 7 tractors and spreaders were lined up to water their pitch as i was leaving .. Wexford Park has it's own irrigation so should be in good order .. Bellefield is in a bad way and it's dangerous at the moment due to how hard it is and how bare it is. Wexford County Board should have taken it on themselves to have Belefield watered over the past few weeks - There must be 12/15 adult hurling and football games on that pitch."
Watering with their disinfected slurry tankers i assume.
Most GAA pitches are built for quick water drainage not retention and given the estimate soil moisture deficit in even regular fields, the amount of water needed to bring a pitch back to its normal state is pretty high. It they are talking that water from their own Wells or reservoir then fair play but given the drying conditions, unless tgey are doing it before a game its not really a productive use of time.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2228 - 31/07/2026 12:58:18    2688281

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Replying To zinny:  "Watering with their disinfected slurry tankers i assume.
Most GAA pitches are built for quick water drainage not retention and given the estimate soil moisture deficit in even regular fields, the amount of water needed to bring a pitch back to its normal state is pretty high. It they are talking that water from their own Wells or reservoir then fair play but given the drying conditions, unless tgey are doing it before a game its not really a productive use of time."
Go to Rathnue and go to Belefield - you'll see the difference then.

You're negative response is very similar to what i've heard from other people from other clubs .. 'what good will that do' .. 'that is some waste of time' … put obstacles in place .. I've spoken to someone from Rathnure this morning .. The players from the senior team took it upon themselves to water the pitch on a few occasions. You can look at it as a waste of time - maybe it is .. but i am looking at it that a group of players are working together to try and fix an issue .. Club spirit, pride and culture is missing in a lot of Wexford club - that is a lot of our problem!

MyOhMi (Wexford) - Posts: 354 - 31/07/2026 13:12:29    2688285

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Replying To StoreysTash:  "Would it not be up to the Rapps to do that?
I'm not from a farming background but an Aussie friend is from a farm near Geelong, showed him what these farmers were doing and he said its a token effort and you would need to do it every 2nd night at the bare minimum and for it not to be hot during the day to be any use whatsoever.
Has it made a difference to the pitches?"
I'd be strongly of the view too that it's up to Rapps/Starlights to look after their own pitch. I don't understand the suggestion from the other poster that Wexford County Board should hop in to look after a club pitch.

And with my own bit of agricultural and mathematical knowledge -
To water a GAA pitch to the equivalent of half an inch of rain would take somewhere from 30,000 to 35,000 gallons. That's about 15 to 20 fills of a regular slurry tanker spreader. And that would need to be done a couple of times to make any significant difference.

Fair play to Rathnure if they're making the effort but I did notice in that photo that all the tractors are of the same make, which leads me to believe that a certain agricultural contractor in the area is likely involved in the effort, and is sending his own fleet of machinery out to get the job done.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3818 - 31/07/2026 13:48:50    2688291

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You would wonder why clubs bother giving their pitches and grounds up at all such is the whinging and complaining.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1675 - 31/07/2026 14:15:51    2688294

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Replying To countyman2022:  "Boro, Urrin & Slaney rivers flow around Enniscorthy. Nothing stopping lads from filling up and doing Bellfield. Few lads capable of doing it in the club."
Used to fish in 2 of those rivers for white trout around May/June. Plenty of water there ok.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20385 - 31/07/2026 16:16:44    2688308

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Replying To MyOhMi:  "Go to Rathnue and go to Belefield - you'll see the difference then.

You're negative response is very similar to what i've heard from other people from other clubs .. 'what good will that do' .. 'that is some waste of time' … put obstacles in place .. I've spoken to someone from Rathnure this morning .. The players from the senior team took it upon themselves to water the pitch on a few occasions. You can look at it as a waste of time - maybe it is .. but i am looking at it that a group of players are working together to try and fix an issue .. Club spirit, pride and culture is missing in a lot of Wexford club - that is a lot of our problem!"
Our pitches arent brown either.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20385 - 31/07/2026 16:18:00    2688309

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Replying To tearintom:  "You would wonder why clubs bother giving their pitches and grounds up at all such is the whinging and complaining."
Noones complaining about the clubs. The pitches are brown on account of the weather. And Im definitely not complaining about the weather either.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20385 - 31/07/2026 16:20:29    2688311

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The standard of club hurling is shocking at the moment. Don't know how this format is going to improve hurling in Wexford. Time to move to smaller groups with loads of jeopardy. Really thinking back to a few years ago I don't remember it been this bad.

WexMurph (Wexford) - Posts: 360 - 01/08/2026 08:16:44    2688348

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Replying To WexMurph:  "The standard of club hurling is shocking at the moment. Don't know how this format is going to improve hurling in Wexford. Time to move to smaller groups with loads of jeopardy. Really thinking back to a few years ago I don't remember it been this bad."
Ferns and Rapps hit same amount of wides as they got scores. Sean Hyland needs get a call from Derek.

countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 1069 - 01/08/2026 09:38:13    2688354

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Replying To WexMurph:  "The standard of club hurling is shocking at the moment. Don't know how this format is going to improve hurling in Wexford. Time to move to smaller groups with loads of jeopardy. Really thinking back to a few years ago I don't remember it been this bad."
Plenty of wides in Oylegate v Barntown and Ferns v Rapps. Good to see some of next years u20s play well in the 1st game, and 3 of the Barntown lads scored 6 from play each. Oylegate will rue all the early wides though.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20385 - 01/08/2026 09:50:07    2688355

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Replying To countyman2022:  "Ferns and Rapps hit same amount of wides as they got scores. Sean Hyland needs get a call from Derek."
He needs to make the u20 team first, he did show more dog than Ive seen from him before though in fairness to him. He was always a good young lad when he had the ball in hand. Explosive player. Just never got on as much ball as he should.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 20385 - 01/08/2026 11:13:22    2688365

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Replying To countyman2022:  "Ferns and Rapps hit same amount of wides as they got scores. Sean Hyland needs get a call from Derek."
Was very good for the Rapps last night but you'd imagine it'll be the U20s for him next year instead, didn't get much time off them this year for whatever reason

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1466 - 01/08/2026 12:11:18    2688374

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Replying To ElGranSenor:  "Was very good for the Rapps last night but you'd imagine it'll be the U20s for him next year instead, didn't get much time off them this year for whatever reason"
What is wrong with being on both? Considering how successful Tipp and Galway have been the last 2 years, no harm in u-20's being on senior teams/squads. Sean o'Brien needs go in also. This wrapping lads up isnt helping anybody.

countyman2022 (Wexford) - Posts: 1069 - 01/08/2026 13:47:49    2688380

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Replying To countyman2022:  "What is wrong with being on both? Considering how successful Tipp and Galway have been the last 2 years, no harm in u-20's being on senior teams/squads. Sean o'Brien needs go in also. This wrapping lads up isnt helping anybody."
I'd have Seán O'Brien, Colin Carley, and Jack Nolan on both, I'm not saying an U20 shouldn't be in the Senior squad or that there's anything wrong with them being in there

ElGranSenor (Wexford) - Posts: 1466 - 01/08/2026 18:09:01    2688404

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Replying To countyman2022:  "What is wrong with being on both? Considering how successful Tipp and Galway have been the last 2 years, no harm in u-20's being on senior teams/squads. Sean o'Brien needs go in also. This wrapping lads up isnt helping anybody."
Absolutely nothing wrong with somebody being in both county U20 and senior squads if they're judged good enough. Think the point is simply that they'd need to be consistently producing good performances for the U20s before you could reasonably expect the same from the same at senior.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3818 - 01/08/2026 20:38:59    2688414

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Replying To Viking66:  "Used to fish in 2 of those rivers for white trout around May/June. Plenty of water there ok."
You can only take water from a river for personal consumption. After that its regulated.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2228 - 01/08/2026 22:18:50    2688420

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