Wrong scoreline recorded in Carlow’s McDonagh Cup final victory

Carlow won the game by a point and referee Thomas Walsh recorded the score as 2-29 to 1-31, which aligned with the Croke Park scoreboard on the day. However, the actual score was 2-30 to 1-32.

While it made no difference to the outcome, the referee’s report of the game is the official correspondence and his version will remain unchanged in the record books.

The ‘missing’ points appear to have been lost in the first half of extra-time. The matter is understood to have been brought to the attention of the referee at the time when the scoreboard differed from the scores being recorded by some of the other officials present. The referee was satisfied, however, that the score he had was correct.

RTÉ, who were broadcasting live, changed their scoreline and some members of the media covering the game also adjusted their notes to reflect the official position. But not all did and consequently points by Carlow’s Marty Kavanagh and Offaly’s Eoin Cahill that they scored were attributed to them.

A video review conducted by the games department and separately, by some members of the media, determined that 2-30 to 1-32 should have been the score.

The matter was discussed at a meeting of inter-county hurling referees on Wednesday night and it does raise issues about the manner in which scores are recorded and what safeguards there are.

Croke Park’s games department has put in place a provision for one of its officials present to record scores independently since the 2016 Christy Ring Cup final between Meath and Antrim. On that occasion Meath ‘won’ the first game but it was actually a 2-17 to 1-20 draw, a score members of the media and Antrim officials had recorded. A replay was ordered which Meath won.

Had the outcome of the McDonagh Cup been impacted, there would, naturally, have been a stronger intervention and while the matter is cosmetic at this stage, the GAA’s own records won’t accurately reflect all that was scored in a national final of great importance.

Recording the scores of hurling games is becoming an increasingly challenging task for referees with the pace the game is being played at and particularly the pace at which puck-outs are being taken.

Some referees have learned not to allow puck-outs to be taken too quickly after scores, so that they have the time to record a score themselves.