The GAA have confirmed that today's scheduled Liam MacCarthy relegation fixtures involving Antrim and Offaly, Clare and Wexford will proceed as planned following last night's DRA hearing. A full statement will appear on the DRA website in due course outlining the outcome of last night's meeting. Offaly, Antrim, Clare and Wexford called for the series to be scrapped as they believed relegation would do nothing for the promotion of hurling in their respective counties. Antrim are due to face Offaly at Parnell Park and the losers will meet either Clare or Wexford, who are scheduled to play in Portlaoise, in a relegation final. However, the competing counties argued late into the night at the DRA hearing in Dundalk that a return to the previous system should take place where promotion and relegation was decided by a single tie play-off tie. Under that system, the Christy Ring Cup winners would meet the lowest ranked team in the McCarthy Cup to decide on their status for the following season. A further difficulty with this year's relegation system is Antrim's claim that they have been guaranteed a three-year period in the Leinster championship and Liam McCarthy, and are therefore immune from relegation. However, the DRA ruled against the appeal of all four counties meaning that today's games go ahead and one of the four counties will not play Liam MacCarthy hurling in 2010. Tweet

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