Limerick Institute of Technology have been crowned All-Ireland freshers hurling champions - a final decided not on the field but in a Croke Park meeting room.

The LIT management were informed late last night they had been awarded the game after controversy had reigned on Wednesday of last week when the two finalists showed up at different venues.

The All-Ireland freshers final, between LIT and UL, was initially scheduled for Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, but on the Monday evening before the game, the CCC deemed that ground unsuitable. LIT won the subsequent toss and were awarded home advantage.

UL did not take kindly to how a new venue had been arrived at, preferring a neutral venue, and made the decision to turn up at Mary Immaculate College on the afternoon of the game.

Referee Cathal McAllister and his umpires headed to LIT, where they found the home side ready and waiting. McAllister threw the ball in, waited the required 15 minutes and left the field with his umpires and linesmen. No silverware was presented on the day, but a week on, the decision has been taken by the GAA’s third-level committee to award LIT the fixture.