The Kilkenny hurling selectors are keeping their fingers crossed as the county heads into a countdown to the All Ireland final against Cork next month. Chief among their concerns is the condition of the index finger of Dennis Byrne's right hand.

The injury occurred in the match against Clare and has now been diagnosed as a chipped bone and the usual protection has been administered but will certainly keep him out of his club championship match for Graigue-Callan on Sunday.

Local observers say that every member of the Kilkenny squad will be in action in the club matches on Sunday and a complete appraisal of the situation will be conducted by the Kilkenny management team early next week, as soon as the fall-out from Sunday's club matches is assessed. Similar concerns surround the Cork squad with several members of the county squad involved in club matches this weekend. The problem with Denis Byrne's finger is being treated and he will take every precaution to protect it. As captain of the side and a central figure in the team's line-up it is vitally important to Kilkenny that he be fit for the final.

Some concern also surrounds the physical condition of fullback, Canice Brennan. He is having back problems following the match against Clare but under intensive treatment he is expected to be fully fit although this will, surely, have limited his preparation for the match. In the meantime Croke Park has announced that tickets for next Sunday's All Ireland football semi-final are no longer available. A spokesperson for Croke Park said that the 2,000 tickets which went on sale yesterday were snapped up within an hour. This will lead to an attendance of some 56,000 at Croke Park on Sunday for the match between Cork and Mayo.

As a result of the continuing development at Croke Park it is now estimated that a crowd of some 66 to 67,000 will be accommodated for the All Ireland finals this year.

It is believed that the GAA is also keeping a close eye on matters before Dail Eireann in regard to "touting" of tickets for major sports events. The matter has been raised before but it, apparently, is now being pursued by Alan Shatter TD and is likely to come before Dail Eireann soon after the Dail reconvenes in the autumn.