IN A rather breathless moment after the Wexford Offaly match at Croke Park last Sunday week I suggested to Jack Boothman that the GAA should abolish football altogether and concentrate on hurling.

I wasn't surprised that Jack was non commital about the proposal but like the rest of us he had a glow of sheer delight on his face.

We had seen one of the great hurling matches, a performance shot through with glorious, majestic hurling, full of passion, speed, skill and sportsmanship and athleticism.

The ball sped from end to end propelled by strokes of sheer beauty as score piled up on score and supporters of both sides roared their approval. In short it was a decoration for the game itself and a huge credit to everybody taking part, including the referee Aodan MacSuibhne.

The fact that the match was shown live on television was a bonus for those who could not be present and a huge boost for the image of the GAA. Earlier the television viewers had seen a superb Munster Final replay between Limerick and Tipperary who had produced a match of splendid hurling the previous Sunday.

So in the space of eight days the greatest game had been conveyed to a huge viewing public. Since then I have spoken to dozens of people who were enthralled by what they had seen and were inquiring about when the next matches were to be seen and where.

Because of all this Croke Park on August 4th is certain to be a Mecca for devoted followers and the recently converted alike as the two All Ireland semi finals are played back to back.

As things stand at the moment an attendance of more than 60,000 is assured when Antrim meet Limerick and Galway play Wexford. The taste buds are drooling already.

From time to time one hears cynics and pessimists suggest that "hurling is dying". This view of the situation is based on a very poor diagnosis and could scarcely be further from the truth.

It is certainly true to say that preserving the ancient game will always be a struggle. Its lack of an international outlet and the fact that top level hurling is confined to about a dozen counties makes it vulnerable to predatory attack but it flourishes nevertheless and the statistics show that attendance figures are buoyant and indeed expanding.

The Munster Final and replay attracted an aggregate attendance of approximately 90,000, both matches having attracted sell out crowds at the Gaelic Grounds and Pairc Ui Chaoimh. The attendance at Croke Park for the Leinster, final was in the region of 35,000. With all three matches "live" on television these figures are astounding.

The semi final double header at Croke Park will be an all ticket affair. The attendance at these double headers have been growing for the past three years. In 1993 the official attendance was 43,527, in 1994 it was 45,053 and in 1995 the attendance for the matches between Down and Offaly and Clare and Galway was 54,512.

So far this season attendance at hurling championship matches have exceeded 260,000 - an increase of 71,000 on last year.

All of this confirms the wisdom of the people at Croke Park who have invested so heavily in the rebuilding programme. What is also happening in a very subtle way is that people from abroad are beginning to take notice of hurling.

Recently a long lost relative from the United States turned up in Dublin and was well aware of the game from glimpses of it caught on US television.

Foreign broadcasting stations are also becoming increasingly interested in the matches of both hurling and football.

What makes the hurling even more attractive this year is that all four teams left in the competition have had varying degrees of disappointment for varying lengths of time. Antrim have never won an All Ireland although they produced a fine team in recent years, running Kilkenny to two points on one occasion and beating Offaly in 1989 only to lose the final to Tipperary. Wexford haven't won since 1968 and have lost three finals (1970, 1976 and 1977) in the meantime. Limerick haven't won since 1973, losing to Offaly in the final of 1994. Galway are the most recent winners of the four having beaten Tipperary in 1988.

A win for any one of the four would be widely welcomed by all neutrals and indeed by many of the followers of those competing for hurling is a deeply ingrained "family" matter. Galway's mouldbreaking win in 1980 was welcomed wherever hurling was played, ditto Offaly's victory the following year. Clare's win last year was praised far and wide.

No matter who wins this year there will be a feeling of deep satisfaction in every hurling heart but I suspect that most of the sentiment will go to Wexford.

Limerick too will get a sympathy vote mainly because of their astonishing defeat in their last final when Offaly came "back from the dead" to snatch a most unlikely victory.

Galway also have a place in many hearts and, of course, an Antrim win would be both historic and a just reward for ploughing the lonely furrow for so many years in an outpost of hurling.

But, whatever the outcome, hurling followers and would be converts can look forward to a wonderful occasion in August and a great celebration of skill less than a month later. The prospect is mouth watering.