The strike by the Down senior footballers and the team management has ended as quickly as it began. That was the good news conveyed to the 120 delegates at the Down convention in Newcastle yesterday morning.

The strike began on Friday night following a misunderstanding about training facilities at Ballyholland when the players arrived to find the gates locked as the pitch was unplayable. Manager Peter McGrath then informed the local press that the players and management had withdrawn their services.

But following meetings between the county board officers and the manager, chairman Kevin Bell announced that the matter had been resolved and training would restart tonight in Ballykinlar and again on Wednesday and Friday nights.

In Tyrone, county board chairman Dominic McCaughey told clubs that they must make a full disclosure of expenses being paid to coaches or managers if the GAA is to retain its amateur status.