Pat Fleury was last night unanimously ratified by the Offaly County Board as manager of the county hurling team after Michael Bond had made himself unavailable.

The Limerick based school teacher received the approval of the county board following a strong recommendation from the sub-committee established to draw a short list of candidates to succeed Michael Bond.

Fleury's selectors were also announced last night; both Ger Coughlan and Pat Cleary are also former Offaly players.

Brendan Ward, the county chairman and a member of the sub-committee, at last night's meeting emphasised that out-going Michael Bond had declined to make himself available for a third season in charge of the hurlers.

Bond emerged from out of the blue in the middle of the 1998 championship campaign to breathe life through a flagging Offaly camp to such an extent that they won the championship.

Bond's decision to depart the scene was accepted with regret but expectations remain high in the county that there is enough talent to wring another prolonged run out of an ageing, if talented, squad.

Although Fleury has no substantial history in senior management, he was deeply respected for his skills as a hurler and is widely acknowledged as possessing a deep understanding of and intuition for the game.

The Fleury name is synonymous with the rise of Offaly hurling. He began his long and distinguished inter-county career in 1974 and he continued playing championship hurling for the county until after the 1986 campaign.

During his career, Fleury featured on the team that made history by defeating Galway in the All-Ireland final of 1981 - the county's first title - and was a linchpin in the Offaly side which persistently challenged for honours in the first part of that decade.

He was the losing captain on the side that was defeated by Cork in the centenary final of 1984 but returned the following year as Offaly again recaptured the All-Ireland title.

A languid and effortless defender, he embodied all the positive attributes of the unique Offaly style and maintained a strong involvement and interest in the local hurling scene even after moving to Limerick, hurling with his local club Drumcullin for the best part of two decades.

He was twice nominated for All-Star awards (1982 being the first), although his 1984 award was clouded by a farcical scenario whereby a GAA clause (subsequently removed) prevented him from attending the official banquet as he had been dismissed in a match shortly before the announcement of the All-Star team.

He threw himself into the promotion of hurling at Limerick CBS after joining the staff there in 1977 and along with Willie Duggan coached the school to the Harty Cup in 1993.

Although a number of prominent names were linked with the Offaly post, Fleury this week emerged as clear favourite after it became known that the three-man committee of Ward, secretary Christy Todd and hurling board secretary Tony Murphy were very impressed by him during talks.

Another candidate was only this week interviewed for the post but his name was withheld by the committee.