Tommy Barrett, the veteran administrator with the Tipperary county board, narrowly avoided having his 37year stint as county secretary ended at last Sunday's annual convention.

Barrett survived a challenge from Michael O'Brien (Silvermines) on a vote of 164 to 152. Barrett intends to lead Tipperary into the next milennium before standing down.

Barrett regrets that it is becoming more and more difficult to get younger people to take over responsibilities in the administration of the game. Referees and linesmen are in short supply. "I'll give you an example. At 4.30 on Christmas Eve I was still involved in trying to organise a match for St Stephen's Day and had to spend a lot of time on the phone before the match had to be called off. If you take a job like this you have to be prepared to spend a lot of your personal time."

Men like Tommy Barrett are hard to come by.