by Orla Bannon

Croke Park officials have written to the Ulster Council to seek answers over their decision not to play the provincial semi-final replay between Tyrone and Cavan until Sunday July 3.

Unhappy GAA chiefs requested on Monday that the game go ahead this Sunday - otherwise the losers will be forced to play an incredible FIVE games in July to try and reach the All-Ireland SFC semi-finals.

It's a nightmare scenario for the beaten Ulster semi-finalists and a move that will cause mayhem in the qualifiers with huge implications for all counties on the 'A' side of the qualifiers.

The Ulster Council's decision not to replay the semi-final this weekend was described by Tyrone boss Mickey Harte on Sunday as "unusual" - and GAA chiefs are known to be unhappy.

It's understood the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee wrote to the Ulster Council yesterday morning, to ask why the replay is not taking place on Sunday.

It's believed the CCCC requested the Ulster Council bring the replay forward by one week because the delay has ramifications for all teams on the 'A' side of the qualifiers, but the Ulster Council are holding firm.

The second Ulster semi-final between Donegal and Monaghan takes place on Saturday night in Kingspan Breffni Park.

And although Clones is free on Sunday, an Ulster Council spokesman has insisted a replay date of July 3 was set in stone between Tyrone, Cavan and the CCC months ago.

The loser of the Tyrone v Cavan semi-final is due to play a Round 2A qualifier against Carlow on July 2, which has now been knocked back a week to July 9.

But that's the date of the Round 3A back-door games, meaning at least one of those fixtures will be moved back to July 16 which should have ben a 'free' weekend for teams on the 'A' side of the draw.

Counties who had scheduled club fixtures for that day may now be forced to scrap them.

The Round 4A qualifiers take place on July 23 with the two weary winners playing the Connacht and Munster champions onSaturday July 30.

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