Laois' best-known hurler James Young says he will quit the game at both and county level if the suspension he received for abusing a referee is upheld. The former All-Star nominee was hit with the ban after he walked off the field in protest at referee John Lalor's performance during the recent senior hurling relegation play-off clash between Tinnahinch and Kilcotton. Young was subsequently reported by Lalor, and given a four-week ban which Tinnahinch are now seeking a hearing for, and if it is upheld, it will rule him out of Clonaslee St Manman's intermediate hurling quarter-final against Camross this weekend. "I've had my fair share of injuries and maybe my body is telling me something as well, but I don't owe the county or the club anything. I've been given a four week suspension but my whole year could be gone by then, and I think I'll just pack it all in," he told the Leinster Express "I told the referee he was a disgrace and that was as much as I said to him. We should have gotten five or six frees that we didn't get, and I caught one ball and had two lads pulling my jersey, and he gave a free against me. I got frustrated but it wasn't worth getting sent off over, so I walked off the field." Young also claimed that Lalor had refereed too many of Tinnahinch's championship games this year. "We had the same referee for three of our four senior matches, and I think that's wrong. I thought he was very harsh on us against Kilcotton, and I wasn't going to continue hurling under him. I let down the lads I was playing with and I apologise to them, but it was like having 16 men against us. I think there is only one or two good referees in the county." John Lalor declined to comment when contacted. The O'Moore County's all-time top scorer in the championship, Young's hearing will take place tonight. Tweet

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