James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick has ruled out the chance of returning to inter-county hurling by saying "I'm gone to stud".

The former Kilkenny All-Ireland winning captain claimed his fifth county title on Sunday with Ballyhale Shamrocks and while Brian Cody has never been a manager to ask back a player, the midfielder has saved him the trouble anyway.

"No, no, God no. Every dog has his day and I've had mine now. I'm enjoying my hurling with the club at the moment. It was a good day for Ballyhale Shamrocks. We're back on the map again," Fitzpatrick told the Irish Examiner.

"I made my decision last year and stuck by it. I wasn't going to go into training and play second fiddle all year even with Kilkenny having injuries.

"That's the decision I took, I'm happy with it and I've no regrets. I'm just delighted to be in Nowlan Park wearing the green and white of Shamrocks." Tweet

Most Read Stories