Future of men’s hockey interprovincials in doubt

THE future of this year’s men’s hockey interprovincials was still in doubt last night after the Irish Hockey Association announced that the first game of the series had been postponed.

The decision of the Munster Branch not to enter a team in the competition has cast a shadow over this most traditional of competitions and while only one game has thus far been cancelled, the whole series must now be in doubt.

Munster pulled out of the interpros on the basis they had no coach and no manager and because they felt their international players needed a break after the recent European Championships.

Last night the IHA issued a statement confirming the cancellation of Munster’s first game.

“The first match between Munster and Ulster in the Men’s Senior Interprovincial to be played on Saturday October 18, has been postponed,” the statement said.

“A decision on the November series of matches will be discussed at the next Irish Hockey Association Council Meeting on Saturday, October 18 and a statement issued thereafter.”

Quite where this leaves the competition now is open to considerable question, especially as it is understood that Leinster were asked by the IHA to play Ulster on October 18 instead of Munster, but were unable to do so.

The options open to the IHA appear to be limited, although they are obviously anxious that the competition goes ahead.

A spokeswoman for the IHA said last night that nothing would be resolved until the meeting on October 18, but that, as of the moment, the future of the interprovincials was “up in the air.”

One of the obvious questions facing the IHA is that if they do scrap the interprovincials - a move for which there is considerable support - then how do they replace it.

A number of factions within the sport are convinced the way forward is an All-Ireland club competition, the winning of which is rewarded by European competition the following season.

They argue that the interprovincials are nothing more than an expensive waste of time which do nothing to improve overall standards within the game.

However, all that still has to be resolved and the focus is on the IHA and how best the organisation can move a difficult situation forward to the satisfaction of all concerned.