Andrew Meredith will depart Irish hockey next week after his turbulent tenure as senior men’s coach was ended “by mutual consent” last night.

New captain John Jackson admits Ireland have their sights set on crushing the TriFinance EuroHockey Nations Championships dreams of near neighbours England next week.

The Irish Hockey Association’s hopes of easing some of their financial worries by hosting round three of the FIH World League have been dashed, it was revealed yesterday.

IAN Sloan claimed Irish hockey has little chance of long-term success as he and David Ames rocked the sport by announcing their defections to England.

New Irish senior men’s coach Andrew Meredith has revealed himself to be a former art director and lover of graphic design — his method of switching off from “a hotel room that looks like NASA” while away at hockey tournaments.

Irish hockey chiefs claim former coach Paul Revington and his management team were responsible for a €37,000 overspend that leaves the national body facing a potential financial “crisis year” in 2013.

Ireland proved the hockey public’s cash was money well spent as they cruised into the Champions Challenge I semi-finals in Quilmes, Argentina yesterday.

Seven months of searching is finally over for Irish hockey after New Zealander Darren Smith was yesterday named as the new senior women’s national coach.

Top Irish umpire Carol Metchette has admitted she was forced to retire from international tournaments against her wishes.

Ireland captain Ronan Gormley yesterday hailed the “world class” appointment of Andrew Meredith to the senior men’s national post.

Irish hockey officials will be forced to explain the circumstances that led to Ireland’s much-criticised withdrawal — and subsequent reinstatement — from a high-profile tournament in Argentina.

Ireland were left thankful for what one wag termed “The 50 Saves of Gray” as they claimed a brilliant bronze at the Champions Challenge I tournament in Dublin yesterday.

The focus turned to fundraising yesterday after the Irish Hockey Association’s board made an “unreserved apology” to the national senior men’s team and its supporters over a row that engulfed the sport this week.

Irish hockey chiefs were last night attempting to salvage the wreckage of the decision not to send the men’s national team to next month’s Champions Challenge I in Argentina.

Ireland’s men’s hockey team were left seething yesterday after the board of the Irish Hockey Association withdrew them from next month’s Champions Challenge I in Argentina.

John Jermyn wrote himself into the history books in style as Ireland cruised through the opening round of the new FIH World League in Cardiff over the weekend.

Major changes are afoot in the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) after it was revealed that both chief executive Angus Kirkland and high performance director Dave Passmore stepped down from their respective roles.

Denis Pritchard will be particularly interested in how Ireland’s women fare for their clubs in this weekend’s final round of the Irish Hockey League, after he was this week appointed interim national coach.

IRELAND continue to be European hockey’s great entertainers but ultimately saw their slim Olympic qualification hopes dashed by the Netherlands, who claimed a 7-4 victory in a topsy-turvy EuroHockey Nations Championship tie in Germany yesterday.