Ulster chief’s green dreams end GB row

ONE of the top figures in Ulster hockey has said he looks forward to seeing its young stars in the green of Ireland, after the issue of Ulster’s U18 players being encouraged to declare for Great Britain was seemingly put to bed.

Raymond Hughes, president of the Ulster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association (UBIHA), made his comments after Ulster finished second at the UK Schools Games, a tournament where the province competed against England, Scotland and Wales, in Bristol last weekend.

The move comes after an item posted on the Ulster Hockey website last week openly claimed the tournament offered players a chance to impress Great Britain selectors.

The post read: “[It is an] opportunity to showcase their talents on a national level in front of Great Britain selectors who are using this tournament as a chance to identify players for the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

The item, which has since been removed from the website, prompted senior figures within the game to privately express doubts over Ulster’s commitment to Irish hockey.

However, a spokesperson for the IHA said the posting of the offending item was an “administrative error” that was dealt with internally.

Mr Hughes has since told the branch’s council that he looks forward to seeing the northern province’s teenage talent “progress to the international stage with Ireland”, according to an Ulster Branch report.

“[Mr Hughes] reported to Council on a very successful UK School Games tournament in Bristol. He congratulated the Ulster schools team on winning the silver medal,” the report stated.

“The president also thanked the IHA for allowing Ulster to participate in the tournament. Some of the performances augured well for Irish hockey, and the president looked forward to seeing them progress to the international stage with Ireland.”

The issue of Northern Irish players declaring for Great Britain was brought to light in July by Democratic Unionist Party member Alastair Ross, who also called for the establishment of a Northern Ireland team to compete at the Commonwealth Games.

Later that month, Iain Lewers rocked Irish hockey by announcing his decision to declare for Great Britain in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Hockey began operating on an all-Ireland basis in the late 19th century, an arrangement unaffected by the partition of Ireland.

Northern Irish players could represent both Ireland and Great Britain until 1992, a loophole closed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to Ireland’s 32-county Olympic representation.

A proposal to allow Ulster to enter the Commonwealth Games was explored at branch council level in the 1990s, but the team was ineligible to compete under the quota and ranking system in place at the time.