Euro squeeze dents Irish Olympic hopes

Ireland senior women’s hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics have been dealt a severe blow after Europe’s automatic qualification spots were halved. Only the sides who finish first and second in next August’s European championships will be guaranteed a place at the Olympics, a significant reduction from 2008, when the top four qualified. Great Britain are assured entry as hosts, meaning if England reach the final, the bronze medal side will also qualify directly. The breakdown of places is based on world rankings, with Asia gaining an extra place as Spain finished last behind India and Japan at the recent World Cup.

This new allocation of places for the Olympics is currently being contested by a number of European nations, with the recent standard of four places from the Europeans proposed. Irish hockey recently embarked on a controversial and ambitious plan to centralise its women’s senior side in Dublin, in a bid to qualify for the Olympics for the first time. Ireland finished fifth at the last Europeans at Amsterdam in 2009, but heavy defeats to Germany and Spain suggested they were some distance from breaking into the top four. Gene Muller’s side began their centralised preparation programme (CPP) last month in a bid to bridge that gap. But with less automatic qualification slots available, the scale of their task has appreciably increased. Sides who do not qualify directly via the Europeans subsequently get another shot at securing a berth by winning six-team qualification tournaments, which are now set to feature higher-quality teams. In addition, Ireland were yesterday dealt a very tough draw for the Europeans, and will need to breach the top two of a group featuring Germany, England and Belgium to have a chance at automatic Olympic qualification. Holland, Azerbaijan, Spain and Italy make up what looks a much less demanding pool. The senior men’s side have been pitted against reigning champions England along with world bronze medallists the Netherlands and perennial rivals France. In the other group, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Russia lock horns. Olympic qualification is a less onerous task for the men, with the three medallists going to London and a potential fourth should England medal. England could yet feature former Ireland internationals Iain Lewers and Mark Gleghorne in this tournament, as they becomes eligible in 2011 to join one of the Great Britain constituent countries. They have both since been training with the English setup and moved from their respective clubs in Holland to play with Loughborough Students this season. Meanwhile, domestic action this weekend focuses on the U18 and U16 boys interprovincials at Newpark School in Dublin. Ulster are holders in both tournaments and will be favourites here again, particularly the U18s, who are backboned by players from All-Ireland school champions Banbridge Academy and have Irish U18 captain Ian Sloan in tow. They will face lively competition from Leinster, for thom Three Rock Rovers trio Tom Samuel, Shane Madeley and David McCrea provide a strong spine while Nick Burns, Scott Sullivan and Richard Lynch bring their underage international experience to the Munster fold. Burns is free to play here despite currently serving a ban from Munster club action, while Richard Sweetnam and Gary Wilkinson the go-to guys for the province’s U16 side. Action on the men’s side of things is a limited as a result of those tournaments, although Bandon and Catholic Institute will meet in west Cork with a place in the last four of the Munster Senior Cup on offer. The clubs also clash in the quarter-finals of the women’s competition in what is set to be the tie of the round. Cork C of I, Cork Harlequins and UCC will be expected to advance from their ties against UL, Belvedere and Ashton respectively. U18 & U16 Boys Interprovincials 2010/11, Newpark School, Blackrock, Dublin U18 Today: Leinster vs Ulster, 12pm; Leinster vs Munster 4pm; Tomorrow: Munster vs Ulster, 12pm; Munster vs Leinster, 4pm; Sunday: Ulster vs Munster, 12pm; Ulster vs Leinster, 4pm. MUNSTER U18: W Brownlow (Ashton/C of I); N Burns (Midleton/C of I, capt); S Butler (Newtown); Adam Colton (Midleton/C of I); Andrew Colton (Midleton/C of I); C Casey (Ashton/C of I); G Chambers (Midleton/C of I); P Daunt (Ashton/C of I); N Eacrett (Villiers/Limerick); C Kavanagh (Ashton/Ashton); R Lynch (Ashton/C of I); S Miller (Bandon/C of I ); D Murphy (GK, Villiers/Catholic Institute); J Phillips (GK, Ashton/C of I); S Sullivan (Bandon/Bandon, vice-capt); J Sweetnam (Midleton/Midleton); D Treacy (Ashton/C of I); D Wolfe (Ashton/C of I). U16 Today: Leinster vs Ulster, 10am; Leinster vs Munster 2pm; Tomorrow: Munster vs Ulster, 10am; Munster vs Leinster, 2pm; Sunday: Ulster vs Munster, 10am; Ulster vs Leinster, 2pm. MUNSTER U16: D Moore (GK, Midleton College); P Coulter (GK, Ashton); R Johnson (Midleton College), I Gibson (Villiers), D Whittaker (Ashton), C Buttimer (Ashton), C Kingston (Bandon Grammar), M Van Haastrecht (Ashton), R Sweetnam (Ashton, capt), G Wilkinson (Ashton, vice-capt), A Burns (Midleton College), O Chambers (Midleton College), M Kingston (Bandon Grammar), J Dale (Bandon Grammar), S Wolfe (Ashton), P Brownlow (Ashton), R McCormack (Catholic Institute), A Deane (Midleton College). Tickets are €7 per day for adults and €15 for all three days of the event. For students, entry is €2 per day while U13s go in free. Limited parking is available in the school, especially today. Men’s Munster Senior Cup preliminary round: Bandon vs Catholic Institute (Bandon GS, 1.30pm); Women’s Munster Senior Cup quarter-finals: Bandon vs Catholic Institute (Bandon GS, 11.30am); UL vs Cork C of I (UL, 1.30pm); Cork Harlequins vs Belvedere (Harlequin Park, 12.30pm); Ashton vs UCC (Ashton School, 12.15pm).