The Munster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association (MBIHA) has reluctantly agreed to approve Bandon B’s request to drop to Division Two of the Munster Men’s Senior League.
The branch’s emergency committee held a long discussion last night before ratifying the initial decision by the fixtures committee to allow the west Cork club’s seconds to follow Belvedere’s lead in voluntarily dropping a division.
However, a branch spokesperson indicated last night that they were far from happy at having to deal with the club’s request after the season had begun.
“The MBIHA were very disappointed to be put in this position, especially so late in the season with knock-on impacts to MBIHA committees and to other clubs, teams and players in Munster,” said the spokesperson.
Bandon B requested the move last Saturday following a player vote in the aftermath of their 5-0 defeat to Bandon A in their opening league encounter.
They finished bottom of Division One last season, but avoided relegation thanks to a 4-2 playoff win over UCC, who subsequently moved up to the top tier anyway after Belvedere’s request to drop a division was granted last month.
It is understood the branch grudgingly came to a decision having taken into account Bandon’s assertion that they didn’t have the strength in depth to field two teams in Division One, and the availability of a place in Division Two, which now has an even eight teams in it with Bandon B’s inclusion.
Inevitably, the remaining seven clubs in the province’s top tier will suffer, as one team will be without a league fixture each weekend.
In an attempt to partially remedy this problem, the branch has altered the format of the Charity Cup, which will now contain one pool of five teams rather than two pools or three, in order to provide each participating club with two extra games.
Bandon B have been removed from this event, as well as the Peard Cup, and will now instead be entered in the Cork Cup for Division Two teams.
Presumably they will play Belvedere A – who had initially been granted a bye to the last four – in the quarter-finals of that competition, while Quins B, who Bandon B were down to play in the Peard Cup, are likely to now receive a bye.
Following a turbulent few weeks of musical chairs between the two divisions, the branch spokesperson added that they hoped attention could now turn to on-field events.
“We hope that the season will now get underway in earnest and we can focus on the matches being played,” said the spokesperson.
