Weather wipes out entire fixture schedule

No club hockey matches will take place around Ireland this weekend as the bitter weather continue to play havoc with sporting fixtures in all codes. The Munster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association (MBIHA) took the decision on Wednesday evening to postpone all of the weekend’s fixtures, with no end to the cold snap in sight. The Irish Hockey Association (IHA) followed suit this morning by calling off all Irish Junior Cup and Irish Challenge games, while the respective branches in Leinster and Ulster also made the same call. A Munster branch spokesperson said: “This decision has not been taken lightly, but given the current weather conditions and the forecasts up to and including the weekend, in the interests of the personal safety of all involved and to minimise disruption caused by the late cancellation of fixtures the notice is being issued now.” The adverse weather had already claimed both the Peard and Chairty Cup finals, and with daytime temperatures rarely rising about 4 or 5 degrees Celsius in the past fortnight, most pitches have remained frozen for the duration. No dates have yet been given for re-fixtures, bar in the men’s Division Three, which has been split into two tiers but has two fixtures outstanding from the first period of the campaign, Harlequins E vs UCC C and Catholic Institute B vs Midleton. Those fixtures will be rearranged for January 17, with the standing fixtures inolving those teams moved to an alternative date. Image on front of site shows Corinthian’s Whitechurch Park venue under snow, and is courtesy of Iain White.