Senior interpros shelved again

The senior interpros remain Irish hockey’s problem child after they were cancelled for the second successive year this week.

The competition is steeped in history having began in 1923 but was shelved last season as the provinces argued the cost of running it would be too high in a year when Ireland hosted an Olympic qualifier. A move was agreed in February to move the tournament to a bi-annual format, beginning this season with an October tournament in Cork. But with neither the new senior men’s or women’s national coaches likely to be in place by then to run the rule over each province’s players, one of the competition’s criteria was not being met. That led the Irish Hockey Assocation’s interpros working group to recommend cancellation of the tournament to the board, who ratified the decision. An IHA statement added: “It was noted by the both the Board and the Interpro Working Group that they did not wish to see this prestigious and traditional tournament disappear altogether from the calendar. To that end, the interpros for the 2013/14 season and its role in regard to high performance will need to be reviewed over thecoming months and a decision made.”