Sport

Bid to save Millstreet

The Show Jumping Association of Ireland executive was last night putting the finishing touches to a rescue package in a bid to…

By GRANIA WILLIS
Sat Oct 21 2000 - 01:00

The Show Jumping Association of Ireland executive was last night putting the finishing touches to a rescue package in a bid to save next month's Millstreet World Cup qualifier, which the Duggan family was forced to cancel on Tuesday due to lack of funding from the Irish Sports Council.

"By this time tomorrow it'll either be yes or no", SJAI national chairman Tony Hurley said last night, "but I can't give you anything definite at the moment. It's very important that the World Cup is in Ireland. It's very important for the industry right across the board."

Hurley and the SJAI's chief executive officer Paddy Desmond spent much of yesterday canvassing opinions from the 20member executive before the finished package could be put to the Duggans.

"I haven't heard anything about it yet", Millstreet show director Thomas Duggan said last night, "but I'll be all ears for any package they can offer us."

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The Duggans, who have run the World Cup qualifier at their November indoor show at Millstreet for the past eight years, pulled the plug last Tuesday when a decision on the restoration of funding to the SJAI was deferred by the Sports Council until November 7th, three days after the qualifier was due to be held in the Green Glens arena.

Millstreet, like all international show jumping fixtures run in Ireland, would normally receive Sports Council funding, which is disbursed to the SJAI by the Equestrian Federation of Ireland. But the Sports Council withheld funding to the SJAI in 1998 due to ongoing controversy over the association's accounts and, as a result, Millstreet lost out on its £18,000 grant aid.

The only possible solution now is if the SJAI can come up with a suitable package that can bring about a change of heart from the Duggans.

Also in Cork, the Ballindenisk international horse trials continues with the cross-country today, following a course inspection yesterday after torrential overnight rain on Thursday. The course has been passed as fit and the first of the ponies sets off across country just before 10 o'clock this morning.