UL seek way to appeal IHA order

WOMEN'S HOCKEY / Irish Senior Cup :The University of Limerick is attempting to find a way of appealing against the Irish Hockey…

WOMEN'S HOCKEY / Irish Senior Cup:The University of Limerick is attempting to find a way of appealing against the Irish Hockey Association's decision to order a replay of their first-round Irish Senior Cup tie against Cookstown and have contacted the International Hockey Federation (FIH) about the matter.

Cookstown lodged an appeal with the IHA Appeals Commission following their penalty strokes defeat by Limerick earlier this month on the grounds that the officials erred by not reversing the order in which the strokes were taken after the first series of 10 - Cookstown took the first stroke in both series.

The IHA ruled that the match be played again, from the start, at a neutral venue in Dublin on December 10th, with the winners playing Galway in the second round on January 14th. Limerick are unhappy with this decision - they believe the result should stand - but are unable to appeal against it. The club has emailed the FIH to ask if it can appeal the decision to the federation.

The dispute, of course, mirrors the one in which the IHA was embroiled four years ago when the officials for the Ireland-Lithuania game at the World Cup Qualifier in France made precisely the same error in the penalty strokes competition that was required to settle the match.

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Galway, then, must sit out tomorrow's second round while they await a resolution to the affair. Belfast Harlequins, meanwhile, are already through to the third round after trouncing Portadown 8-1 on Wednesday night.

UCD and Corinthian travel North to take on Armagh and Omagh, respectively, while Pembroke Wanderers host Munster's Catholic Institute and Old Alexandra are at home to Clontarf in the round's only all-Leinster tie.

IRISH SENIOR CUP: Second round: Tomorrow: Ballyclare v Ards, Valley Leisure Centre, 2.30; Omagh v Corinthian, Omagh, 3.0; Old Alexandra v Clontarf, Milltown, 3.20; Ashton v Lisnagarvey, Ashton School, 1.0; Armagh v UCD, Ardmore, 4.0; Pembroke Wanderers v Catholic Institute, Serpentine Avenue, 2.0.

LEINSTER LEAGUE: Division One: Tomorrow: Three Rock v Railway Union, Grange Road, 1.0; Trinity v Loreto, Santry, 4.0. Sunday: Old Alexandra v Trinity, Milltown, 3.15. Division Two: Tomorrow: Old Alexandra II v Hermes II, Milltown, 12.15; Glenanne v Genesis, Tallaght, 12.30; Loreto III v Bray, Beaufort, 2.15; Pembroke Wanderers II v Diocesan, Ballsbridge, 3.30.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times