Hockey gets a taste of summer

International engagements aside, the hockey season reached its finale on Saturday with the stylish opening of Suttonians's astroturf pitch overlooking Dublin Bay and with enterprising and welcome changes at club level announced by the executive committee of the IHU, who were meeting simultaneously south of the Liffey.

From next season the All Ireland title will be decided by expanding the three-champions' play-offs into a competition involving eight sides. The top three clubs from the Ulster and Leinster leagues, as well as Munster's two leading teams will go into a quarter-final knockout stage, on a home and away, two leg basis, and the four survivors will then play off in a round-robin format on the first weekend of May to decide who will represent Ireland in the European club championship. The interprovincial tournament, incidentally, is being switched to October.

Meanwhile in what the Minister for the Marine, Michael Woods, described as a historic development on the north side of Dublin, the new pitch at Sutton Park School yielded a match of substance as a Suttonians selection largely made up of Irish internationals of the past and future held the Welsh national squad to a 3-3 draw. Australian striker Colin Stewart put away two goals for the home side, with Leinster's leading marksman, Stephen Butler, also contributing to the scoreline from a penalty stroke. However, despite being thwarted by Peter Darley, the Welsh Dragons managed to reply through Jamie Westerman and Simon Organ (two drag flicks).