TONIGHT'S IBA national executive meeting will hear separate appeals from Delta and Ballina which, if successful, will remove two fixtures from the weekend programme.

Both appeals have already been rejected by the IBA's national competitions committee, whose decision making powers have been undermined over the past few seasons by the availability of the executive as a higher appeals authority.

Both the competitions committee and the executive have roles within the association far removed from giving such week in week out rulings, and the unwieldy, two tier appeals structure is likely to be replaced by a single, independent appeal body after a review in the close season.

Regarding Delta's appeal, the IBA are in a difficult position. The Tallaght club have been hit by the kind of injury crisis that every club dreads. A serious ankle problem has left their leading American, Anthony Jenkins, hobbling. He made little impact in Saturday's embarrassing 104-71 defeat in Killarney.

In addition, two other regular starters, Clive Brady and Darren McGuinness, are suffering with knee injuries, while other members of the squad are struggling to recover from the flu.

As a result, Delta have applied to have their home game against the league leaders, Star of the Sea, on Saturday night postponed. Their initial appeal was rejected last Monday on the grounds that every club suffers injuries and plays through them.

However, a decision made earlier in the season by the competitions committee, which allowed Killester to postpone their league game with Ballina due to a flu crisis within the club, would appear to compromise Monday's ruling. If an illness crisis is grounds for postponement, why not also an extraordinary rash of injuries?

Delta's last two league results, a 102-77 defeat by Neptune and that 33 point humbling by Killarney, clearly reflects a team in genuine crisis. On such form they will hardly provide adequate opposition for the league leaders in a match which would be hard to call given a full strength Delta squad playing on their home court.

In addition to that appeal, a second and separate one lodged by Delta will also be examined by the executive tonight. It relates to a recent, two point defeat by Killester in the league against which the Tallaght club appealed on two grounds. Firstly, the match clock failed to function at a critical point in the game with less than 10 seconds remaining, and secondly Delta have questioned the legitimacy of Killester's usage of American based Dubliner, Allan Conlon, who scored a decisive 18 points.

Conlon had been home for the Christmas period and was only registered by Killester on the day before the game. Delta have queried his status and whether he had received a release from the relevant international body.

It is understood that the IBA are, as a result of the case, about to review the national league eligibility of Irish players who are currently playing abroad.

Meanwhile, Ballina's generosity in allowing the early season game against Killester to be postponed due to a flu crisis could backfire. Originally it was agreed to re fix the game for this Sunday, but subsequent to that decision Ballina failed to secure their usual home venue in Killala.

The IBA sought an alternative venue and nominated the Sligo Sports Centre, but Ballina appealed against relocation on the grounds of inconvenience to their fans as well as loss of home court.

The competitions committee rejected the appeal on Monday, but subsequently, in response to Ballina's goodwill when illness struck the Killester camp, the Dublin club have now agreed to a new date for the re fixture, March 10th, a week after the regular season concludes. The final decision, though, rests with the executive tonight.

Ballina will certainly be in action tomorrow night when they entertain old rivals St Vincent's, who are lying in third place in the table. The second placed team, Tralee, have a tough game at home to North Mon.

In the women's Division One, the big match is in Waterford tomorrow, where third placed Meteors must beat the leaders, Wildcats to have any chance of staying in the title race. Naomh Mhuire, lying second, have a difficult task away to the fourth placed team, Tolka, on Sunday in Griffith Avenue.