REGRETTABLY, but inevitably, Rule Three - all playing members of affiliated clubs must be amateur players - was deleted at the annual general meeting of the Irish Hockey Union in Dublin on Saturday.

As the International Federation (FIH) had already decreed that the game would go open, the deletion of the rule was not debated by the IHU council members. Fortunately, as little surplus money is available and is spent largely on coaching, there will be virtually no domestic change.

On the international front, however, there will be greater pressures on funding so that the Irish team can compete realistically. There will continue to be much reliance on State aid.

Encouragingly, the redeveloping Ireland squad is shaping up smartly for the World Cup prequalifying tournament in Cagliari, now just three weeks away. The training trip to Holland, involving matches against the Olympic champions' leading club sides, yielded a third successive win on Saturday.

Following the 3-0 and 3-1 defeats of Amsterdam and Alkmaar respectively, a 5-2 victory was recorded over elitist HGC in The Hague. Daniel Clarke, with notable support from Ali Dunne, notched four goals in the second half after the Irish team had been 2-1 down at the interval. David McAnulty opened the scoring.

In Dublin, there was a firm indication that there will be greater backing for the country's young players. The IHU voted to include the Ireland under 21 manager as a member of the executive committee. The new manager is former international - Ian O'Keeffe, who teams up with coach George Blackwood, who has gained much success at under 18 level and will now be plotting young Ireland's European challenge.