MEN'S HOCKEY IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL:THE IRISH Senior Cup final between Pembroke Wanderers and Cookstown at UCD on Sunday has been overshadowed by an escalating dispute surrounding Pembroke's South African player, Vaughan Erasmus.
Following a query to the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) from Ulster side Mossley (who lost 6-0 to Pembroke in the cup quarter-final) over the eligibility of Erasmus to play in the competition, an IHA investigation has ruled that the Springbok had been ineligible. Under the rules, Erasmus was required to play for Pembroke before December 31st to qualify for the Irish Senior Cup.
An IHA statement yesterday read: “The matter was investigated by the IHA and it was discovered that, while he was registered appropriately with both the IHA and Leinster Branch in 2008, under the strict interpretation of the rules Vaughan Erasmus was not eligible to play for Pembroke Wanderers in Irish competitions as he had not played for his club prior to December 31st 2008.
“The intention was for Vaughan Erasmus to play for Pembroke before December 31st 2008, however, due to visa delays, he did not arrive in the country until January 2009.”
The statement went on to say that “the playing of Vaughan Erasmus was deemed to have been an unintentional and genuine error” and that the “decision by Pembroke Wanderers HC to play Vaughan Erasmus was in part due to a miscommunication with clubs by the IHA around player eligibility.”
In short, Pembroke used a South African international in Ireland’s premier cup competition and the governing body have said he was ineligible to play, but the final is going ahead and no sanctions, as yet, has been applied.
There will be clubs queuing up around the length and breadth of Ireland to show what punishments were imposed on them by various branches for genuine errors over the years, with players from the old Belfast YMCA at the head of that line.
In the mid 1980s, the international-laden Belfast YMCA were thrown out of the Irish Senior Cup for the same offence Pembroke inadvertently committed with Erasmus. YM played international Stuart McNulty, who like Erasmus didn’t play for the club before the December 31st deadline. Although McNulty was properly registered with YMCA, he had been working in Edinburgh and did not arrive back in Ireland until January. He then played in the competition and YMCA were shown the door.
Last night IHA chief executive Angus Kirkland travelled north to Mossley to explain the decision and, prior to travelling, did not wish to pre-empt the club’s reaction.
On return to Dublin, he may also find that Glenanne, who were beaten by Pembroke in the semi-finals, have a strong view on the matter, although Erasmus did not play in that match.
They will argue that, had they faced Mossley instead of this season’s Eurohockey champions Pembroke at the semi-final stage, they would have stood a better chance of playing Cookstown on Sunday.
Cookstown, too, might feel that their cup hopes would be better served if they had not to face the strongest team in the country.
FIXTURES
Tomorrow: Irish Junior Cup final: Pembroke IIs v Cork C of I IIs, UCD, 2.0. Sunday: Irish Senior Cup final: Pembroke v Cookstown, UCD, 1.15.
