There are several ironies about the wiping out of the men's hockey programme because of the foot-and-mouth crisis. Snow-covered pitches had already made many games doubtful while over the next three weeks the absence of the Irish squad in Bangladesh meant that domestic postponements were being sought.

Notably, Pembroke Wanderers, with three players in the national squad, were not going to be required to play Leinster league matches, starting with tomorrow's scheduled fixture against Corinthians.

So, there was already going to be a backlog of a relatively minor degree but now it will become difficult to get competitions finished before the end of the season. It may be necessary to rearrange the dates for the all-Ireland league play-offs.

Schools' hockey has been hit by a succession of woes - strikes, weather, mock exams, scattered mid-term breaks and now that national crisis. The Leinster Senior Cup has reached the semi-final stage but a fresh date will have to be found for the final, arranged for next Wednesday.