WOMEN'S HOCKEY:WITH THE World Cup Qualifier in Chile now just three weeks away and while their club-mates enjoy their Easter break this weekend, the Irish senior panel will be hard at work in a three-day training camp at Pembroke Wanderers' Serpentine Avenue (today), and Belfield tomorrow and Sunday.

Ireland open the tournament on April 24th against Scotland, who beat Gene Muller’s side 2-1 in the recent Celtic Cup, before playing Malaysia the next day. Their third opponents, though, were to be Ukraine, who accepted an invitation to replace Trinidad and Tobago in the line-up, but they too have withdrawn, leaving the International Hockey Federation (FIH) seeking a late substitute.

Netherlands Antilles, Lithuania and Ghana are the teams on the reserve list and have been contacted by the FIH, but so far there’s no word on whether any of them is in a position, at this late stage, to take part.

The tournament could then become a five-nation affair, with Australia the top seeds and overwhelming favourites to take the one qualifying spot for August’s World Cup in Argentina.