Promotion and relegation plan would raise interest

ISLAND boss Andy Graham has come up with a radical solution to a problem that is causing a hockey headache. The Investec Men's League season is split into two at Christmas each year. Since Rebel Alliance folded at the start of this season, there were only four teams in the first half of matches and five in the second when Elizabeth College joined the fray.

This meant that sides end up playing each other 14 times over the season.

Another problem is that teams do not play regularly as the matches have to be spread out over a season which starts in September and ends in March or April.

Quite simply, more teams are needed in the top division and Graham wants to promote the top four from the Second Division and operate a three-team promotion and relegation system at halfway and at the end of the season.

'A lot of work would have to be done to see if it's feasible because at the moment we'll be back to four sides next season and that's not enough teams,' said Graham.

'Last year was brilliant whereas this year there have been quite a few comments about it. I've not spoken to the committee about this and I'm not saying it as the island manager, but as someone who is concerned about hockey on the island.

'It's just an idea. There will be a huge amount of resistance to this, but we need to put this in the hat and get people talking about it.'

If the Second Division ends as things currently stand, then under Graham's proposals, Clubhouse Unwantables Two, Independents, Investec Colom-bians Two and Generals would go up.

Graham said that hockey was in a strong state, with 10 teams in the Men's Second Division, two full leagues of women's hockey, a popular business league and a budding junior programme in place as well.

'Until we get all the junior players coming through, we have to do something,' he said.

'We've got a huge number of people playing hockey. The sport is extremely healthy and I'm not overly worried, but it will be nice to get a solution for everyone.'

With Colombians on course to hold onto their league title without too much fuss, their captain, Damian Wallen, believes that the season has been an enjoyable one, despite it not being too much of a challenge for his side at times.

'The teams that are in there are fairly even,' he said.

'The disappointing thing is that we play the same sides six or seven times in a season. Bringing new teams up has a problem in that we don't want teams to get whipped each week. The teams that come up have got to enjoy it.'

Guernsey Hockey Association president Jason Robilliard said that the issue was something at which he and his committee were looking, but it had already ruled out forcing teams up from the Second to the First Division.

'We've talked about it,' he said. 'The problem is that they don't want to come up.

'Indies, for example, are a social side and they want to play in the Second Division.

'We've got a lot of youngsters coming through and they could set up their own team. We are looking into it constantly and there are some ideas in the pipeline.'