Legal wrangle may stop Dublin final

Yet another unseemly end-of-season legal wrangle now threatens to prevent next Friday's Metropolitan Cup final taking place at all. After a sequence of objections and counter-objections by semi-finalists Old Belvedere and Blackrock ultimately led to that semi-final being replayed at 24 hours' notice last Sunday at the expense of the proposed final, the beaten quarter-finalists have now entered the fray. One of them, Railway Union, yesterday lodged an objection, arguing that both Blackrock and Old Belvedere should have been evicted from the competition.

It will be recalled that the Leinster Branch ultimately came to four different verdicts last week, which led to both Blackrock and Old Belvedere being evicted from the competition and then re-instated. Blackrock had won the original semi-final, but Old Belvedere then lodged an objection on the grounds that Owen Cobbe was not eligible to play. This protest was originally rejected on Wednesday. Old Belvedere appealed again and 24 hours later their appeal was upheld, with the Leinster Branch decreeing that they should replace Blackrock in the planned final with St Mary's last Sunday.

Blackrock then lodged a counter-objection, as it were, questioning the eligibility of certain Old Belvedere players. This too was upheld, and so Blackrock were reinstated on Friday at the expense of Old Belvedere. The latter then lodged another objection on Saturday, which led to the Leinster Branch deciding that the semi-final be played again last Sunday and the final deferred.

Blackrock beat Old Belvedere once more on Sunday, but now Railway Union, beaten by Old Belvedere in the quarter-finals, have lodged an objection. It is believed that Wanderers, beaten by Blackrock in the quarter-finals, may do likewise. Watching in the wings are County Carlow. They still feel aggrieved that they were evicted from the Provincial Towns' Cup after playing an unregistered player, even though the player concerned was a bona fide Carlow player. That he wasn't registered was because of a bereavement in the club secretary's family on the weekend in question.

Railway Union are citing that example in their objection to last Sunday's semi-final having taken place at all. "Purely on the basis of the Carlow principle, we feel very hard done by," said Railway Union spokesperson Kieran O'Brien yesterday. "Both teams (Blackrock and Old Belvedere) should be removed from the Cup. It's not that we necessarily want to be reinstated along with Wanderers. If necessary, the Cup could be handed over to St Mary's uncontested."

Yet another fine mess then, and once more the Vietnam logic applies: if you're not confused, then you don't understand the situation.

Fixtures

Friday

Metropolitan Cup final: Blackrock v St Mary's, Lakelands Park (6.0).

Saturday

All-Ireland League Division Two/Three play-off, second leg: Malone (15) v Ballynahinch (10).

Leinster Senior Cup semi-finals: Terenure v Skerries, Stradbrook (2.30); Lansdowne v DLSP, Stradbrook (4.15).

Munster Senior Cup semi-finals: Shannon v Cork Constitution, Thomond Park (3.0); UCC v Young Munster, Musgrave Park (3.0).

Limerick Sevens: Dooradoyle (10.30).

Sunday

Connacht Senior Cup final: Galwegians v Corinthians, Sportsground (3.0).

Munster Junior Cup final: Cork Constitution v Midleton, Musgrave Park (2.30).

Limerick Sevens: semi-finals and final, Dooradoyle (2.0).

Tuesday

Ulster Senior Cup semi-final: Bangor v Malone, Ravenhill (7.30).

Wednesday

Ulster Senior Cup semi-final: Dungannon v Ballynahinch, Ravenhill (7.30).