Irish Women no Longer to Travel to South Africa

Having monitored the situation over the previous weeks and given the escalation of measures being taken here in Ireland to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Hockey Ireland Irish Senior Women’s team management has taken the decision to cancel the women’s upcoming trip to South Africa.

The squad had originally been scheduled to travel to South Africa for warm-up matches against South Africa, England, and China early next week for a block of warm weather training and exposure to match play in conditions similar to those expected in Tokyo later this summer.

The squad will no longer be travelling to South Africa and will therefore fall under the Hockey Ireland COVID-19 policy guidelines which were issued to the Hockey Ireland community last night.

Commenting on the decision Hockey Ireland Performance Director, Adam Grainger, said: “After a robust and productive conversation with players and staff today, management have decided to cancel the Senior Women’s upcoming trip to Durban.

While it could be argued that the performance benefits still outweigh the risks of traveling to Durban, the concern expressed by players and staff combined with ‘Coronavirus unknowns’ made the decision to cancel this travel the best solution.

This decision was not taken lightly, and Hockey Ireland would like to thank the squad for their patience on this matter. We will now review and seek to amend the programme plan for the squad for the next few weeks.

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Hockey Ireland Coronavirus (COVID-19) UPDATE No. 2

Hockey Ireland Coronavirus (COVID-19) UPDATE No. 2
12 March 2020

As the possibility of the COVID-19 virus spreading in Ireland increases, Hockey Ireland is continually monitoring the situation.

Hockey Ireland continues to follow the advice of the Government and Sport Ireland and has noted the announcement by An Taoiseach this morning that some measures will come into effect from tomorrow morning until the 29th March 2020, with schools, colleges and childcare facilities closing from tomorrow (Friday 13th March).

The Hockey Ireland Board, after consultation with its branches, has decided the following in the interest of the health and safety of the hockey community and all people on the island of Ireland:

Hockey Ireland together with its four provincial branches are suspending all hockey activity with immediate effect until the 29th March 2020 and is directing all clubs and schools to do the same. All hockey activity including training and education across clubs and schools must now cease. We understand that this decision is disappointing to all hockey players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and supporters, but in light of the circumstances, Hockey Ireland believes this is in our members’ best interests.

The above will not apply to the Senior Women’s team, who are in preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Alternative arrangements for league and cup matches will be reviewed by Hockey Ireland in coming weeks and decisions will be communicated as appropriate.

The Hockey Ireland offices are situated on the UCD campus which will be closing this evening, and from tomorrow, 13th March, all staff will be operating from their homes. We apologise for this disruption, however staff continue to have access to our server remotely and are set up to respond to emails as usual.

As the situation is changing very quickly, we will continue to closely follow developments and issue further information approaching the 29th March Date.

Please keep safe. For further information on Covid-19: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html

If you have any further queries, please email info@hockey.ie

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Hockey Ireland suspends all hockey activity

Hockey Ireland together with its four provincial branches are suspending all hockey activity with immediate effect until the 29th March 2020 and is directing all clubs and schools to do the same. All hockey activity including training and education across clubs and schools must now cease. We understand that this decision is disappointing to all hockey players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and supporters, but in light of the circumstances, Hockey Ireland believes this is in our members’ best interests.

As such the Irish Senior Cup Finals which were due to take place in UCD on the 29th March 2020 are now postponed. As the situation is changing very quickly, we will continue to closely follow developments and issue further information regarding the Hockey Ireland Cup Finals approaching the 29th March Date.

Please keep safe at the time.

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Irish Senior Cup 2020- POSTPONED

The Hockey Ireland Board, after consultation with its branches, has decided the following in the interest of the health and safety of the hockey community and all people on the island of Ireland:

Hockey Ireland together with its four provincial branches are suspending all hockey activity with immediate effect until the 29th March 2020 and is directing all clubs and schools to do the same. All hockey activity including training and education across clubs and schools must now cease. We understand that this decision is disappointing to all hockey players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and supporters, but in light of the circumstances, Hockey Ireland believes this is in our members’ best interests.

As such the Irish Senior Cup Finals which were due to take place in UCD on the 29th March 2020 are now postponed. As the situation is changing very quickly, we will continue to closely follow developments and issue further information regarding the Hockey Ireland Cup Finals approaching the 29th March Date.

Please keep safe at the time.

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Men’s EYHL & EYHL2 Round-up 8 March 2020

EYHL

The battle to avoid the relegation playoff place is heating up with YMCA and Pembroke both picking up useful results in their bid to stay in the top tier of the men’s EY Hockey League.

For the Y, it was their second win in three outings and while they remain in ninth place, their form guide has given them a huge chance of avoiding the playoff after they beat Corinthian 2-1.

They trailed 1-0 at Wesley to a Craig Mackay goal after just seven minutes before penalty corner goals from Grant Glutz and Ben Campbell swapped the lead in the first half. No further goals came but there was plenty of drama as YM held on for the win.

Pembroke, meanwhile, saw Alan Sothern score twice in the last three minutes to earn a 4-4 draw against Monkstown, putting a dent in Town’s outside title aspirations. Pembroke led twice in the first half via Jack Ryan and Greg Chambers before a Gareth Watkins hat trick and one from Mark Gibbons seemed to swing the tie Monkstown’s way.

Lisnagarvey’s position at the top was strengthened by the outcome as they won 4-3 at Three Rock Rovers with two first quarter goals laying the base for the win. They hold a five-point lead over Banbridge but now with two games in hand over the nearest rivals.

Bann were 2-1 winners over UCD who fronted up well but could not catch a break as their tough run now extends to five defeats. For Bann, they have 22 out of the last 24 available as Josh Moffett’s double put them on course for the result.

Glenanne made it three wins in a row to move up to fifth place as they won 6-4 – for the second week running – against Annadale with Stu Ronan and Johnny McCormack’s goals in the last 10 minutes proving vital. Dale are now 11 points adrift at the bottom.

EYHL Division 1: Glenanne 6 (R Shaw 2, J McCormack 2, S Boucher, S Ronan) Annadale 4 (R Burgess 3, D Tremlett); Pembroke 4 (A Sothern 2, G Chambers, J Ryan) Monkstown 4 (G Watkins 3, M Gibbons); Three Rock Rovers 3 (R Canning 2, E Jennings) Lisnagarvey 4 (J Lorimer 2, J Lynch, D Nelson); UCD 1 (J Guilfoyle) Banbridge 2 (J Moffett 2); YMCA 2 (G Glutz, B Campbell) Corinthian 1 (C Mackay)

Next week’s fixtures

Saturday, March 14th: Three Rock Rovers v Pembroke, Grange Road, 1.30pm; Corinthian v UCD, Belfield, 2pm; Banbridge v Glenanne, Havelock Park, 2.45pm; Lisnagarvey v YMCA, Comber Road, 3pm; Monkstown v Annadale, ALD Merrion Fleet Arena, 4pm

Men’s EYHL – day 13 extended reports

YMCA 2 (G Glutz, B Campbell) Corinthian 1 (C Mackay)

YMCA won what could be a crucial contest in the battle to avoid the relegation playoff place as they came from a goal down to beat local rivals Corinthian 2-1 at Wesley. YM started the brighter, flashing a great chance across the face of goal in the first minute.

But, after absorbing a lot of pressure, the reds took the lead in the seventh minute from their first chance when the ball fell to Craig Mackay on the baseline and he slotted home from a tight angle.

YM ramped up the tempo – in what was a tie played at an intense pace – and converted two corners in the second quarter, the first from Grant Glutz and a second from Ben Campbell to take the lead just before half-time.

The second half continued at high speed with the reds trying to push on to get an equaliser but it was the hosts who had the better of the chances. They were awarded a stroke at one stage in a manic sequence of events; Ross Henderson chipped over his namesake, Charlie, but a flying Henry Micks tipped the looping ball onto the bar.

The ball fell to Ben Campbell who had the goal at his mercy but did not get a clean connection to his volley under pressure from some flailing defensive sticks and the ball bounced wide. A stroke was initially awarded but an umpires’ consultation saw a free out given instead, deeming the shot was not impeded.

Ben Cullen was also set through one-on-one but Charlie Henderson got out well to tip the ball away before contact. YM were reduced to eight players for part of the last five minutes with Iain Patterson, Matthew Walker and Harry McCarthy in the bin.

Corinthian had a corner repelled by Jakim Bernsden while Ian Stewart claimed for a stroke in the closing minutes but it was waved away as his shot went wide from close range.

Three Rock Rovers 3 (R Canning 2, E Jennings) Lisnagarvey 4 (J Lorimer 2, J Lynch, D Nelson)

Lisnagarvey moved another big step closer to retaining the men’s EY Hockey League as a strong start put them in position for this win over fourth placed Three Rock Rovers. They were 2-0 up in the first quarter from a quick strike from Daniel Nelson and a penalty corner just inside the left post from James Lorimer.

Evan Jennings finished off after the breakdown of a short corner to get the home side back into it, making 2-1 at half-time. Johnny Lynch restored the gap with a very well taken third for Garvey, controlling an in-field pass inside the Rovers half and powering a shot past Conor Quinn from the top of the circle.

Rovers again got one back thanks to a reverse-stick shot from Ross Canning as the hosts enjoyed a spell in command but were denied an equaliser by the outstretched James Milliken from a Harry Morris effort.

The last quarter was a tense affair as Garvey scored another short corner through Lorimer for 4-2 – making two from three corners. Rovers again got one back from a Canning stroke but Garvey held on for a deserved win, keeping them five points clear of second placed Banbridge but with two games in hand.

Pembroke 4 (A Sothern 2, G Chambers, J Ryan) Monkstown 4 (G Watkins 3, M Gibbons)

Alan Sothern scored twice in the last three minutes to earn a vital point for Pembroke that keeps them out of the relegation playoff place on goal difference, putting a dent in Monkstown’s title aspirations.

Pembroke had led in the first minute but a Gareth Watkins penalty stroke tied things up at 1-1 at quarter time. Simon Thornton’s heroics kept it that way and allowed the hosts to take the lead with Greg Chambers getting on the end of a great move for 2-1 just before half-time.

Monkstown, though, turned things around in quick succession in the third quarter when Watkins netted his second stroke in the 43rd minute and then completed his hat trick from play.

Mark Gibbons looked to have got the killer fourth goal with 10 minutes to go, making it 4-2. But Sothern is in a remarkable vein of form and he ran up his 15th and 16th goals in his last six games to make it a draw, the first an excellent effort from play, the next yet another stroke.

Glenanne 6 (R Shaw 2, J McCormack 2, S Boucher, S Ronan) Annadale 4 (R Burgess 3, D Tremlett)

Two goals in the last eight minutes saw Glenanne remarkably win 6-4 for the second week running to rise up to fifth place in the men’s EYHL table, eventually shaking off Annadale at St Andrew’s.

David Tremlett put Dale 1-0 up at quarter-time from play but a couple of quickfire goals from Richie Shaw swapped the lead by the 20th minute. Another flurry of Glens goals put them in what should have been cruise control by the 44th minute as Shannon Boucher and Johnny McCormack put them 4-1 up.

Ryan Burgess, however, promptly nailed a three-minute hat trick to level it at 4-4 with 16 minutes still to go before Glenanne steadied themselves with Stu Ronan and McCormack capitalising. After waiting four months for a win, it was their third three-pointer in succession.

UCD 1 (J Guilfoyle) Banbridge 2 (J Moffett 2)

Banbridge moved into second place on their own courtesy of Josh Moffett’s second half double at Belfield as the students woes continued with a fifth successive league defeat.

After a scoreless first half, Bann went in front in the third quarter and Moffett doubled up with three minutes to go. John Guilfoyle got one back for the students a minute late but too late to change the outcome of the contest.

For Bann, it made it 22 points from the last 24 available and coach Gordon Cracknell said it was a tough result to dig out.

“UCD were very good today and made it very difficult for us. We stuck at it and I think we got our just rewards in the end.

“We did start poorly [this season] but the team has really pulled together and are on a great run now. We’ve got to keep working at it and, if we do, we will be where we need to be. Unbeaten in Dublin this season and that is a big achievement.”

To that end, the adapted well with Alex Tinney and Sam Farson both out injured with schoolboys like twins Louis and Charlie Rowe featuring alongside their older brother Eddie.

For UCD’s Michael Styles he was frustrated not to get more from the tie, feeling they had their chances: “We’ve played really well today, defended really well and created so many chances. Three shots just hit their goalkeeper, we had one taken off the line – as a coach, you are annoyed to have lost but really proud of the effort and standard the lads played at. That’s the way things go.”

EYHL2

Men’s EY Hockey League Division 2 round-up

Cork C of I became the first men’s side to be guaranteed a place in the final four of the men’s EYHL Division 2, giving them the chance of bouncing straight back up to the national division.

They proved too strong for Instonians at Garryduff with John Jermyn’s hat trick proving pivotal in a 6-2. Jonny Bruton put C of I one up in the 11th minute before Chris Kirk’s penalty stroke levelled matters.

But the Cork side went on to score the next five goals with Jermyn and Bruton on the mark in the second quarter before Jermyn and Stephen Parker made it 5-1 by the end of the third quarter. Jermyn traded goals with William Robinson from corners to end it at 6-2.

The result opened the door for Railway Union to leap into second place in the group thanks to a 7-1 win at Avoca with Daragh Curley scoring three of them. They were in control from early on, leading 4-0 at half-time, and they never really looked back, rising to 13 points, two ahead of Inst who they play in the final round of group games on April 4th.

In Pool B, Julian Dale netted all four goals for Cork Harlequins in their 4-2 win over Kilkeel to move back to the top of the table after a hard-fought encounter. Kilkeel opened the scoring with a lovely David Finlay touch but Dale equalised from a stroke after a goalbound shot hit a player’s body.

Quins took the lead soon after via a Dale drag, the first of three. Eddie Agnew got a scrappy equaliser for Kilkeel after some pressure, the ball trickling over the line in the end.

But another Dale drag took the lead at 3-2 with eight minutes to go and while Kilkeel had two corners to try and equalise, they could not take them while Dale did take his chance.

Cookstown, meanwhile, got right back into the frame for a semi-final berth thanks to a 3-2 win over Clontarf. All the goals came in the first half; Paul Watt put the Co Tyrone side 1-0 up; Kevin Murray levelled and Ryan Millar made it 2-1 to the hosts with 15 minutes played.

John Mullins equalised for Tarf but Scott McCabe got what proved to be the killer blow in the last minute of the half. Clontarf stay in second place, however, by virtue of their losing bonus point from this game.

For both clubs, if they can record home wins on April 4th, they can go through to the semi-finals. Clontarf host Kilkeel while Cookstown meet Harlequins.

Men’s EYHL Division 2

Pool A: Avoca 1 (J Elmes) Railway Union 7 (D Curley 3, R Devlin, H Heisterkamp, M Fulham, F Keaveney); Cork C of I 6 (J Jermyn 3, J Bruton 2, S Parker) Instonians 2 (C Kirk, W Robinson)

Pool B: Cookstown 3 (P Watt, R Millar, S McCabe) Clontarf 2 (K Murray, J Mullins); Cork Harlequins 4 (J Dale 4) Kilkeel 2 (D Finlay, E Agnew)

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Green Army Sponsors Host Star-Studded Lunch for IWD2020

Official Hockey Ireland sponsors, SoftCo and Park Developments, and official partner, Saba restaurants, hosted an International Women’s Day lunch to celebrate the Irish Senior Women’s Hockey Team and spotlight their incredible journey on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games.

The Irish Women’s Hockey team, and management attended the event, as well as the sponsors and their clients and some of Ireland’s top influencers. The team who are busy preparing for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo this summer were delighted to take a break from their busy training schedule to enjoy a celebratory lunch in their partner’s restaurant, Saba, with their sponsors SoftCo and Park Developments, who have built an incredible support network around the team.

The lunch was accompanied by a Q&A hosted by sports journalist and television presenter, Evanne Ni Chuilinn. Evanne interviewed four time Olympian, Olive Loughnane, Sport Ireland Institute Head Performance Psychologist, Kate Kirby and Irish Women’s Hockey Head Coach, Sean Dancer. They discussed the team’s preparation for Tokyo 2020, what they can expect of the Olympic experience and the importance of having a winning mentality and resilience heading over to the Games.

Speaking at the event, Olive Loughnane (OLY) said: “The Olympics is the absolute pinnacle for high performance athletes who get to represent their country on the biggest stage of them all. There is nothing that can fully prepare you for the actual Olympic experience itself, it is truly special and unique and will be a dream come true to this group. My advice would be to just enjoy every minute of it and be present. These women have made a huge amount of sacrifices to be where they are today and it was a real privilege to be invited here to share my own experiences.”

The Q&A was followed by a panel discussion from members of the team who gave an insight into their preparation and training schedule as they get ready to travel to South Africa for warm-up matches against South Africa, England and China. There was a great sense of optimism and belief in the room as the team and staff reiterated their goal of going for gold at the Olympics.

Irish Women’s coach Sean Dancer said: “I would like to thank SoftCo, Park Developments and Saba for their continued support of this incredible team and our journey. Their support has been fundamental to our Olympic preparations and without it our current training programme would not be what it is. It is great to have the opportunity to all get together today and celebrate the journey we have all been on and the memories this incredible group of women have given us as they continue to push the boundaries and inspire those around them to chase their dreams.”

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Hockey Ireland Coronavirus (Covid 19) Update

Hockey Ireland Coronavirus (COVID-19) UPDATE No. 1

As the possibility of the COVID-19 virus spreading in Ireland increases, Hockey Ireland is monitoring the situation.

At the moment we have not implemented any changes to the hockey competition schedule, however, this situation may change as things develop.

Hockey Ireland will continue to follow the advice of the Government and Sport Ireland on this topic and will update our Branches and Members should the need arise.

Here you will find some advice from Sport Ireland which can be circulated as much as possible. PROTECT YOURSELF POSTER.pdf

Guidance from HPSC is available at: https://www.hpsc.ie/az/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/

4 March 2020

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EYHL Men’s Round Up. 1st Mar 2020

The men’s EY Hockey League top of the table clash between Monkstown and Lisnagarvey fell victim of Storm Jorge as the game only lasted until half-time before the weather proved too challenging to continue.

At that stage, Town were 2-1 leaders and eyeing a first defeat of the season for Garvey but it was not to be and a refixed date will have to be found.

Four matches did survive the storm, meanwhile, with Banbridge, Three Rock Rovers, Glenanne and Pembroke all recording wins.

Bann had beaten YMCA 8-0 just a few weeks ago but the return date at Havelock Park was nowhere near as comfortable as the Y took the lead in just the second minute through Grant Glutz.

They held that advantage for the guts of an hour before the Co Down hosts ran up three goals in the last nine minutes with Jonny McKee getting a brace to make it 3-1.

Three Rock held off the challenge of Corinthian in the Marlay derby at Whitechurch Park to win 2-1, Harry Morris and Ben Walker getting in their goals in the first eight minutes before the weather deteriorated.

Glenanne won a goal-fest at Belfield against UCD 6-4 to make it two wins in a week for the Tallaght club. They edged into a 2-0 lead in the first quarter before the scoring went tit-for-tat with UCD pulling it back to 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4. Crucially, goalkeeper Max Maguire was shown a yellow card with 10 minutes to go and Stu Ronan scored into an empty-net to seal the points.

Pembroke moved out of the relegation playoff place thanks to a 6-2 win over Annadale with Alan Sothern scoring four times. That increases his tally to 10 this season against Dale and makes it 14 goals in his last five games in the EYHL.

YMCA drop back down to ninth place as a result, eight points clear of bottom side Annadale who have seven games left to make up that deficit.

Men’s EY Hockey League day 12 results: Annadale 2 (A McAllister, D Tremlett) Pembroke 6 (A Sothern 4, A Burns, N Burns); Banbridge 3 (J McKee 2, Ph Brown) YMCA 1 (G Glutz); Corinthian 1 (R Clarke) Three Rock Rovers 2 (H Morris, B Walker); UCD 4 (I Styles, M Romoli, C Murphy, D Nolan) Glenanne 6 (B Venter, C Kennedy, S Boucher, J McCormack, G Shaw, S Ronan); Monkstown v Lisnagarvey abandoned at half-time

Next week’s fixtures

Saturday, March 7th: UCD v Banbridge, Belfield, 1pm; Glenanne v Annadale, St Andrew’s, 2.45pm; Three Rock Rovers v Lisnagarvey, Grange Road, 3pm; Pembroke v Monkstown, Serpentine Avenue, 4pm; YMCA v Glenanne, Wesley College, 4pm

Men’s EYHL day 12 reports

UCD 4 (I Styles, M Romoli, C Murphy, D Nolan) Glenanne 6 (B Venter, C Kennedy, S Boucher, J McCormack, G Shaw, S Ronan)

Glenanne won a goal-fest at Belfield to make it two wins in seven days, lifting them up to 14 points, while UCD are now on a streak of four successive losses. Brad Venter and Clive Kennedy combined to make it 2-0 before the end of the first quarter.

Iain Styles’ deflection reduced the gap in the 22nd minute only for Shannon Boucher to power home a penalty corner drag-flick soon after. It was 3-2 in the 26th minute via Matteo Romoli but Glenanne stayed in the clear at half-time when Johnny McCormack scored from another corner.

Cian Murphy nicked another one back early in the second half; again Glenanne replied with player-coach Gary Shaw on the mark to make it 5-3. That came in the 52nd minute but less than 60 seconds later, UCD won a stroke which David Nolan calmly scored to make it 5-4 going into the final quarter.

But hopes of salvaging a result were ended when goalkeeper Max Maguire was shown a yellow card and with no recognised replacement on the bench, Glenanne took full advantage with Stu Ronan hitting in what proved to be the clincher.

“We certainly made it difficult for ourselves and it was end to end,” said Glenanne skipper Brad Venter following the tie. “Any team could have taken it on the day; we built a good lead and they kept pegging us back but glad to get the win in the end.”

“It is a different season to last year but playoffs is still the target,” he added, comparing it to last year when the Glens were comfortably in the top four. “We had a bit of a slump toward the end of last season but glad to see we are taking our chances now and piling up a few points.”

For UCD coach Michael Styles, he felt his side was too susceptible to sucker-punches: “On the ball, we were very good and I thought we dominated a lot of play. Glenanne were very good on the counter-attack and they hit us quite a lot before the game turned into chaos in the last couple of minutes which put the final nail in our coffin.”

Banbridge 3 (J McKee 2, Ph Brown) YMCA 1 (G Glutz)

Three goals in the last nine minutes saw Banbridge pick up the points at home against YMCA after they trailed for almost an hour at Havelock Park. The tie was markedly different from their recent meeting which saw Bann cruise to an 8-0 victory but the complexion of the contest was defined by the early phases.

Grant Glutz’s second minute penalty corner goal put YM in front, a lead which they clung onto with goalkeeper Jakim Bernsden in cracking form to keep out chances from Jonny McKee, Eugene Magee and Philip Brown in the first quarter.

They went on to run up nine corners which were repelled by the YM defence until the 61st minute when McKee won a stroke which he duly converted to make it 1-1. It broke the YM resolve and Phil Brown then laid on a second for McKee within a minute and the win was complete with six minutes remaining when Owen Magee’s silky skills won a corner which Brown finally found the next from.

Corinthian 1 (R Clarke) Three Rock Rovers 2 (H Morris, B Walker)

Three Rock Rovers made it six games unbeaten as they got ahead before the worst of the weather kicked in at Whitechurch Park to beat Corinthian 2-1.

Harry Morris’s reverse-stick shot form the top of the D opened the scoring in the third minute and they were two to the good when Ben Walker finished off from close range. After that, conditions deteriorated badly, making fluid hockey difficult to come by.

Corinthian got back into it as a result of a rebound after a short corner from Robbie Clarke to make it 2-1 at half-time. The second half belonged to the home side where they had several short corners in a row but Conor Quinn and the Rovers defence held out. The combination of the weekend’s results means the top four – with Rovers in fourth – currently have seven points to spare over the chasers.

Annadale 2 (A McAllister, D Tremlett) Pembroke 6 (A Sothern 4, A Burns, N Burns)

Alan Sothern continued his latest run of remarkable goalscoring to 14 goals in his last five games for Pembroke – including 10 in two meetings against Annadale – to help his side earn a 6-2 win which lifts them out of the relegation playoff place.

He opened the scoring in the ninth minute from play before Adam McAllister equalised early in the second quarter. A second Sothern strike and an Alex Burns corner rebound, though, gave Pembroke breathing room at half-time at 3-1.

Sothern completed his hat trick in the 40th minute and while David Tremlett pulled another one back, there was time for Sothern to net his fourth goal and Nick Burns got in on the act in the final minute. The defeat leaves Dale eight points adrift of YMCA at the bottom.

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EYHL Women’s Round Up. 1st Mar 2020

Another dramatic week in the women’s EY Hockey League saw Loreto take up the reins at the top of the table from Old Alex after a weather-beaten schedule.Three midweek matches in Dublin all saw fine comebacks with Pembroke overcoming the concession of an early Anna O’Flanagan goal to beat Muckross 3-1 on Wednesday evening with Leah McGuire, Laura Noble and Claire Foley all scoring.A day later, Old Alex looked well set to extend their lead when Hannah McDermott’s double put them 2-0 up on UCD only for Edel Nyland and twins Niamh and Michelle Carey to score three goals in the space four minutes to nick a 3-2 win for the students.It gave Loreto the chance to return to the lead that night but they found themselves 2-1 down against Railway Union going into the final quarter. Three late goals, however, from Hayley Mulcahy, Hannah Matthews and Sarah Torrans swung the game Loreto’s way, 4-2.Saturday, meanwhile, saw Storm Jorge lead to the postponement of both Old Alex and Cork Harlequins’ meeting and that of Pembroke and Pegasus. UCD against Muckross was subsequently abandoned in the second quarter when high winds forced the goals off their moorings.It gave Loreto the chance to extend their lead at the head of the table but they found themselves being held to a 1-1 draw by a Roisin Upton-inspired Catholic Institute. She opened the scoring before Mulcahy equalised in the third quarter.Belfast Harlequins won their first game of the season at Deramore Park to reignite their chances of avoiding relegation, closing the gap on the side they beat, Railway Union, to two points. It came courtesy of Alex Kelly’s final second winner after a thrilling contest in which Quins led 2-0 and 3-2 only for Railway to level the game twice.

This week’s Women’s EY Hockey League results
Wednesday, February 26th: Muckross 1 (A O’Flanagan) Pembroke 3 (L McGuire, L Noble, C Foley)Thursday, February 27th: Old Alex 2 (H McDermott 2) UCD 3 (E Nyland, N Carey, M Carey); Railway Union 2 (K Lloyd, J Long) Loreto 4 (S Twomey, H Mulcahy, H Matthews, S Torrans)

Saturday, February 29th : Belfast Harlequins 4 (L Geddes, C Weir, J Watt, A Kelly) Railway Union 3 (L Lloyd 2, K Dillon); Loreto 1 (H Mulcahy) Catholic Institute 1 (R Upton); UCD v Muckross abandoned in second quarter
Postponed: Old Alex v Cork Harlequins, Pembroke Wanderers v Pegasus

Next weekend’s fixturesSaturday, March 7th: Pegasus v Loreto, Queen’s, 1pm; Pembroke v Cork Harlequins, Serpentine Avenue, 2pm; Old Alex v Catholic Institute, Milltown, 2.30pm; Railway Union v Muckross, Park Avenue, 2.30pm; UCD v Belfast Harlequins, Belfield, 2.50pmSunday, March 8th: Cork Harlequins v Muckross, Farmers’ Cross, 1.05pm; Catholic Institute v Railway Union, Rosbrien, 1.30pm; Pegasus v UCD, Queen’s, 1.30pm; Belfast Harlequins v Pembroke, 2.30pm; Loreto v Old Alex, Beaufort, 3pm

Extended match reports
Wednesday: Muckross 1 (A O’Flanagan) Pembroke 3 (L McGuire, L Noble, C Foley)Pembroke got back on the winning trail for the first time since November. Like the other midweek games, it featured a comeback as Anna O’Flanagan put Muckross in front but Pembroke turned things around to succeed 3-1.Leah McGuire equalised with her fourth goal since the turn of the year and Laura Noble made it 2-1 before half-time and they pushed on from there, Claire Foley closing out the results.Muckross were without recent Irish call-up Ellie McLoughlin due to a concussion return to play protocol with Rachel Barnett deputising. In her first game for 18 months, she saved a stroke.

Thursday: Old Alex 2 (H McDermott 2) UCD 3 (E Nyland, N Carey, M Carey)UCD produced a remarkable set of three goals in four minutes – between the 52nd and 56th minutes – to land a big win in Milltown which strengthened their place in the top four.Old Alex had taken the lead in the table last Saturday and looked well set to maintain that advantage on Thursday when a Hannah McDermott double put them two clear of UCD.But the students transformed a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win as they found the cutting-edge Miles Warren has been willing from them all season.McDermott got the only goal of the first half with a cracking touch to Deirdre Duke’s strike and they looked well in control when the forward guided in another from a penalty corner.UCD, though, were playing their part in a very good contest and the students were on the board via an absolute rocket from Edel Nyland just before the end of the third quarter. They were level when Sarah Patton’s great run down the line was taken on by Sarah Young who drove at goal and Niamh Carey nipped in to get the final touch. Her twin Michelle then went direct down the middle and struck for 3-2 with 14 minutes left.

Railway Union 2 (K Lloyd, J Long) Loreto 4 (S Twomey, H Mulcahy, H Matthews, S Torrans)Top spot in the women’s EY Hockey League continues to be a hot potato as Loreto returned back above Old Alex and Pegasus on Thursday evening with a big come-from-behind win over Railway Union.They won 4-2 in the end thanks to three final quarter goals, denying Railway a third win of the campaign. Sara Twomey’s rebound from a corner switch move had given Loreto a 20th minute lead but Jenny Long tied things up by half-time with a deflection from a corner sweep.
And the Park Avenue hosts went in front three minutes into the second half when Lisa McCarthy picked out Martha McCready who beat a player before crossing into the path of Kate Lloyd who touched in.They carried that lead into the final quarter but another corner goal saw Loreto level, Hannah Matthews reverting the ball to injector Hayley Mulcahy to finish off. Matthews went direct for 3-2 in the 61st minute and, with Railway going without a keeper for the closing minutes, Sarah Torrans added a final hooter corner.

Saturday Belfast Harlequins 4 (L Geddes, C Weir, J Watt, A Kelly) Railway Union 3 (L Lloyd 2, K Dillon)Belfast Harlequins threw themselves a relegation lifeline after Alex Kelly’s dramatic last gasp goal secured them their first victory of the season.Railway Union went into the game five points better off than Quins, who remain at the bottom of the table, but have now closed the gap to just two although the Dubliners have played a game less.
It would have been a very different scenario had Harlequins not scored with the last play of the game when Kelly deflected home a penalty corner for the winner.
Now though, Phil Mills’s team have a fighting chance of avoiding automatic relegation from the top-flight for the first time.
The Quins coach declared: “It was a crucial win for us and we’ve everything to play for going forward with six games to turn things around, including the return fixture in Dublin.”
“We didn’t play our best hockey of the season and we were on the back foot for much of the second-half but the result was the most important thing.”
Harlequins broke the deadlock with a superb goal in the seventh minute, Lucy Geddes finishing clinically as she rounded the keeper before firing home after latching on to a great through ball from Julie Dennison. The home team doubled their advantage 11 minutes later when Claire Weir netted from a penalty corner deflection.
But Quins were rocked back on their heels when Railway fought back to equalise with two goals in the space of six minutes before the break. Lily Lloyd got them both, first netting from close-range after latching on to a cross from Sarah Hawkshaw and then adding a similar effort in the 29th minute.
The Leinster side went on to dominate possession for most of the second-half but were unable to add to their tally. Quins regained the lead in the 64th minute when Jenna Watt hammered in a set-piece but Railway levelled within 90 seconds as Kate Dillon netted a fine goal with a first time shot after being set up by Lily Lloyd.
Quins won two corners in quick succession as the clock ticked down and Kelly grabbed the all-important goal from the second award from Serena Barry’s assist and there wasn’t time to restart the game.

Loreto 1 (H Mulcahy) Catholic Institute 1 (R Upton)Catholic Institute picked up another handy point on the road as leaders Loreto extended their lead at the top but not to the fullest extent. Roisin Upton was immense for the Limerick side as she cleaned up a huge amount of ball from her sweeper role and she also opened the scoring when she whizzed in a drag-flick.It came in the sixth minute from a penalty corner from Insta’s first attack of note after Loreto had made the livelier start to the contest. The Beaufort side would go on to have plenty of chances in the first half with Institute doing a lot of defending.
They held out until the third quarter when Hayley Mulcahy fired home a beautiful reverse-stick shot to make it 1-1. Loreto had the greater chances to win it in the final quarter but they could not get their corner machine up and running.
Loreto lead by three points now but with a game extra played than nearest rivals Old Alex and Pegasus, both of whom saw their Saturday fixtures postponed due to the weather. Insta edge above Muckross into seventh place.

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Rob Abbott Indoor Season Recap 2019/2020

For many years Rob Abbott has been the driving force of Indoor Hockey as chair of the Indoor Competitions. His hard work is paying off as you can read below in the article summarising a very exciting season! He’s provided us with a recap of the whole Indoor season. Thanks Rob!

Starting off with the Provinces.

Leinster

Leinster saw its biggest League to date, with 22 Senior teams featuring, 12 on the Women’s side and 10 on the Men’s. After 8 days of group games and knock out stages. The semi-finals on the Women’s side were won by Muckross, who defeated UCD 3-2 in a shootout after an epic 5-5 draw, with Sophie Barnwell stealing the show with a hat-trick for Muckross. In the other semi-final Railway Union defeated North Kildare 4-0. The final was won by an experienced Railway side, who defeated Muckross 2-1. Lilly Lloyd and Lisa McCarthy scoring, Charly flavin scoring for Muckross – who missed a late stroke.

The men’s semi-finals saw Three Rock Rovers (TRR) defeat Monkstown 3-2 in a sudden death shoot out after a 5-5 draw in play, with Darragh Walsh netting an overtime corner to take it to a shootout. In the other semi-final Railway overcame a youthful YMCA side, they were trailing 4-2, but fought back to win 6-4. The men’s final was a goal fest, with TRR prevailing 14-7. All finalists from Leinster qualified for the HI finals.

Leinster also hosted a senior girls school tournament in which, Kings Hospital defeated Mount Temple in the final. On weds 26th January, their was a u14 school-girls tournament hosted by Drogheda Grammar, who went on to beat Muckross 6 -2 in the final. In March a senior boy’s tournament is to be hosted by Columba’s College.

Portrane hosted their under 14 tournament throughout January. A huge thanks to the Henchy Family and all the volunteers who make this a cracking event, with more and more teams entering each year.

Connacht

Connacht also ran a successful Women’s competition in which Galway hockey won. They defeated NUIG in the final 7-3, with Emma Glanville standing out. Galway qualified for the national finals.

Munster

Munster were the last of the provinces to make an Indoor come back after years away from the game. This year they run a Men’s competition in which Limerick defended their title. They won all 4 of their matches, racking up a total of 29 goals! Unfortunately, no Women’s competition was run, but with a few new volunteers on board – I hope to see a return of a Women’s Indoor comp next year as well as more growth on the Men’s side.

Ulster

Ulster Hockey, as usual, ran 2 very successful underage tournaments, u15 and u18s for both boys and girls, with a senior competition also organised.

Ards were successful on the Women’s side coming top of a 4-team group. Banbridge prevailed on goal difference on the Men’s side. Both teams qualified for the National finals.

National Finals

The National Finals were hosted in the Kingfisher, NUIG. All the matches throughout the day were live streamed on the Eurohockeytv platform, with the voice of hockey Nick Irvine on commentary. Viewing figures for the day were just shy of 4000 – with 49 countries tuning in.

Railway Union Women’s retained their title for the 2nd year in a row by beating Muckross 2-0 in the final, Hannah de Burgh Whyte and Emma Smyth both scoring.

Railway’s Men defeated champions of the previous 4 years TRR in a dramatic shoot out. after the game finished 3-3. Bjorn Dasse standing out, by netting a hat-trick for Railway who came from 3-0 down.

Both Railway teams, will now go on to Represent Hockey Ireland in euro club competitions in Feb 2021.

Mens results

Railway 7 Limerick 1

TRR 10 Banbridge 2

Final – TRR 3 Railway 3, Railway won 1-0 in a shoot out

Women’s Results

Railway 3 Galway 0

Muckross 3 Ards 1

Final- Railway 2 Muckross 0

 

International teams

Women’s – 2019 /20 season saw the return of the International team, for the 1st time since 1990. The Women’s ventured down to south Africa for a 6-test series, which was great practice for their European venture. On the trip, they ran South Africa very close, but could not get a victory.

Their European campaign was a huge success though, they finished in 2nd spot in Bratislava, bringing home the silver medal and promotion to European 2nd division – in Jan 2022. They won 5 of the 6 games, beating Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Denmark, and Portugal. Losing to Spain. The team were coached by Dave Passmore and Mike Hughes, with Gareth Myburg as manager. Over the season, 17 women became senior International Indoor players.

Men’s – the Men returned to International action for the 1st time since 1987. Their European campaign was in Santander, Spain. In which they finished 3rd and bought home the Bronze Medal. Unfortunately for the men, 3rd spot was not enough for promotion. They drew with Wales and beat Slovenia in the group, losing to Spain and Scotland. In the bronze medal match we beat Wales 2-1. The team were coached by Kenny Carroll and Craig Stewart, with Rob Abbott as Manager. 12 players earned International caps.

European Club Indoor

Three Rock Rovers men ventured to Alanya, Turkey for the Euro Club Trophy. It was the first time in 27 years that were had a team in the B league. TRR managed to finish 6th out of 8th and maintain Hockey Ireland’s status in the league for 2021. After losing their first 3 games against English, Croatian and Dutch teams, TRR drew against Lousada (Portugal) meaning that they had to beat Swiss Champions Rotweiss Wettigen (only relegated to the league last year) in the final game to stay up. They managed to put in their best performance of the week with a 5-4 win. Stephen West saving a last-minute stroke!

Well Done to Liam Canning and Scott Crombie who coach the side, and Fraser Morris as manager.

Railway Union Women’s ventured to Porto, Portugal for the Euro Challenge 1 event. The finished in 2nd place and earned promotion to the Trophy for 2021. They beat Swedish, Portuguese, and Welsh opposition, drawing with Georgians and losing to eventual winners Dundee from Scotland. Orla Fox and Kate Dillon both featured in the top 5 scorers of the tournament.

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