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Magnificent Ireland book historic Nations Cup Final berth

A flawless third quarter led by Ireland captain and player of the match Sean Murray brought Ireland to within 60 minutes of a maiden FIH Pro League berth as they beat Malaysia comfortably in the semi-final of the Nations Cup this morning.

A moment of magic in the 41st minute from Ben Walker was the catalyst for an incredible final third from the boys in green. Walker made a chance from nothing, dinking the ball over his defender’s stick before he spun and blasted an unsavable snapshot into the top right corner. Jeremy Duncan backed that goal up with two superb finishes as Ireland looked ice-cold in front of the goal in a must-win match.

The first half was littered with classy skills going forward for both teams as well as last-ditch tackles that were punished with regular cards. The teams had clearly done their homework, as the two penalty corner attacks looked somewhat toothless and plenty of opportunities were shot wide, although Lee Cole did save well on the line for the second Malaysia penalty corner – making the most of his cricketing background to help the ball around the corner and out of play.

The game opened up for Ireland as the first quarter wore on, with a clear game plan to suck Malaysia into the pockets in midfield, before making use of the space on the, paying dividends. Malaysia altered tactics at the break and had their most commanding period of the game in the second quarter, drawing plenty of unforced errors from Ireland. Malaysia had chances but will be left to rue errors in the circle as they mistrapped the ball in front of the goal, as well as running the ball over the end line with almost criminal regularity.

The game remained scoreless at half-time with the commentators noting that it was a match-up of Malaysia’s skills versus the organisation of Ireland; but it was the skills of Walker that brought out the creativity in his team as Ireland bossed the game from that point on.

It was an entertaining match to watch if you were an Irish supporter with plenty of silky skills and breath-taking pinpoint passes from the boys in green; no skills more impressive than the first finish from Jeremy Duncan just two minutes after Ireland had scored their first. Ireland had a three-on-four in the circle, but incredibly Duncan found himself free in front of the goal with the ball on the end of his stick. His quick release with a flick of the wrists was too fast for the ‘keeper as he found the right inside post to double the lead.

Duncan’s second, eight minutes from time, all but assured his side of their spot in the final. Conor Empey broke down the right and beat his defender on the inside before fluffing a pass going into the circle. He somehow managed to win it back and keep his composure to get his eyes up and find Duncan who controlled and shot home off the left post.

Malaysia had a good period with five minutes to go, but it was too little, too late, as their penalty corners again came to nothing and Ireland kept a sheet clean.

Player of the match Sean Murray was elated at the final whistle. “Fantastic, it’s just fantastic,” he said. “It’s nice to be player of the match but to be fair to the guys up front, they were awesome today; they took their chances. It’s just a fantastic feeling to go into tomorrow with a great opportunity to qualify for the Pro League.”

POTCHEFSTROOM – FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022
15 Ireland v Malaysia (Semi-Final)
Picture: Coach TUMILTY Mark celebrates the win.
WORLDSPORTPICS COPYRIGHT FRANK UIJLENBROEK

Head Coach Mark Tumilty was full of praise for his team’s complete performance. “I am delighted with the result today and the performance. It was excellent to see us score three goals from open play. Our corners have been a key part earlier in the tournament but today in the semi-final, I’m thrilled with our finishing from open play,” he said.

Speaking about the team’s tactics, he said: “I think we got it spot on today and a lot of credit needs to go to our new assistant Neville Rothman for how he helped set the team up going into that game. Also, credit to the players with how they implemented what was asked of them. Our defensive game was very good and when we got the opportunity to attack, we delivered that, especially in the second half.”

There is very little time for his team to rest, with the final tomorrow at 1.15 pm, but Tumilty will be treating it like any other match. “Preparing for tomorrow it’s about keeping the routine the same,” he insisted. “There are massive implications for hockey in Ireland if we could get to the FIH Pro League, but our focus is on a performance again – if we can produce a performance, the result hopefully will look after itself.”

Ben Walker’s finish is one that will live long in Irish hockey memory, but Tumilty knew he had it in him. “Benny is the one forward in the country that has a finish like that in him. He may miss easier chances at times but he definitely has that piece of magic that he showed today at a very important stage in the game.”

Speaking about other standout players, the head coach found it difficult to pick out just a couple. “Shane (O’Donoghue) and Ben (Walker) have been excellent. They have both played some of their best hockey in a green shirt in this tournament, especially Sean, but I think Shane moving into the back four has made that much more solid. But I also think it’s worth mentioning the other defenders. The six defenders and two keepers deserve a lot of credit because they give us such a good foundation to defend with also to build from an attacking point of view.”

He finished by saying: “Overall it was a good day, and hopefully tomorrow can be a better one.”

It will be one of Ireland’s best if the Green Machine can go to the well again and summon the strength and inspiration to march on and win the final of the historic Inaugural Men’s Hockey Nation’s Cup and take the coveted spot in the 2023 FIH Pro League.

They play the host country, South Africa, on December 4th at 1:15 pm. Watch live on the https://watch.hockey/ app.

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Dancer focusing on development at FIH Women’s Hockey Nations Cup

Just under a week until Ireland Women take part in the Inaugural FIH Women’s Hockey Nations Cup, coach Sean Dancer has announced his squad. Ireland travelled to the Netherlands ahead of the tournament for some final preparation before arriving in Valencia, Spain for the competition which runs from December 11-17.

Ireland will be looking for a strong performance knowing that if they win the tournament, they win the opportunity to compete in the FIH Pro League. Dancer says his young team have developed since the summer and go into the competition with confidence despite some big names missing.

“The last few months have been an important development period for us as a group,” he says. “The Nations Cup presents a high-level tournament for us to use as a checkpoint on our progress. Results are important for us, and we will be focusing on managing games and doing the simple things well to give ourselves the best chance of being successful,” he added.

Dancer sees the forced omission of key players as a chance for other players to step up in the squad. “Ayeisha McFerran and Deirdre Duke are notable exemptions from the team lists; both have been strong performers for us this year and need this time to focus on work priorities,” he admits. “We look forward to having them back with us again early next year. This provides an opportunity for our squad to grow, with Lizzy Murphy already having strong performances in practice games and the first half of her club season in Germany. I am excited to see her step up to this challenge ahead,” he said.

FIH Nations Cup December 2022

1 Holly Micklem
2 Elizabeth Murphy
3 Róisín Upton (VC)

4 Elena Tice

5 Kathryn Mullan (C)
6 Sarah Hawkshaw
7 Naomi Carroll
8 Hannah McLoughlin
9 Sarah McAuley
10 Michelle Carey

11 Charlotte Beggs

12 Siofra O’Brien
13 Ellen Curran
14 Christina Hamill
15 Sarah Torrans
16 Caoimhe Perdue
17 Zara Malseed
18 Niamh Carey

All games can be watched live here Watch.Hockey

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Unbeaten Ireland march on to Nations Cup semi-final

Player of the match Shane O’Donoghue made it three goals in three games as his penalty corner drag flick separated Ireland and South Africa in their final group game in Potchefstroom, South Africa today. The set-piece goal was enough to ensure Ireland go into the semi-finals of the Nations Cup on Saturday in top spot in Pool A.

Mark Tumilty’s charges showed composure both on the ball and in defence, and in the end it was that composure that proved the difference between the two sides that had gone into this match unbeaten.

South Africa will look back at this clash and consider it an opportunity missed. Had they taken their chances and turned Ireland over, it would have been their first win against the boys in green. The host nation’s ill-discipline saw them reduced to 10 players four times during the match with three green cards and a yellow as compared with Ireland’s single green card.

Ireland began the game well, winning two penalty corners in the first quarter – the second of which they scored through veteran O’Donoghue. It was the striker-turned-defender’s third goal of the competition and 110th of his 203-game career. Ireland continued to dictate the pace in the opening 15 minutes and remained in front going into the break.

South Africa won their first corner early in the second quarter but Ireland dealt with it well, and it was Ireland who dominated those initial stages of the second period with sustained pressure on their opposition’s defence. But the host nation will be satisfied with how they dealt with the testing of their defence; they then had their best period of the game as Ireland were forced to defend South Africa’s second corner as well as bright passages from open play.

Ill discipline was the order of the day for South Africa as they squandered good attacking opportunities, and made it easy for Ireland when coming out of defence with unforced errors.

The third quarter featured plenty of entertaining individual skill, but as both teams tired, they tended to overrun the ball, losing it after taking on one too many defenders. The game became more physical, with injuries to South Africa’s Jethro Eustace and Ireland’s John McKee. Both umpires used their video referrals, as did both teams as Ireland had a yellow card overturned, and South Africa a goal disallowed in an action-packed second half.

The closing stages lacked the quality of the first half but Mark Tumilty was happy with how his team absorbed pressure in the final quarter by staying patient in defence and waiting for their opposition to make a mistake as South Africa pushed for an equaliser. “It was a tough game and it was good to get out the other side of it with three points,” said the Ireland coach.“I thought we created enough chances today, possibly, to extend our lead to make it more comfortable but it was pleasing that we defended well in the second half.”

O’Donoghue acknowledged that it was a scrappy match. “Both teams are very competitive, wanting to win, and it came down to fine details and I think we weathered their purple patch well. It was an absolute dog fight, no question about it, and we came out on top so we’re happy to progress to the semi-final now,” he said.

“These tournaments are all about momentum and getting better game on game; I think we have. We’ve made improvements, there are definitely areas still to improve and there are definitely some competitive teams in the crossover games,” O’Donoghue added.

Speaking after the game, defender Lee Cole said Ireland are used to close matches. “It’s been a very tough three games,” he admitted. “All of our games have gone down to the wire which is kind of the Irish way, especially today when we went up early and then defended for a lot of the rest of the game.”

Looking ahead to their semi-final, Cole says it will be another tight match. “We’ve had a couple of good battles against Malaysia over the years. They look pretty hot, especially in their last 15 minutes against Japan today – they seemed to really turn it on – so they’ll be another tough test.”

Ireland face Malaysia in the first of the two semi-finals at 11.30 am on Saturday, with the winner playing in the final on Sunday at 1.15 pm.

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EuroHockey Indoor Championships III

Ireland Men travel to Cyprus for the Eurohockey Indoor Championship III. The matches come thick and fast with Ireland playing twice on Friday against Cyprus and Serbia at 10.45 am and 4 pm respectively, and then Denmark and Greece on Saturday at 11.45 am and 5.15 pm respectively. Their final group game comes on Sunday against Italy at 11.30 am.

Squad List for EuroHockey Indoor Championships III:

Jakim Bernsden – YMCA HC
Ross Canning – Three Rock Rovers HC
Jack Haycock – Cookstown HC
Jody Hosking – Three Rock Rovers HC
David Howard  – Corinthian HC
John Jackston – Team Bath HC
Ollie Kidd – Lisnagarvey HC
Jason Lynch – Monkstown HC
Stephen OKeeffe – Railway Union HC
Ben OGrady – YMCA HC
Rory Patterson – Wimbledon HC
James Walker – Three Rock Rovers HC
Non Travelling Reserves
Richard Couse – Glenanne HC
Craig Mackay – Corinthian HC

 

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Death Notice Betty Henderson

Hockey Ireland is saddened to hear of the death of Betty Henderson (nee Kyle), who passed away peacefully on Thursday 24th November, at the age of 94. Betty had an amazing hockey career which started off at Belfast Royal Academy, where she played on the School’s 1stX1 at the age of 13. A year later she not only played for Ulster Schools but also for the Ulster Senior Ladies Team. Her love of sports took her to Ling Teacher Training College in Dublin. She wasn’t selected by Ulster that year, so attended trials for Leinster and was selected to play for Leinster that season. The following year she was back on the Ulster Team.

Betty was inducted into Hockey Ireland’s Hall of Fame in 2006. During her international career, she was a stalwart of the Irish team, winning 26 caps over an eleven-year period from 1948-1959. She was a member of the Triple Crown-winning team in 1950 and captained Ireland against South Africa in 1953. Betty was said to be one of the most influential players in Irish hockey in the 1950s.

Our condolences go to Betty’s daughters, Lynne, Jan, Kim and Tanya and to their families at this sad time.

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President’s Newsletter November, 2022

 

President’s Newsletter, November 2022

 

 

 

 

The last two months have been most enjoyable and worth recording. With the help of Nick McElwee, Interim CEO and Pamela Bastable, I arranged for the annual Honorary Life Members’ Lunch to take place on Friday 30th September in the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan. Despite the dreadful weather, many of the members travelled quite a distance to be there.

After the welcome, a minute’s silence was observed to remember members of the hockey family who had passed away in recent months. Dixon Rose sadly was one and as an Honorary Life Member, he had been at the Honorary Life Members’ lunch in September 2021.

The occasion gave everyone the opportunity to meet the Interim CEO Nick McElwee and Hockey Ireland Vice President John Dennis expressed our gratitude and thanks for the great work that he has done during his term in office. Pamela Bastable was also thanked for her help in organising the event. The photographs, taken by professional photographer Alwyn Robinson, captured the occasion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday 22nd October, I represented Hockey Ireland at Banbridge Hockey Club’s 125th Anniversary Ball in the Belmont Hotel, Banbridge.  This was certainly a night to remember with 210 guests and club members sitting down to a superb meal and an after-dinner speech by the Voice of EHL Hockey Nick Ervine. Two members of the Club, Eugene Magee and Matthew Bell were presented special awards of framed Ireland hockey shirts and received standing ovations during the presentations. Family members were present to witness these memorable moments.

Matthew Bell & Eugene Magee                Eugene Magee & Family                                        Matthew Bell & Family

The 40th All Ireland Schoolboys Tournament was held in Cork on 26th – 28th October. It was a very significant year for the competition as it was the 40th anniversary of the tournament, which was first played in 1982 in Bangor, with Bangor Grammar School the hosts. Newry High School were the first winners of the Tasmanian Shield and the 1921 holders were Bandon Grammar School. In 2019 Kilkenny College presented a shield in memory of the late Herbie Sharman, who was a great supporter of schools’ hockey and a past President of Hockey Ireland. The four teams that were runner up in the group stages competed in the semi-finals and then the final. The 2021 holders were Wesley College.

Organised and hosted by Ashton School 16 schools took part. Ashton School, Bandon Grammar School, Midleton College and Newtown School represented Munster, High School, The King’s Hospital School, Wesley College, St. Andrew’s College and Sutton Park School, Leinster and Bangor Grammar School, Banbridge Academy, Cookstown High School, Friends School. Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Sullivan Upper and Wallace High School, Ulster. Six venues were used over the three days with the finals played at UCC.

A tradition of this event is the dinner on the Thursday evening, when the teams are in school uniform.  Over 300 players, team officials and guests sat down to a very good meal in the Rochestown Hotel. The after-dinner speaker was John Smyth who started the tournament in 1982 and gave a very interesting talk on its history.

                                                                                                                                                                              Banbridge Academy                                                                                                Royal Belfast Academical Institution

On 29th & 30th October I attended the Intervarsities Tournament at Trinity Sportsgrounds in Santry, Dublin.  It was an excellent event, organised by Marcus Blake and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.  There were great matches to watch, with some closer than others and all played in a sporting and competitive manner. Congratulations to all the teams that took part and to the winners of the Men’s Competition, UCD who defeated Dublin Technological University 4-3 and to Dublin Technological University who won the Women’s final in a close match against UCD which ended in a shoot -out competition. I would like to congratulate Marcus Blake on not only organising the event but also umpiring numerous matches and coaching the winning women’s team.

Meanwhile in the sunshine of South Africa and Tokyo, the Ireland Women’s and Men’s Masters Teams were playing in their respective World Tournaments. Congratulations to the Women’s O55s on winning the bronze medal and to the Men’s O65 on their silver medal success.

It has been an honour to be Hockey Ireland President and as I write my last newsletter as President, I would like to congratulate John Dennis on his incoming Presidency and thank both John and Martin Canniffe, President 2018-2020, for all the help and support they have given me when I was Vice President and President. John and Ivy Dennis are the first husband and wife to be Hockey Ireland Presidents. A remarkable achievement, very well deserved; well done.

Ivy and John Dennis

Ann Rosa

November 2022

 

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