Wednesday, February 5: This weekend the EYHL continues with all twenty teams active across the weekend.
In the Women’s EY Hockey League, UCD will look to continue their climb up the table when they host Pembroke Wanderers. Ulster Elks host Catholic Institute as the sides jostle for third spot. Loreto will hope to continue their unbeaten season as they host Pegasus. Railway Union will look to maintain the pressure on the leaders when they face Ards.
In the Men’s EY Hockey League, current leaders Lisnagarvey will travel to Queen’s University on Friday night to take on ninth placed Annadale to get the weekend action under way. Challengers Banbridge and Three Rock face Avoca and UCD respectively, whilst YMCA welcome Monkstown to Wesley College. Corinthians host Pembroke Wanderers in a South Dublin derby to complete the program.
In the Women’s EYHL Division 2, Pool A sees Greenfields play their first home tie of the competition against winless Cork Harlequins and Portadown will hope to make it three games unbeaten against fellow promotion hopefuls Monkstown.
In Pool B, Corinthian will look to recover from their defeat when they travel south to face Ashton, and Lurgan begin their first game with a trip to Dangan to face University of Galway.
In the Men’s EYHL Division 2, Cookstown will look to make it two wins in two when they face Kilkenny, while Cork C of Ireland travel to Railway Union looking to do the same, both in Pool A. In Pool B, Cork Harlequins host Clontarf as they go in search of a first win, and Portrane will look to continue their dominance of Pool B with a win over Instonians.
EY Hockey League – Women
UCD vs Pembroke Wanderers
13:00 | Belfield
A Dublin Derby gets things underway in the Women’s EYHL. UCD fresh from their win against UCC, are now in eighth place in the table and welcome seventh placed Pembroke Wanderers to Belfield for another six-pointer. Just a point separates the two sides, with a win for either making the prospects of a play-off place a real possibility, and a loss putting them agonisingly close to the relegation zone. Pembroke so far have shown that, when they find their rhythm, they can beat almost anyone in the league, while for UCD it still feels like their best is still to come.
Umpires: Fiona Davitt, Ellie Duffy
Ulster Elks vs Catholic Institute
13:00 | Ulster University
While most eyes have been on the top two, third place Ulster Elks and fourth place Catholic Institute have been quietly and clinically picking up points and closing the gap on Loreto and Railway Union. At the time of writing Catholic Institute have two games in hand on second place Railway Union and one game in hand against league leaders Loreto. A full six points from those games would put Institute in second place in the current standings. Elks meanwhile continue to assert themselves as a top side and have a chance to make yet another mark on the competition this Saturday.
Umpires: Julie Fisher, Robert Johnston.
Old Alex vs UCC
13:30 | Alexandra College
Old Alex will go in search of a first league win since November when they face UCC, having endured a spell of challenging results that saw hem slip down the table. The side are still i the play-off places, and another three points would help cement their position, and no doubt instil some confidence in this young side. UCC are by no means down and out though, with a slim chance of survival still at play. The Cork college side had a strong performance last week against UCD where they produced plenty of chances, and will hope they can continue their improvement against Alex.
Loreto vs Pegasus
15:00 | Loreto Beaufort
Loreto started 2025, as they did 2024, with a victory, a habit they maintained throughout the entirety of the last calendar year and will look to repeat in 2025. However, they yet again had to weather a storm as they let Ards come within a goal having led 3-0 for most of the game. Pegasus will no doubt gain confidence from this fact, and will fancy themselves coming away with points, having grabbed their eighth draw of the season last week. For the Belfast side the pressure is mounting on them in their pursuit of the play-offs as Pembroke and UCD close the gap, points against Loreto would go a long way in helping them achieve their goal.
Umpires: Eimear Linehan, Ian Strange
Railway Union vs Ards
15:15 | Park Avenue
A second versus ninth clash rounds off the EYHL Women’s action on Saturday as Railway Union host Ards in Park Avenue. The odds are likely heavily in favour of Railway Union given their continued fine form that sees them stretch their run to 9 unbeaten games. Ards, however, derive confidence from seeing fellow Ulster-side Elks hold Railway to a 1-1 draw, and will certainly target an upset on their visit to the current EY Champions Trophy holders.
Ards were without the services of Zara Malseed last week and still managed to put two goals past league leader Loreto, should she be present this week this game could go either way.
Umpires: Liz Clifford, Amy Jones
EY Hockey League – Men
Friday, February 7
Annadale vs Lisnagarvey
19:30 | Queen’s University
Lisnagarvey will be looking to emulate Banbridge’s win last Sunday when they travel to Queen’s University to play Annadale in a special Friday night game under the floodlights. The task, however, won’t be simple with Annadale enjoying a significant improvement in performance last weekend, running YMCA close and enjoying a close encounter with Banbridge. However, their improved performances are yet to result in additional points on the table, something they desperately need to maintain their top tier status. What better way to begin than with a win over the current league leaders?
Umpires: Sarah Craig, Robert Johnston.
Saturday, February 8
Three Rock Rovers vs UCD
13:00 | Grange Road
Three Rock Rovers take on bottom of the table UCD as they look to continue applying the pressure on leaders Lisnagarvey and Banbridge. A 3-0 win over Corinthian made for an ideal return, with Ben Johnson getting the opener to signal his intention to continue his scoring form. UCD face the ever-increasing challenge of staying in the division opportunities to pick up vital points become fewer and fewer. This weekend, just like last, is unlikely to be a source for these points, but if they can maintain the level, they brought to their match against Banbridge, results will eventually come.
Umpires: Simon McAllister, TBC.
Avoca vs Banbridge
14:30 | Newpark School
Avoca won’t have particularly fond memories of their first encounter with Banbridge in the EYHL, but will look to set the record straight, or at the very least give a better account of themselves in the reverse fixture on Saturday. For Banbridge, a continuation of their unbeaten record is a must with the margins so tight at the top. Ban will likely look to be merciless in this game as they try to wrestle their way into top spot by adding to their Goals For column.
Umpires: Oli Brown, Russell Donaldson.
Corinthian vs Pembroke Wanderers
15:15 | St Columba’s College
The last encounter between these sides was nothing short of ludicrous, as the teams played out a ten-goal thriller during which both held the lead, and both scored late with the eventual result being a draw.
The rematch could well be similar with both Corinthian and Pembroke holding a similar record for goals scored and conceded, but the hosts boasting a seven-point advantage in the table. There won’t be a shortage of goals for spectators in St Columba’s on Saturday, but it’s anyone’s guess what way this game will finish.
Umpires: Zoe Hall, Shane O’Donnell.
YMCA vs Monkstown
16:00 | Wesley College
Fourth placed YMCA take on fifth placed Monkstown at Wesley College with the hosts enjoying a five-point advantage over the visitors who do have a game in hand. YMCA went home with the points the first time these teams met, but Monkstown now have Jeremy Duncan back in the lineup after a long-term injury sustained at Paris 2024 to help Lee Cole with the goalscoring responsibilities. YM have been averaging two goals a game this season, but Monkstown are scoring at a slightly higher pace, so this is unlikely to finish 0-0.
Umpires: Bruce Bale, Alison Keogh.
EY Hockey League Division 2 – Women
Pool A
Greenfields vs Cork Harlequins
14:30 | Dangan
Both sides will go in search of their first win this Saturday as Greenfields host Cork Harlequins in Dangan. Neither side enjoyed positive results last weekend with Greenfields suffering at the hands of Muckross, and Harlequins losing out to Portadown on home soil. Early points are crucial in this group given how competitive it has already proven to be.
Umpires: Martin Hughes, Tanja Schafer.
Portadown vs Monkstown
15:00 | Portadown
Portadown will be sky high in confidence having made the difficult journey down to Cork last week and left with all five points, particularly given how prolific they were in front of goal. The EYHL2 newcomers face their biggest challenge yet on Saturday with Monkstown hellbent on restoring their EYHL status.
Umpires: Les Allen, Lyn Morrow.
Pool B
University of Galway vs Lurgan
12:30 | Dangan
Lurgan begin their 2025 EYHL2 campaign with a trip to Dangan to face the University of Galway. The hosts will look to build on their 4-4 draw against Ashton as they continue their pursuit of a first ever EYHL2 win. For Lurgan, the delayed start may have given them time to scope out their Pool B opposition, it will be interesting to see how they fair in their first outing.
Umpires: Peter Agnew, Sunny Charles
Ashton vs Corinthian
14:30 | Ashton
Having suffered an early upset in their pursuit of an EYHL return, Corinthian will be hoping their trip to Cork is a positive one. Ashton won’t make things easy for the Dublin side, having begun their campaign with a 4-4 draw against competition mainstays University of Galway.
Umpires: Jim Butler, Neil Sanders
EY Hockey League Division 2 – Men
Pool A
Railway Union vs Cork C of I
13:00 | Park Avenue
It’s not quite been the start they maybe hoped for, but Railway Unio have an opportunity to pick up a statement win on Saturday when they host Cork C of I. The Cork side have ambitions of their own to look after and have made a positive start with a 4-2 win over fellow Munster side Bandon. It’s all still to play for in these early stages.
Umpires: Aaron Donnell, Michael Scott
Cookstown vs Kilkenny
14:30 | Cookstown High School
Kilkenny have a challenge on their hands this Saturday in their third game of the campaign as they face one of the competitions favourites, Cookstown. Having narrowly missed out on promotion last year, Cookstown look set to reignite their promotion aspirations, making a strong start with a 3-1 win over Leinster Champions Railway Union.
Umpires: Allister Campbell, Mike Campbell.
Pool B
Portrane vs Instonians
14:00 | Donabate
So far Portrane have looked like the team to beat in Pool B, thrashing Clontarf in Round 1 and winning away from home against Cork Harlequins in Round 2. Instonians will be looking to crash the party in their first game in this season’s EYHL2 after a disrupted start. The visitors have plenty of topflight experience to call on and will be hoping this gives them the cutting edge against a strong Portrane outfit.
Peter Urwin, TBC.
Cork Harlequins vs Clontarf
14:45 | Harlequin Park
A loss in their opening game wasn’t in the plans for Cork Harlequins as they push for promotion yet again. The 2024 Semi-Finalists will have to quickly regain their focus and composure as the games come quick and fast. Clontarf are next up, with the Dublin side without a win so far having narrowly lost at home to Kilkeel last week in a much-improved performance from Round 1.
Umpires: Malcolm Coombes, Cameron Slade.