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Passmore confirms squad for women’s Junior World Cup debut in South Africa

David Passmore has named his travelling squad of 20 players to form Ireland’s first ever side to contest the women’s Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa from December 5 to 17, 2021.

It comes following the Junior Green Army’s late invitation to the competition off the first reserve when Australia and New Zealand withdrew due to Covid-19 restrictions. Their involvement in the Junior World Cup has been made possible by the considerable support of SoftCo, Park Developments and new additions Uniphar who announced their sponsorship of the team which will also encompass a top international Six Nations tournament next summer.

The late invite made for a short, sharp preparation phase but coach Passmore and the panel had banked a large volume of work into an extensive summer programme, taking in series in Spain, Belfast and London.

Ireland will start their campaign on December 5 against Zimbabwe before meeting top ranked the Netherlands a day later. The pool phase concludes with a tie against Korea with the initial target to finish in the top two of the four team group to reach the quarter-finals.

The Ireland squad is largely drawn from that selection with a couple of new faces coming into the fold since October.

Olympian Sarah McAuley has linked up with the side having debuted and established herself in the senior side this summer, debuting at June’s EuroHockey Championships and then helping the senior side qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Sophia Cole in action against Scotland this summer. Picture: Billy Pollock

At the other end of the spectrum, Loreto’s Aoife Taaffe made a late charge for inclusion with some excellent form on the club front helping her break into the squad of 20.

Ulster Elks’ Charlotte Beggs was part of the senior setup that travelled to Pisa for their World Cup qualifier while fellow midfielder Amy Elliott was capped for Ireland when still a teenager in 2019.

Goalkeeper Ellie McLoughlin, now with UCD having developed her trade with Naas and Muckross Hockey Clubs, has also trained through the summer with the Irish senior panel. She is one of two keepers named with Holly Micklem the other included following a super start to the season with Old Alex.

Co-captain Caoimhe Perdue tasted senior international action this year, lining out in uncapped challenge matches for Ireland’s women against Great Britain in the spring. The current UCC player is the first graduates of Cashel New Inn Hockey Club to reach this elite level and will share the leadership duties with fellow defender Caitlin Sherin.

Sherin is joined by Loreto club mates Christina Hamill, Lisa Mulcahy, Siofra O’Brien and Yasmin Pratt.

Former Banbridge duo Ellen Reid and Nadia Benallal both now ply their trade with clubs in the UK, Loughborough Students and Beeston, respectively, having moved to study.

EYHL contenders UCD provide a large batch of the panel with, in addition to McLoughlin, McAuley and Elliott, KJ Marshall, Emma Paul, Sophia Cole and Rachel Kelly getting call-ups.

Limerick woman Anna Horan has enjoyed a whirlwind return to Ireland after a season in the United States’ NCAA system, helping Catholic Institute to their highest ever position in the EY Hockey League.

Síofra Murdoch, meanwhile, is part of the Harvard University team who have reached the NCAA finals this week having won the Ivy League conference recently.

The squad is also thankful for the support of the players’ respective third level institutions in helping to work with a rapidly changing schedule to allow them to perform to their optimum level.

U21 Junior World Cup

  1. Ellie McLoughlin (GK)                 UCD / University College Dublin
  2. Holly Micklem (GK)                     Old Alex / Trinity College
  3. KJ Marshall (Def)                        UCD / University College Dublin
  4. Caitlin Sherin (Def)                      Loreto / Dublin City University (Co-Captain)
  5. Emma Paul (Def)                        UCD / University College Dublin
  6. Sarah McAuley (Def)                  UCD / University College Dublin
  7. Ellen Reid (Def)                           Loughborough Students, Eng / University of Loughborough
  8. Caoimhe Perdue (Def/Mid)         UCC / University College Cork (Co-Captain)
  9. Anna Horan (Def/Mid).                Catholic Institute / Mary Immaculate College
  10. Siofra Murdoch (Def/Mid)           Harvard, USA / Harvard University
  11. Christina Hamill (Mid)                 Loreto / Technical University Dublin
  12. Amy Elliott (Mid)                         UCD / University College Dublin
  13. Lisa Mulcahy (Mid/Def)              Loreto / University College Dublin
  14. Sophia Cole (Mid/Def)                UCD / University College Dublin
  15. Charlotte Beggs (Mid)                Ulster Elks / University of Ulster Jordanstown
  16. Siofra O’Brien (Fwd)                   Loreto / Technical University Dublin
  17. Nadia Benallal (Fwd)                  Beeston, Eng / Nottingham Trent University
  18. Rachel Kelly  (Fwd/ Mid)            UCD / University College Dublin
  19. Yasmin Pratt (Fwd)                     Loreto / IT Carlow
  20. Aoife Taaffe (Fwd)                      Loreto / University College Dublin

 

Non Travelling Reserves

  • Gemma Ferguson (GK)              Ulster Elks / University of Ulster Jordanstown
  • Hannah Kelly (Fwd)                    Catholic Institute / National University of Ireland, Galway
  • Eva Lavelle  (Mid)                       UCD / University College Dublin
  • Lucy Crowe (Def)                        Railway Union / University College Dublin

 

2021 Junior World Cup schedule (Potchefstroom, South Africa; all times local)

Pool A

Sunday, December 5: Ireland v Zimbabwe, 9am

Monday, December 6: Ireland v Netherlands, 1pm

Tuesday, December 8: Ireland v Korea, 11am

Friday, December 11 to Thursday, December 16: playoff/classification matches

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Uniphar supports Junior Green Army ahead of December World Cup

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce Uniphar plc has come on board as a central sponsor of the Irish women’s Under-21 and Development programme – known as the Junior Green Army – just ahead of next month’s Junior World Cup.

Uniphar is a trusted global partner to pharma and medtech manufacturers, working to improve patient access to medicines in Europe and around the world. With its headquarters in Dublin’s Citywest and employing over 3,000 people globally, Uniphar has been transformed over the past decade through acquisitions and organic growth to become a high-growth diversified international healthcare services company

Uniphar’s support for the Junior Green Army will encompass December’s upcoming showpiece World Cup event in South Africa and will extend into 2022, taking in a high quality Six Nations tournament to take place here on home turf in Ireland.

Announcing the new sponsorship, Uniphar CEO Ger Rabbette said: “We are thrilled to support the Irish Women Under-21’s and Development Programme as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup in December.

“Women’s hockey has enjoyed a surge in popularity in recent years and this young squad is playing an important role in helping bring it from minority status into the Irish sporting mainstream.

“The under-21 team truly embodies the meaning of ‘high-performance’ – competing and winning at the very highest level internationally. The Junior Green Army are our next generation of hockey greats, and not only do they excel in their sport but they are also important exemplars of successful high-achieving young women in sport. Uniphar is delighted to support them on the exciting journey ahead.”

Caitlin Sherin and Anna Horan at the launch of Uniphar’s support of the Irish Under-21 side.

The Junior Green Army is one of the key development pathways to the senior women’s international team which continues to break new ground for the sport, winning World Cup silver in 2018 and qualifying for a maiden Olympic Games appearance in Tokyo.

Eight of the panel that travelled to the Olympics followed this route in the past four years while a dozen of the Irish team that qualified for the 2022 World Cup through a qualifier in Pisa in October did likewise.

Welcoming the new agreement, Irish Under-21 head David Passmore said: “With the late announcement of our World Cup qualification we were delighted that Uniphar chose to come on board, and I think their decision to support the players and form a partnership is an ideal relationship.

“This sponsorship allows us to professionalise the programme and has made many programme aspects so much easier for the players and we are hopeful that there will be no parental contribution required for the trip to South Africa.

“Furthermore, to have Uniphar in addition to both SoftCo and Park Developments moving into next year’s Europeans, which is also a World Cup Qualifier, it allows us to plan along with our philanthropic donor to develop a programme to maximise player development and team performance.”

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Fingal Hockey Development Officer – closing date for applications extended

 

Hockey Ireland (in partnership with Fingal CoCo and Leinster Hockey) are seeking to employ a Development Officer within the Fingal County Council catchment area . Starting in November 2021, the aim of the Fingal Hockey Development Officer (FHDO) is to grow participation of hockey in the Fingal administrative area by facilitating the promotion of sustainable participation opportunities within clubs and schools.  

The objectives of the role are: 

  • To support clubs in the region to become stronger and more sustainable   
  • To facilitate training of volunteers, coaches and umpires   
  • To grow participation through recruitment and retention initiatives 
  • Growing Hockey through community and school engagement 

For more information see Job Description here: 

To apply please send your CV to linda.monaghan@hockey.ie. Closing date is 18th November 2021

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EY Hockey League returns to action after two week break

** UCD’s Niamh Carey and Railway Union’s Holly Jenkinson. Pic: Adrian Boehm

** Please note this article was amended/corrected at Saturday, 9.55am since originally posted on Friday evening

After the highs and lows of last weekend’s World Cup qualifiers, many of Ireland’s internationals have to quickly refocus on EY Hockey League domestic matters with team mates becoming rivals with just a few days turnaround.

In Sandymount, it is particularly pointed as UCD’s Carey twins Michelle and Niamh come up against their former club, Railway Union, who just happened to be coached by their mother, Una McCarthy.

Along with Sarah McAuley, they will face flying midfielder Sarah Hawkshaw though the students may be without league top scorer Hannah McLoughlin who missed the qualifier final due to injury.

Similarly at Rosbrien, Catholic Institute welcome back Róisín Upton and Naomi Carroll back into the fold for their contest against Loreto for whom Sarah Torrans leads the line.

For Loreto, their panel has strengthened with Sarah Evans coming back into the fold.

At Deramore Park, Irish newcomer Jane Kilpatrick -in Belfast Harlequins’ colours – will look to stem the forward runs of Ellen Curran for Pembroke.

All told, the league is at a fascinating stage with just three points covering first to seventh place and many permutations possible for another shake-up.

Insta and Loreto are both three points off top and keen not to lose touch with leaders Pegasus who face currently winless Muckross.

Old Alex are a point off first and will be clear favourites against visiting Cork Harlequins but the nature of the competition to date is it is anyone’s guess how things will pan out.

In the men’s competition, UCD and Annadale are both eyeing their first win of the league campaign in round six. Kevin O’Dea was on target twice for the students when they beat Trinity in the Mills Cup in midweek – setting up a tie with Three Rock Rovers – 4-3 to build the confidence.

For eighth placed Dale, they have proved very hard to beat in the league with four draws but they will be targeting some three-pointers to move them away from the bottom end of the table.

YMCA’s contest against Lisnagarvey offers plenty of intrigue with the Y boosted by a 7-1 win over Rathgar and the return to action of Grant Glutz with captain Sam Hyland also in the mix.

Garvey were without James Corry and Jonny Bell for their visit to Pembroke two weeks ago with Mark McNellis taking over the captaincy. They are on a three game winning streak with their refixed game against Three Rock Rover set to take place next week.

Corinthian’s Peter Caruth in action against Banbridge’s Sam Farson in 2019. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Glenanne have stolen a march on the rest of the table with five successive wins but face a tricky away date against Monkstown with player-coach Shane O’Donoghue the league’s outstanding marksman with nine goals already this season as the St Andrew’s side have stormed to five wins in succession.

For Town, they have missed the experience of goalkeeper Dave Fitzgerald of late through injury; they welcome back Jeremy Duncan and Lee Cole from international duty.

Fifth place Corinthian are up against Banbridge. The reds have enjoyed a productive season to date, picking up seven points to sit in fifth place while a 4-0 success against Monkstown in their regional cup gave them another boost.

Nicholas White is their latest arrival from South Africa to join Chad Futcher – scorer of four goals – and Ross Willis in the line-up.

They sit a couple of points and places above Bann who will look to the experience of Eugene and Owen Magee, Bruce McCandless and Philip Brown but Peter Brown is not named on the squad list for this one.

Three Rock got the best of Pembroke 5-2 in the Leinster Cup during the EYHL break and they face a rematch with the Dublin 4 side having goalkeeper Mark Ingram back available for the tie. For Rovers, Ali Haughton remains on the sidelines while work has seen Fred Morris return to the Netherlands.

There are also 14 Irish Junior Cup games on the agenda with six men’s and eight women’s games to be decided on Saturday.

Saturday 30th October 2021
Men
EYHL Division 1: Corinthian v Banbridge, Whitechurch Park, 4.30pm; Monkstown v Glenanne, Rathdown, 2.15pm; Three Rock Rovers v Pembroke, Grange Road, 1pm; UCD v Annadale, Belfield, 3pm; YMCA v Lisnagarvey, Wesley College, 3.50pm

Irish Junior Cup – Round 1: Corinthian 2 v Cork C of I B, St. Columba’s, 2.30pm; Cork Harlequins B v Instonians 2, Farmers’ Cross; North Down 2 v Avoca 2, Comber LC, 4pm; Railway Union 2 v South Antrim 2, Park Avenue, 3.30pm; Three Rock Rovers 2 v YMCA 2, Grange Road, 3pm; UCD 2 v Bangor 2, Belfield, 4.20pm
Called off: Cookstown 2 walkover Rathgar 2 scratch; Kilkeel 2 walkover Bandon B scratch

Women
EYHL Division 1: Belfast Harlequins v Pembroke Wanderers, Deramore Park, 2.30pm; Catholic Institute v Loreto, Rosbrien, 1pm; Old Alex v Cork Harlequins, Alexandra College, 1.30pm; Pegasus v Muckross, Queens University. 2.30pm; UCD v Railway Union, Belfield, 1pm

Irish Junior Cup – Round 1: Avoca 2 v Cork C of I 2, Newpark, 2.30pm; Corinthians 2 v Lisnagarvey 2, St. Columba’s, 12.30pm; Monkstown 2 v Genesis 2, Rathdown, 12pm; Ulster Elks 2 v Catholic Institute 2, Uni. Of Ulster Jordanstown, 2.30pm; UCC 2 v Ashton 2, The Mardyke; UCD 2 v Old Alexandra 2, Belfield, 11.15am

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Hockey Ireland – Covid-19 Guidelines Update 28th October 2021 

The Irish government and Sport Ireland have issued a further update to the Covid-19 guidelines for sport in the Republic of Ireland from 22nd October 2021.

Guidelines for Ulster clubs can be found here: COVID Guidance Sept 2021 – Ulster Hockey

According to Sport Ireland, it is likely that the current set of guidelines will remain in place until at least February 2022.

The main points of the update are below:

Spectator Capacities:

  • For outdoor venues, capacity limits in relation to Covid-19 have been removed and there is no longer a requirement to check for Covid-19 vaccination certifications.
  • For indoor venues, spectators must have Covid-19 vaccination certifications, and these should be checked by the hosting body prior to entry. Indoor spectators should be seated.

Indoor Training Guidance:

  • Where indoor training groups are of mixed immunity, pods of 6 are allowed (excluding a coach/trainer). Individual pods should be well spaced apart from others.
  • Where indoor training groups are fully vaccinated for Covid-19, no fixed capacity limits apply.

Apart from the above, all guidance from our previous Covid-19 update from 22nd September 2021 is applicable
 

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Deadline for Hockey Ireland membership payment extended to November 30

The deadline for payment to the new Hockey Ireland membership system has been extended to November 30th, 2021.

The decision has been taken to give more leeway for members, clubs and Hockey Ireland to accurately complete the administration of the new system. We would like to thank everyone who has completed their registration to date.

Those currently registered on the Go Membership system but have not yet completed payment for their membership will continue to be insured until November 30th.

The new Hockey Ireland membership system was first proposed in 2018 and came into effect in May 2021 as a method to provide a better service to the hockey public.

The new system guarantees members a known level of personal injury insurance at all times via a cost-effective, collective policy.

It will also give Hockey Ireland more information to provide a better service to its members to manage the sport via more accurate reporting of membership numbers.

You can read more about it on the Hockey Ireland website here: https://hockey.ie/contact-us/membership/

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UU and TU Dublin win third level titles

** Ulster University celebrate their Mauritius Cup title. Picture: Max Fulham (click here for more pics)

Ulster University’s women and TU Dublin’s men won the Chilean and Mauritius Cups last weekend at Santry Avenue.

For UU on Saturday, it was their fifth win in the competition and they are the only side to punctuate UCD’s run of 10 titles dating back to 2008.

The Belfielders were not involved this time around and, in their absence, UU produced a perfect sequence of results, beating TU Dublin 1-0, DCU 3-0 and Trinity 5-0 in the group stages.

TU Dublin joined them in the final but the Ulster side repeated the group stage feat with Ellen McCarlie scoring the only goal in another 1-0 success.

In the men’s Mauritius Cup, TU Dublin became the seventh name to appear on the trophy since its inception in 1951.

They swept through the group stages with a 4-0 success against DCU, 4-1 against Trinity and 8-0 against DCU to top the table. In the final, they proved too hot to handle for Trinity in their rematch with Ryan Spencer and Evan Jennings both scoring twice in a 7-1 win with Harry McCarthy, Adam Walker and Sam Staunton scoring the others.

Chilean Cup final: Ulster University 1 (Ellen McCarlie) TU Dublin 0

Group matches: TCD 2 DCU 0; UU 1 TUD 0; TUD 2 TCD 1; UU 3 DCU 0; DCU 0 TUD 3; UU 5 TCD 0
Final group: 1. Ulster University 9pts (+9) 2. TU Dublin 6pts (+3) 3. Trinity 3pts (-4) 4. DCU 0pts (-8)

Mauritius Cup final: TU Dublin 7 (Ryan Spencer 2, Evan Jennings 2, Harry McCarthy, Adam Walker, Sam Staunton) Trinity 1 (Elliot Lyons)

Group matches: TCD 4 DCU 1; UU 0 TUD 4; TUD 4 TCD 1; UU 4 DCU 1; DCU 0 TUD 8; UU 2 TCD 6
Final group standings: 1. TU Dublin 9pts (+15) 2. Trinity 6pts (+4) 3. Ulster University 3pts (-5) 4. DCU 0pts (-14)

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O’Flanagan double sees Ireland secure return to World Cup stage

Women’s FIH World Cup qualifiers
Ireland 2 (A O’Flanagan 2) Wales 1 (I Howell)
Anna O’Flanagan’s poacher’s double propelled the Irish women to a second successive World Cup appearance, crucially firing home the winner with 11 minutes to go against Wales in Pisa.

It saw Ireland grind out the win – and the place at the 2022 showpiece – against a physically robust Welsh outfit who were this tournament’s surprise package and made life exceptionally difficult throughout.

The Green Army had hit the front early on courtesy of O’Flanagan through a lovely team move featuring Lena Tice and Sarah Torrans. Wales levelled, though, before the end of the first quarter through Isabelle Howell from a well-worked penalty corner.

That set up an incredibly tense middle phase with both side enjoying spells in control. But the game opening up in the closing quarter when Wales were reduced to nine players with Phoebe Richards and Emily Rowlands going to the sin-bin.

In their absence, Zara Malseed intercepted wide on the left and utilised the extra space to bounce an inviting pass to O’Flanagan who smashed home on the volley.

Ireland duly held Wales at arm’s length for the remaining minutes to finish off a huge week’s work, backing up wins over France and Belarus to take the one ticket on offer to the main event which will be played in Amsterdam and Valencia next summer.

“What just happened here is a huge moment for the legacy of this team, continuing to build on the success we have already had,” captain Katie Mullan said in the aftermath.

“We knew it would be a defining moment. It wasn’t pretty but it shows the character within our group to come away from the game with a win from such a tough battle. Credit to Wales, they put on a big performance and took us right to the end.”

The tournament followed a gruelling schedule in 2021 with June’s European Championships followed by the Olympics and then less than 12 weeks to regroup with a new look panel for this competition.

“We’ve played three tough tournaments in one year at international level with the Euros, the Olympics and this qualifier. It is pretty unheard of so it was always going to be a tough ask after the Olympics to bring the group back together to come here and do the job.

“I am so proud of us for doing that. Now, we have another amazing tournament to look forward to and prepare for.

“This group needs to be going to major tournament after major tournament. This was the first roadblock after 2018 and this is a massive achievement. It may not seem like it is bigger than some of what we have done in the past but, for our sport, to continue to grow the way it has and to continue to inspire the next generation, it was so important for us.

“I have no doubt the players who have stepped away and retired in recent weeks will be the most happy watching it today, seeing us get over the line because they will be the ones in the stands next summer supporting us.”

Ireland were dealt a blow before the start with Hannah McLoughlin forced out through injury. It meant Kilpatrick came into the line-up for her first cap, a huge stage on which the Belfast Harlequins defender acquitted herself well.

Like the semi-final, the Green Army were on the board inside the first 10 minutes following another flying start. After an early corner chance went incomplete, Ireland settled into a good routine of pressure and worked the opening goal when Tice fired a ball toward the circle, Torrans touched it behind her back into the mixer where O’Flanagan sniped to tip the ball under Roseanne Thomas.

A couple more corner chances were earned but Wales nicked a set piece of their own in the closing seconds of the quarter and produced a perfect move to the right post where Isabelle Howell slid in to make it 1-1.

The free-flowing format of Saturday’s win over Belarus was hard to come and while Naomi Carroll went close and Chloe Watkins’ searching passes into the circle caused danger, the clear-cut openings were hard to come by.

Indeed, the Dragons had the upper hand in the third quarter with Tice required to do some important clean-up work in the goalmouth to maintain parity.

That was until Richards cleaned out Michelle Carey to ship a yellow card. Seconds later, Rowlands and Torrans followed to the naughty step for an altercation in the Welsh circle, leaving lots more room to move.

Ireland celebrate. Picture: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

And that was when Malseed read a loose pass out of defence and quickly sped toward goal, chipping the ball up as she went. Her bouncing pass evaded to encroaching defenders and picked out O’Flanagan who crashed home.

Wales attempted to throw everything forward in the closing 10 minutes but Ireland closed out the tie with composure and steel, putting them on course for the World Cup.

Captain Mullan paid tribute to O’Flanagan’s goalscoring heroics while also saying the new faces played a vital role with Niamh Carey popping up with Saturday’s winner against Belarus and the likes of Ellen Curran, Erin Getty and Kilpatrick also making their tournament debuts.

“Anna showed today why she is a world class forward, the best forward to come through Irish women’s hockey. She fronted up today when the pressure was on.

“She deserves this moment of elation but I have to give such a special mention to the new girls who have come in, the energy and excitement they have brought. They fronted up in key moments and we couldn’t have done it without them and the future is very bright for this team.”

Ireland: A McFerran, E Getty, R Upton, K Mullan, L Tice, N Carroll, C Watkins, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan, N Carey, S McAuley
Subs: Z Malseed, M Carey, S Torrans, D Duke, E Curran, J Kilpatrick, L Murphy

Wales: R Thomas, S French, S Jones, P Richards, E Bingham, L Wilkinson, M Lewis-Williams, X Hughes, J Westwood, S-J Thorburn, M Holme
Subs: O Hoskins, S Robinson, E Drysdale, I Howell, E Rowlands, I Webb, E Jackson

Umpires: C Martin-Schmets (BEL), H Harrison (ENG)

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Green Machine undone in third place playoff by Austria

Men’s FIH World Cup qualifiers
Ireland 3 (J McKee 2, J Duncan) Austria 3 (N Wellan, F Unterkircher, O Binder), Austria win shoot-out 4-3
Ireland’s men fell to another frustrating shoot-out defeat to end their World Cup qualifying tournament in fourth place, falling to Austria 4-3 in a shoot-out after normal time ended 3-3.

Ireland’s hopes of a World Cup ticket had been dashed a day earlier via the same method at the hands of Wales, leaving this tie solely to settle ranking points.

And despite the Green Machine starting well, Austria scored from their first attack of note with Nikolas Wellan deflecting home from a crash ball.

Fabian Unterkircher snagged a second before half-time, again against the run of play as Ireland looked set to bow out on a low-key note.

But a concerted second half effort saw Ireland roar back into contention. Jonny McKee flicked in from mid-circle after Tim Cross’s ball in from the right flank and he levelled the game up when Ben Walker’s shot at goal looped up off Mateusz Szymczyk and spun invitingly for the Banbridge man to tip in.

It looked like the comeback was complete when Jeremy Duncan cashed in from a penalty corner rebound – Ireland’s eighth of the game – but, in a fractious closing phase, Austria summoned up one last attack with Oliver Binder ghosting in at the back post to make it 3-3.

In the shoot-out, Ireland switched up their line-up from Saturday with Shane O’Donoghue – playing in his 200th cap – scoring his own effort as well as two penalty strokes, won by Daragh Walsh and Sean Murray.

The outcome, though, hinged on a bizarre moment when Fülöp Lusonci stood on the ball in his shoot-out but it was missed by the three umpires and he did not delay in popping home the ball.

That edged them 3-2 in front and they held on to win 4-3 with Michael Körper scoring in the final round of the shoot-out.

Ireland: J Carr, L Madeley, J McKee, D Walsh, S O’Donoghue, P McKibbin, M Robson, B Walker, C Harte, L Cole, S Hyland
Subs: T Cross, N Glassey, K Marshall, S Murray, J Duncan, C Empey, M Ingram

Austria: M Szymczyk, O Binder, D Uher, M Körper, D Fröhlich, F Steyrer, M Frey, F Unterkircher, F Lindengrun, F Losonci, X Hasun
Subs: T Mayer, S Eitenberger, H Podpera, B Kölbl, P Stanzl, N Wellan, L Rizzi

Umpires: I Diamond (SCO), B Goentgen (GER)

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Ireland’s men denied World Cup spot as Wales prevail in shoot-out

Men’s World Cup qualifier
Ireland 1 (M Robson) Wales 1 (J Naughalty), Wales win shoot-out 2-1
Ireland’s men suffered shoot-our heartache once again as they came unstuck against Wales in Cardiff in their World Cup qualifier, meaning they miss out on the 2023 showpiece event in India.

The Green Machine had missed out on the Olympics via the same method to Canada and this was similarly devastating as a huge second half performance could not yield the vital goal in normal time.

Michael Robson had given Ireland a first minute lead, countered by Joey Naughalty’s equaliser on 19 minutes. Wales had the edge in the first half but it was Mark Tumilty’s side who looked more and more likely to win it in the second.

But 1-1 at full-time left it down to the shoot-out and Welsh goalkeeper Toby Reynolds-Cotterill kept out four efforts with Rupert Shipperley and Jack Pritchard doing the damage in a 2-1 outcome.

“We started well, got ahead before having a disappointing second quarter,” coach Mark Tumilty reflected on the fixture.

“We played well in the second half, created plenty of chances but unfortunately we weren’t able to take one of them and then we didn’t deliver in the shoot-out. It’s as straight-forward as that.

“The momentum was going in our favour [late on]. We did all the right things, started to find space but just couldn’t find that killer ball or that killer touch to get the goal we needed to get across the line. It’s another hard lesson for these players and a disappointing day for Irish men’s hockey.”

Like the women earlier in the day, Ireland were flying in the first minute as – with 45 seconds on the clock – a three-man turnover on halfway led to Jonny McKee racing forward. Toby Reynolds-Cotterill blocked his shot but it fell kindly for Michael Robson to flick by the prone goalkeeper.

Wales, though, have been enjoying a relative golden period of late, rising up seven places in the world rankings to their highest ever position. Luke Hawker shot wide from a big chance while an early umpire’s whistle saved Ireland when Naughalty flicked over Jamie Carr with a penalty corner given before the ball crossed the goal line.

Carr was superb in repelling a couple of Gareth Furlong penalty corners but he could not keep out Naughalty’s upright backhand shot after he wriggled this way and that to find a shooting chance; 1-1 in the 19th minute.

Ireland settled before half-time with some neat right-wing attacks almost unlocking the door with Tim Cross’s overlapping a feature. And they started to build more and more momentum as time went on.

A series of three penalty corners just before the end of the third quarter provided a major talking point as, this time, Ireland were denied by a premature whistle. Shane O’Donoghue’s drag-flick fell to McKee who scored at the second attempt only for a penalty corner to be given instead. The reset chance was denied by Reynolds-Cotterill.

O’Donoghue saw yellow in Q4 but Ireland still created more in that phase as Sam Hyland and McKee and Ben Walker all tested the goalkeeper. O’Donoghue returned to sting the palm of Reynolds-Cotterill once more with two minutes to go as Wales clung on.

And the Welsh keeper produced the heroics in that shoot-out phase to send them to the World Cup, denying Ireland a ticket to the elite stage.

Ireland will close out the tournament with a third place playoff against Austria but the ultimate prize from this competition has proven out of reach.

“Tomorrow’s a game where we will have a green shirt on and we want to win but it doesn’t mean a whole lot other than a few world ranking points,” Tumilty added. “We need to regroup and go again to finish the tournament on a high but it’s a difficult day.”

Ireland: J Carr, T Cross, J McKee, K Marshall, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, J Duncan, M Robson, B Walker, C Harte, L Cole
Subs: L Madeley, D Walsh, N Glassey, P McKibbin, C Empey, S Hyland, M Ingram

Wales: T Reynolds-Cotterill D Kyriakides, I Wall, A Dinnie, J Draper, L Prosser, R Shipperley, R Bradshaw, G Furlong, J Morgan, L Hawker
Subs: J Naughalty, R Furlong, J Carson, D Hutchinson, O Dolan-Gray, J Pritchard, I Tranter

Umpires: N Bennett (ENG), J Mejzlik (CZE)

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