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EYHL title chases and relegation battle come into ever sharper focus

A number of the big outcomes in the EY Hockey Leagues are likely to come into sharper focus with the fixtures coming thick and fast this weekend.

It started on Thursday evening when Loreto drew 1-1 at home with UCD in the women’s EYHL. Hannah McLoughlin gave UCD a second quarter lead but a Siofra O’Brien reverse-stick effort levelled the tie.

That result lifted the Beaufort side into fifth, ahead of Railway Union on goal difference, with the students staying in seventh place and two points outside of the EY Champions Trophy quarter-final spots.

It makes for a vital showdown between Railway and UCD at Park Avenue on Saturday afternoon in that particular chase.

For Loreto, their next port of call is a home date against Catholic Institute who are aiming to bounce back from last Sunday’s defeat to Railway Union.

The equation for the Limerick side in the title chase is currently relatively simple – win their last three games and they will be the EYHL champions. In reality, that path is fraught with pitfalls with the Loreto tie a tough start; they then host leaders Pembroke on March 19th before travelling away to Belfast Harlequins on March 26th.

They also have their twice postponed Irish Senior Cup quarter-final against Banbridge thrown into the mix on Sunday morning as part of their schedule.

Pembroke, for their part, have a little more wriggle room in their pursuit of a first EYHL success with their two-point lead going into the final three rounds of action. That starts on Saturday with a home date against Belfast Harlequins.

At the bottom end of the table, this could well be the weekend the relegation issues get done and dusted. Anything other than a win for Cork Harlequins at Farmers Cross against Old Alex on Saturday will see their current tenure in the competition come to an end.

Muckross also need to get something from their double-weekend of home fixtures at Grange Road against Belfast opponents, starting with Pegasus on Saturday and then a crucial fixture against Belfast Harlequins on Sunday, the side five points above them.

In EYHL2, Monkstown will formally have top spot from Group 2 if they pick up at least a losing bonus point at Queen’s. Lurgan go to Galway to play NUIG needing a win to return to the playoff places.

Group 1 has Ards hoping to go 10 points clear but they face a tester of a tie against Dublin University in Santry. UCC will hope to strengthen their position in third when they host Galway.

There’s also a full deck of fixtures in the men’s EYHL. Glenanne’s game with Monkstown is the big one in the top half with any dropped points perhaps spelling the end of their outside title hopes. Both are on 28 points, four off leaders Lisnagarvey with four rounds of matches to go.

Annadale will hope they can put further distance between themselves and the drop zone when they host UCD whose fate could be formally sealed on Saturday.

The other sides in the relegation battle – Corinthian and Pembroke – have tough fixtures with the former going to Banbridge who are unbeaten since November and the latter hosting Three Rock Rovers.

Lisnagarvey will look to maintain their place at the top but they are meeting a YMCA side in decent form, winning three of their last five games to establish themselves as the side likely to complete the EY Champions Trophy quarter-final line-up.

EYHL2’s second half of the campaign begins in earnest. In Group A, Leinster leaders Railway Union hosts unbeaten Ulster Premier side Instonians in a vital battle while Munster’s current leaders Cork C of I have no room for error against Rathgar on Saturday.

In Group B, both Clontarf and Corinthian are gunning for a first victory of the campaign to try and close the gap to Kilkeel who are on the bye weekend.

Bandon, meanwhile, already look assured of a place in the promotion playoffs and the target is now to top the table. Currently, they have the best record across the three groups which would bring with it a semi-final spot; next up is a game with fourth placed Portrane.

Cookstown’s Ulster derby with Mossley will go a long way to determining their chances of progression.

On Sunday, meanwhile, the Irish Junior Cup semi-finals take place with the men’s competition primarily an Ulster-based affair. Cookstown host Bangor while Annadale are up against YMCA, the former getting a reprieve after Banbridge played an ineligible player in the quarter-final. In the women’s competition, Pembroke face Queens and Corinthian host Railway Union in their final four.

Thursday 10th March 2022
Women
EYHL Division 1: Loreto 1 (S O’Brien) UCD 1 (H McLoughlin)

Saturday 12th March 2022
Men
EYHL Division 1: Annadale v UCD, Lagan College, 2.30pm; Banbridge v Corinthian, Havelock Park, 2.45pm; Glenanne v Monkstown, St Andrews, 12pm; Lisnagarvey v YMCA, Comber Road, 3pm; Pembroke Wanderers v Three Rock Rovers, Serpentine Avenue, 4pm

EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Cork C of I v Rathgar, Garryduff, 2pm; Railway Union v Instonians, Park Avenue, 3.30pm
Pool 2: Clontarf v Cork Harlequins, Mount Temple, 2pm
Pool 3: Bandon v Portrane, Bandon GS, 2pm; Mossley v Cookstown, The Glade, 2.30pm

Women
EYHL Division 1: Cork Harlequins v Old Alex, Farmers’ Cross, 12.45pm; Loreto v Catholic Institute, Beaufort, 1pm; Muckross v Pegasus, Grange Road, 1pm; Pembroke v Belfast Harlequins, Serpentine Avenue, 2pm; Railway Union v UCD, Park Avenue, 1.30pm

EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Trinity v Ards, Santry Avenue, 2pm; UCC v Galway, Mardyke, 2pm
Pool 2: NUIG v Lurgan, Dangan, 1.50pm; Queens University v Monkstown, Malone Playing Fields, 12.45pm

Sunday 13th March 2022
Men
Irish Junior Cup – Semi-Finals: Annadale II v YMCA II, Stormont, 2.30pm; Cookstown II v Bangor II, Cookstown HS, 1pm

Women
EYHL Division 1: Muckross v Belfast Harlequins, Grange Road, 2.30pm
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Banbridge v Catholic Institute, Havelock Park, 11am
Irish Junior Cup – Semi-Finals: Corinthian II v Railway Union II, Whitechurch Park, 12.30pm; Pembroke II v Queens University II, Serpentine Avenue, 3.30pm

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Female Performance Coach Development programme up and running

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce that our Female Performance Coach Development programme (PCD) has launched with eight coaches on the first year of the programme.

The programme, which is funded by Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport Initiative, was designed to support the development of female coaches who wish to coach at performance level. Each coach is partnered with a dedicated mentor who will work alongside them to monitor and assist in their progress throughout the year.

Hockey Ireland will provide tailored learning opportunities for the coaches through our coach education department. The mentoring team includes experienced coach developers Una McCarthy, David Passmore, Denis Pritchard, and Mick McKinnon.

HI Coach Education manager Phil Oakley said “We are delighted to finally have the programme up and running after delays due to Covid. We have assembled a strong mentoring team and hopefully the programme will provide a platform for this first group of coaches to achieve their goals”.

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Railway end Insta winning streak as Pegs move back into fourth

Railway Union ended Catholic Institute’s long winning streak to provide a second big twist to the women’s EY Hockey League title race while giving their own EY Champions Trophy aspirations a massive boost.

Insta had the chance to move top for the first time if they could extend their run to seven wins and they started off well with Jenny Clein scoring from their first corner of the contest, coming just two minutes after she came off the bench.

But Railway were in bullish mood off the back of their strong draw against Pembroke on Saturday and they went level when Orla Fox dragged in a penalty corner.

Lily Lloyd made it 2-1 with a spectacular finish, shooting into the top corner on her reverse and they carried that momentum into the second half. Lloyd became the creator for the third goal when her lovely flat cross got the finish it deserved from Zara Delany at the back post.

Insta fought back and got one back in the 65th minute courtesy of Aebhfhinn Bourke but Railway held on for the points which lifts them up to fifth place.

For Institute, they now have an interesting proposition as they end the weekend in second place. Should they win their three remaining fixtures, they will be champions – it is a tough line-up, though, with away dates against Loreto and Belfast Harlequins along with a vital battle with Pembroke on March 19.

For Pembroke, should they also win their three remaining ties, too, they will be champs – in addition to Insta, they face Belfast Harlequins and Muckross.

In the other game on Sunday, Pegasus ended their run of three defeats – all without scoring – to pick an important win over Old Alex, 2-1 at the Dub.

The first half was tight with Hannah Craig’s two penalty corner hits the main chances, the latter almost redirected in by Ruth Maguire.

But they did get their goal, ending a run of 274 minutes without one, when Shirley McCay slapped a third corner into the path of Alex Speers and she broke the deadlock in Q3.

It stayed that way after some big scramble defence before Pegasus put themselves further in the clear when Lucy McKee battled through to pop in the second with 12 minutes to go.

Emma Russell got one back amid a melee in front of the Alex goal with two minutes to goal but the Ulster side won out. It sees them move back up the table into fourth place.

The next tie on the agenda is UCD’s meeting with Loreto on Thursday night at Beaufort – their third face-off within a month. Loreto won the league tie 4-1 while the students took the Jacqui Potter Cup semi-final result 3-1 last week.

Women’s EYHL Division 1
Sunday: Railway Union 3 (O Fox, L Lloyd, Z Delany) Catholic Institute 2 (J Clein, A Bourke); Pegasus 2 (A Speers, L McKee) Old Alex 1 (E Russell)

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Lisnagarvey stay clear in men’s EYHL as Town, YM and TRR win

Men’s EY Hockey League – day 14 round-up
Monkstown 4 (D Carson 2, G Sarratt, J Duncan) Annadale 1 (M Robson)
A brilliant four-goal burst in the first quarter saw Monkstown ease to victory over Annadale at Rathdown, moving into a share of third place.

Davy Carson was at his effervescent best and he broke the deadlock a couple of minutes in when he peeled away to take in Guy Sarratt’s rocket of a pass in his stride. His control was followed by an outstanding reverse-stick to the top corner.

He was denied an instant second when he pumped into the goal but was deemed to have shielded in the build-up. It was 2-0, however, via a brilliant team goal when Lee Cole clipped a pass which Theo Kohlmann controlled well before passing on to Rhys Armah-Kwantreng who found Jeremy Duncan; he flicked in on the turn.

Duncan played a heavy role in goal three with some aerial juggling before hitting the post with Sarratt on hand to clean up the rebound. And their scoring was complete by the 15th minute when Kohlmann picked out Carson whose snap-shot on the turn made its way in.

Annadale steadied after the first break and had a couple of good chances through Michael Robson while Sam Hamill blocked a couple of chances with acrobatic saves.

Into the second half, Sarratt flicked a stroke wide moments before Dale got on the board from the spot, themselves, after David Tremlett was fouled; Michael Robson popped it in. Both sides had four more corners in the second half but none were converted.

Banbridge 2 (Ph Brown, C Rowe) Glenanne 2 (R Couse, S O’Donoghue)
Banbridge and Glenanne’s potential title chances were both setback as their draw – allied to wins to the sides around them – left them almost out of range.

Richard Couse got the only goal of the first half but Bann turned things around in the second half with Philip Brown and Charlie Rowe both scoring. Shane O’Donoghue’s penalty stroke equalised at 2-2 before the end of Q3.

Glenanne are now four points of top spot while Banbridge are in fifth with six points to make up on Lisnagarvey and four to Three Rock in the second EY Champions Trophy place.

Banbridge’s Jonny McKee flicks past Glenanne goalkeeper David Lawless. Pic: Billy Pollock

Lisnagarvey 7 (A Edgar 2, D Nelson 2, M McKibbin, O Kidd, M Nelson) Pembroke 1 (J Dale)
Lisnagarvey put struggling Pembroke to the sword to maintain their slender two-point lead at the top of the men’s EY Hockey League, running up a comprehensive 7-1 win at Comber Road.

It also ended a remarkable series which saw the lead change hands in each of the last six rounds of fixtures as Garvey built on last week’s significant 3-2 success over Three Rock Rovers.

Garvey took a while to get up and running as a series of close changes went incomplete in the first quarter but they never really looked back after the in-form Ollie Kidd put them in front in the 20th minute.

A phenomenal Daniel Nelson doubled up before half-time and they soon raced away in the second half with the eldest Nelson brother getting his second. Andy Edgar made it a personal three goals in three games from the penalty spot and he duly added another via the same method for 5-0.

Matthew Nelson and Matthew McKibbin both chipped in before Julian Dale got a consolation goal for the Dubliners who remain in the relegation zone as a result.

Three Rock Rovers 3 (A Haughton 2, E Jennings) Corinthian 2 (I Stewart 2)
Three Rock Rovers nicked all the points from a feisty Dublin 16 derby, Evan Jennings scoring the crucial goal with nine minutes to go despite his side being down to nine players at the time.

Three Rock got off to a strong start with Ali Haughton scoring twice in the first 10 minutes; his first followed a right-wing attack that broke to him at the left post where he controlled and flicked in.

His second was an outrageous effort, a ball deflecting his way at pace and two feet off the ground; he swung on his backhand and caught it perfectly, leaving goalkeeper Simon Thornton standing.

Corinthian got back into the game from a smart quick free, Andrew Sutton finding Peter Caruth in the D and he laid off a pass to Ian Stewart for a simple finish.

Haughton went close to a hat trick from another volley, Thornton saving well. Ben Whelan did likewise at the far end with a brilliant stick stop early in the second half but Stewart did make it 2-2 with a virtuoso piece of work, catching a loose ball, beating a player and then chipping into the top corner.

Rovers went into foul trouble in the second half, picking up three yellows but still had slightly the better of the chances in the closing quarter. Jennings took the crucial one, cleaning up after Ross Canning’s shot was parried his way. The reds had a last second corner which Caruth slapped at goal but Harry McMahon guided it around the post to ensure a scrappy three points.

YMCA 3 (A Walker, G Glutz, A Meates) UCD 2 (S Byrne, K O’Dea)
YMCA took another big step toward both an EY Champions Trophy spot and confirmed safety in the EYHL for next season with their win over UCD.

The students did go in front early on when good pressure led to a goal from Sam Byrne, tapping in at the back post and they had a couple of corners to extend the lead in a lively opening spell, drawing good stops from Jakim Bernsden.

The Y, though, were also notching up the chances with Ben Campbell hitting the post in the first quarter before Adam Walker’s corner made it 1-1 from a corner flick. Grant Glutz added the next from a penalty stroke and they had a further effort ruled out just before half-time following a much more controlled spell.

Andrew Meates stretched the lead out to 3-1 in the 43rd minute from play despite UCD pressure until the very last minute when Kevin O’Dea scored a final hooter corner goal.

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Catholic Institute close the gap to Pembroke to two points

Day 14 match reports

Catholic Institute 1 (N Carroll) Pegasus 0 

Catholic Institute continued their winning streak with Naomi Carroll’s single goal making it six wins in succession, putting them within two points of leaders Pembroke, now with a game in hand. 

It was different from many of their recent swashbuckling wins as they had to withhold a second half onslaught as Pegasus threw everything forward but could not find the crucial touch.  

Early on, Carroll’s reverse went close in the opening moments, going across the face of goal. Lucy McKee did likewise from a swift overload move down the right wing for Pegs 

The Ulster side did have the ball in the net from their second corner, albeit via Alex Speers’ foot from Shirley McCay’s slap.  

That was before the game’s defining moment when Hannah Kelly blocked a clearance in the Pegasus circle and retrieved the ball, pulling the ball back to Róisín Upton who found Carroll on the right post to pop in. 

Corner drags from Anna Horan and Upton were kept out in the third quarter while Kelly’s lengthy run almost created a second. But Pegasus were building pressure with Niamh McIvor denied by an excellent Pam Smithwick stop while the corner count built to five with the pick of the chances falling to McKee but it was skewed wide. 

Insta were almost able to breathe a bit easier when Pegs swapped out their goalkeeper for an extra outfielder but Carroll was unable to cash in on an opportunity. 

 

Pembroke 0 Railway Union 0 

Pembroke were left frustrated as the base of the post denied a final quarter penalty stroke as the table-toppers drew for the third time in four outings as they shared a scoreless draw with near neighbours Railway Union. 

Railway started the better and had good chances when Alex Gallagher found Sarah Patton but Emma Buckley saved her flick well. Eanna Horan went close with Pembroke’s big chance of the first quarter. 

The second quarter was tight with Pembroke starting it strong while Riona Norton produced an excellent double-save, denying Sinead Loughran’s shot on the spin and Aisling Naughton’s follow-up. 

In the second half, the main chances came from set pieces with two Pembroke corners drawing no real danger while Niamh Shaw’s slap was well blocked by Buckley. 

The big moment caem from Pembroke’s third corner when stopper Ellen Curran’s shot was deemed to be blocked by a foot in line with the goal. Pinder stepped up and sent Norton the wrong way but her stroke hit the post. 

In the closing phases, Shaw hit Railway’s third corner just wide, Pinder went close while Naughton’s through ball for Sally Campbell was dangerous but the following shot went wide. 

 

Old Alexandra 3 (N Sweeney, E Russell, A Russell) Muckross 2 (S Quill, J Balcerzak) 

Old Alex continued their good form as they made it 10 points from the last 12 available as three goals in the first 21 minutes put them on course for victory despite a big second half Muckross comeback. 

Alex built a 3-0 half-time lead as they took their chances well. The first came after Muckross never fully got set from a swift counter, set in motion by Lena Tice. Abbie Russell’s slap at goal was well blocked but Niamh Sweeney followed up with a piledriver for 1-0. 

It was 2-0 in Q2 from the first corner of the game; Mikayla Power had two shots, the latter of which bounced to Emma Russell to sweep in from the injector area. And it was three in the 21st minute when the ball broke to Abbie Russell on the back post and she unleashed a reverse-stick shot. 

Muckross were highly competitive, throughout the half, matching Alex’s corner count while a one-on-one chance showed their threat. 

And that threat materialised into goals in the second half as Sarah Quill pulled one back and then Julia Balcerzak’s direct penalty corner sweep cut the gap to the minimum. But Alex help for an important point which keeps them in the chase for a top two spot and direct qualification for the EY Champions Trophy semi-finals. 

Pembroke’s Gillian Pinder. Picture: Max Fulham

 

Belfast Harlequins 0 Loreto 2 (S Torrans, Y Pratt) 

Loreto made it three wins in a row to move up to fourth place in the table as they won at Deramore Park with a goal in each half of a tight-knit fixture. 

Chances were at a premium as Belfast Harlequins defended well while the visitors had more of the possession. The main chances came from corners with Loreto going in front in Q2 from their fourth one of the game, Hannah Matthews switching back to injector Sarah Torrans who swept in first time. 

Prior to that, goalkeeper Suzie Taylor – on her birthday – impressed with some solid blocks while Katie Larmour and Jan Kilpatrick’s driving runs were a feature for Quins. 

The second half was largely played between the 23-metre lines with Aoife Taaffe’s drag-flick the main opening for either side. 

The result was settled in the last five minute when Matthews’ long overhead set Loreto up with an overload on the right channel which was worked inside to Yasmin Pratt who dodged out of a tackle and then wedged the ball over the outrushing Taylor. 

 

UCD 4 (M Carey, R Kelly, K Egan, H McLoughlin) Cork Harlequins 1 (A Power) 

UCD moved back into the top six as they came back from a goal down to defeat Cork Harlequins 4-1 at Belfield.  

The students got off to a slow start as Quins made the early moves. In the ninth minute, Michelle Barry set UCD back-pedaling with a direct run before laying off for Aine Power who shot early on her backhand and it made it into the goal from the left of the D. 

A corner shot from Cliodhna Sargent caused some ping-pong panic in the home circle soon after before UCD began to find their flow. Katherine Egan was a pivotal figure and she created the first with a sharp turn and backhand cross which made its way to Michelle Carey to tip in at the left post. 

That made it 1-1 at half-time as the Cork side were able to keep out three corners but they could not keep out another powerful Egan reverse in Q3 to put the hosts ahead for the first time. 

While they had the majority of the pressure, the game was only fully killed off in the closing quarter. Carey created the third goal with some beautiful 3D skills from a sideline ball close to the baseline which was eventually worked to Rachel Kelly for a simple finish.  

Sargent departed in the last few minutes with a nasty injury and Hannah McLoughlin closed out the scoring on the final hooter with a corner drag-flick. 

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Fingal Hockey Development Officer Vacancy

Hockey Ireland (in partnership with Fingal CoCo and Leinster Hockey) is seeking to employ a Development Officer within the Fingal County Council catchment area . 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 sue.haslam@hockey.ie. Closing date is 18th March 2022.

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Garvey through in ISC as Queen’s, North Down and Avoca into IHT finals

Lisnagarvey produced a defensive masterclass to outdo Three Rock Rovers and advance to the final four of the men’s Irish Senior Cup, winning 2-0 at Grange Road.

With Jonny Bell marsahlling things, they gave precious few chances to the current EY Hockey League leaders and eventually took their chances in the second half to win a big battle.

Indeed, they might have been in the clear earlier in the contest but for some outstanding Conor Quinn goalkeeping – not for the first time this season – as he denied Troy Chambers and James Lorimer early on.

Rovers were shy a number of their front line with Ben Johnson, Luke Adams and Evan Jennings out of action and they struggled to get much traction, the pick of their chances flashing just wide from Ross Canning before half-time.

Garvey went in front with half an hour to go when Ben Nelson charged down a couple of attempted clearances and followed up to give his older brother Matthew the chance to swipe home. They looked the more likely to strike again and they were two to the good in the last 10 minutes when Andy Edgar flicked home from the penalty spot after a swift counter-attack.

Peter Blakeney whizzed a corner shot just wide in the dying moments but Lisnagarvey were well worth their win, setting up a semi-final date with Glenanne.

In the men’s Irish Hockey Trophy, the all-Ulster semi-finals yielded a final showdown between North Down and Queen’s after they overcame South Antrim (6-2) and Portadown (3-2), respectively.

In the women’s Irish Senior Cup, Banbridge and Catholic Institute’s quarter-final was postponed for a second time.


Avoca reached the final of the Irish Hockey Trophy with a shoot-out win over YMCA. Orla O’Brien had Avoca 1-0 up until the closing minutes before YMCA withdrew their goalkeeper in favour of an extra outfielder and it paid dividends when Naoise Carraher netted for 1-1.

But they could not carry that momentum into the shoot-out where Avoce won out 3-1 with efforts from Aoife Grogan, Anna Richardson and Sarah Dillon, Joanne O’Grady getting YMCA’s reply.

Men
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Three Rock Rovers 0 Lisnagarvey 2 (M Nelson, A Edgar)
Irish Hockey Trophy, semi-finals: North Down 6 (P Templeton 2, J Orr, G McKeown, A Welsh, J Gilmore) South Antrim 2 (M Taylor, J Brown); Queens University 3 (H Scott 2, C Irwin) Portadown 2

Women
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Banbridge v Catholic Institute – postponed
Irish Hockey Trophy, semi-finals: Avoca 1 (O O’Brien) YMCA 1 (N Carraher), Avoca win shoot-out 3-1; Raphoe v Ashton – postponed

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The Railway six push to the limit in Turkey

Six proved the operative number as Railway Union finished sixth out of six at the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy in Alanya, Turkey but that only told half the story.

In a bizarre run of misfortune, the Sandymount club only ended up with the bare minimum six eligible players who played every single minute of their five games – bar the odd one-minute green card suspension – picking up five points along the way.

Among other issues, Emma Buckley was ruled out with a foot injury and the past week also saw Holly Jenkinson out with a broken hand and Sarah Patton falling sick in midweek.

Michelle Carey had planned to join the side on Friday evening but a passport issue left her stranded in Hamburg. With the issues occurring after the EHF deadline to add players to their long-list, it left Railway unable to fill in the gaps at short notice.

While the situation could have proven disheartening, they rolled with the punches to be highly competitive in each game. Importantly, with two other clubs withdrawing, Ireland will keep their place in this second tier competition which otherwise would have been lost if Railway followed suit.

“Maybe there was a little sense of foreboding the day before the tournament when essentially everything that could go wrong, went wrong,” captain Orla Fox said after their final match on Sunday.

“But when the matches started, we just accepted the situation and didn’t feel under pressure for any of it because, sure, any result we got out of this was a bonus! I definitely think that helped everyone feel relaxed and free to play whatever way we wanted.

“We headed over with not the ideal setup but the team atmosphere has been incredible. We didn’t put pressure on ourselves, just play the process and trying to celebrate each small win in each game. When we got into it, we thought, hey, we can really compete here and try and play as much of our own game as possible!”

Day one showed they could cause problems, holding English champions Buckingham scoreless for the first 26 of 40 minutes with a “deep-house” defensive setup, designed to essentially park the bus and conserve energy.

They went on to lose that one 5-0 but the method worked a treat against eventual runners-up SK Slavia Praha, Lloyd sisters Kate and Lily using their prodigious skills to wreak havoc on the counter. Kate netted and a 28th Fox corner earned a 2-2 draw.

On Saturday, Austria’s SV Arminen edged out Railway 2-1 while the tournament hosts and winners Gaziantep were pushed closer than by any other side.

That one finished 3-2 to the Turks, outdoing Kate Lloyd and Orla Patton strikes as Railway went agonisingly close to an equaliser in the final quarter from a corner.

It proved a similar outcome against Scotland’s Clydesdale Western in a dramatic endgame on Sunday morning. It went tit-for-tat with Kate Lloyd making it 1-1, Lily Lloyd scoring for 2-2 and then Fox equalised in the final minute for 3-3.

The Scots, though, snagged a winner with 29 seconds to go to deny another famous result in the circumstances.

Nonetheless, Fox can reflect on a tournament that will live long in her and her team’s memory.

“The support has been phenomenal from those who travelled over to those back home, it has been a fantastic trip and we are really looking forward to next year and hopefully having a few more players along with us to compete even more!

“Our games were the closest ones in the tournament! I know it’s unofficial but, to be honest, I’d say we were the team of the tournament as all of our games were the most competitive! Definitely disappointed not to get the win against the Scottish team in the last game too but we’ll definitely get them next year!”

Women
EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy:
Friday: Railway Union 0 Buckingham 5; Railway Union 2 (K Lloyd, O Fox) Sk Slavia Praha 2
Saturday: Railway Union 1 (O Patton) SV Arminen 2; Railway Union 2 (K Lloyd, O Patton) Gaziantep 3
Sunday: Railway Union 3 (K Lloyd, L Lloyd, O Fox) Clydesdale Western 4

Standings: 1. Gaziantep (TUR) 25 pts (+10) 2. SK Slavia Praha (CZE) 17pts (+6) 3. Clydesdale Western (SCO) 16 pts (-2) 4. SV Arminen 12pts (-5) 5. Buckingham (ENG) 9pts (-1) 6. Railway Union 5pts (-8)

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Railway in Euro indoor action on lively weekend of action

A varied weekend of action sees games in European indoor action, women’s EYHL 1 and 2, the Irish Senior Cup and the Irish Hockey Trophy on what was initially set to be a relatively quiet fixture list.

For Railway’s women, they start bright and early on Friday morning in Alanya, Turkey in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy, facing Buckingham at 8am Irish time.

It has been a tough build-up for the side who recently retained their National Indoor Trophy crown with Emma Buckley and Holly Jenkinson unavailable through injury while, of their successful side from Gormanston, Kate McKenna and Hannah de Burgh Whyte also unable to travel.

As such, they look to the experience of Orla Fox and Orla Patton along with the trickery of Kate and Lily Lloyd; they can play with some freedom knowing there is no relegation this year with two sides withdrawing from the competition.

They also face Slavia Prague on Friday in their second game before meeting Austria’s SV Arminen and Turkish home club Gaziantep on Saturday. The tournament concludes with a final group game on Sunday against Scotland’s Clydesdale.

Elsewhere, on Thursday evening, Loreto won their first match of the new year with a healthy 4-1 win in the teeming rain at Belfield against UCD. The Beaufort side dominated the first half and went into a 3-0 lead with Hannah Matthews getting the ball rolling from a penalty stroke with Yasmin Pratt and Mia Jennings also weighing in.

Siofra O’Brien got their fourth despite UCD having the best of Q3, getting one back via Hannah McLoughlin’s deflected penalty corner. But they could make no further inroads and they drop out of the EY Champions Trophy playoff places with Loreto taking their place inside the top six.

On Saturday, Old Alex will face Pegasus in another rearranged fixture in the last outstanding match of the first 12 rounds of the season. Both need a win to close the gap on the automatic Champions Trophy semi-final spots.

For Pegs, three points would lift them into second place while Alex need a result to keep in touch with the three sides above them.

In EYHL2, Corinthian and Galway will play their refixed at Whitechurch Park with the former hoping to move level with Ards at the head of their group at the halfway stage while the Connacht side aiming for a first win.

The final four for the women’s Irish Senior Cup will be finalised with Banbridge and Catholic Institute both seeking their first journey that far in the competition.

Insta are the obvious favourites having made their way up to second in the EYHL while Bann sit sixth in the Ulster Premier League.

On the men’s side of the competition, there is a potential classic in store at Grange Road where Three Rock Rovers meet Lisnagarvey in the Irish Senior Cup quarter-final.

Rovers are top of the men’s EYHL with Garvey in second but the latter did win their meeting earlier this season, 3-2 at Comber Road. It is the first of two meetings between the teams in Dublin within seven days of each other as they play a crucial league encounter next week too.

The Irish Hockey Trophy semi-finals for men are an all-Ulster affair with North Down facing South Antrim and Queen’s up against Portadown.

On the basis of reaching the top half of the split Ulster Premier Division, South Antrim and Queen’s would be pegged as favourites in these ties.

In the women’s Irish Hockey Trophy, Leinster Division 1 side Avoca face Challenge A side YMCA in a semi-final derby with the other final four tie postponed between Raphoe and Ashton due to the various weather warnings in place in Donegal and Cork.

Thursday 17th February
Women
EY Hockey League: UCD 1 (H McLoughlin) Loreto 4 (H Matthews, Y Pratt, M Jennings, S O’Brien)

Friday 18th February 2022
Women
EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy (Alanya, Turkey – times Irish): Railway Union v Buckingham, 8am; Railway Union v Slavia Prague, 2.15pm

Saturday 19th February 2022
Men
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Three Rock Rovers v Lisnagarvey, Grange Road, 3pm
Irish Hockey Trophy, semi-finals: North Down v South Antrim, Comber LC, 2.40pm; Queens University v Portadown, The Dub, 2.30pm

Women
EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy (Alanya, Turkey – times Irish): Railway Union v SV Arminen, 10.30am; Railway Union v Gaziantep, 3.30pm
EYHL Division 1: Old Alex v Pegasus, Milltown, 1.30pm
EYHL Division 2, Pool 2: Corinthian v Galway, Whitechurch Park, 1.15pm
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Banbridge v Catholic Institute, Havelock Park, 2.45pm
Irish Hockey Trophy, semi-finals: Avoca v YMCA, Newpark, 2.30pm; Raphoe v Ashton, Royal and Prior, 1pm

Sunday 20th February 2022
Women
EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy (Alanya, Turkey – time Irish): Railway Union v Clydesdale, 7am

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Ulster shine to reach girls interpro finals

Ulster’s inteprovincial girls teams both confirmed their place in this season’s finals, setting up final dates with Leinster at Under-16 level and Munster in the Under-18 competition.

At Under-16 level, Ulster who secured their place in that showdown with a 3-0 win over Munster from their winner-takes-all encounter. Rebekah Lennon scored a hat-trick in the success as they completed the group stages unbeaten.

Leinster were 2-0 winners over Leinster South with Orla Young Hughes and Sarah Byrne getting the goals which propelled the blues to the top of the table and a place in the final on April 3.

In the Under-18 competition, Ulster produced a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to defeat Munster 3-2 in what was a precursor for this competition’s final showdown in April.

Amy Connolly and Robyn Murphy put the southern province two goals up but Gabriella Scott fired a double with Sophie Kidd on the mark, the winner coming on the final hooter.

That result meant Ulster topped the round-robin phase on 10 points with Munster on 8 with both advancing to the decider.

Leinster edged out Leinster South 3-1, coming back from 1-0 down to land the result for their first win of the campaign.

Michelle Cashman’s penalty stroke gave South the lead but replies from Ella Pasley, Emma Montgomery and Alex Gallagher turned the tie their way. The two sides ended their group on four points.

Girls Interprovincial results
Under-16: Leinster 2 (O Young Hughes, S Byrne) Leinster South 0; Ulster 3 (R Lennon 3) Munster 0

Under-18: Ulster 3 (G Scott 3) Munster 2 (R Murphy, A Connolly); Leinster 3 (E Pasley, E Montgomery, A Gallagher) Leinster South 1 (M Cashman)

 

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