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Irish men record biggest ever international victory

Men’s EuroHockey Championship qualifiers
Ireland 19 (L Madeley 4. J Duncan 3, J McKee 3, B Walker 3, M Robson 3, S Murray, D Walsh, L Witherow) Lithuania 0
Ireland’s men recorded their largest ever win as they swept aside Lithuania on day one of the EuroHockey Championship qualifiers in Calais.

Four goals from Luke Madeley along with hat tricks for Michael Robson, Jeremy Duncan, Jonny McKee and Ben Walker helped outdo the previous best of 13-0 against Malta in 2002 and Fiji in 2013.

They took the lead with barely 15 seconds on the clock with Madeley scoring from their first penalty corner chance.

Three further goals followed in a 39-second spell before the end of the first quarter for a 4-0 advantage. Duncan flicked home to start that run; skipper Sean Murray cracked home first time from a McKee assist and then McKee finished off a gorgeous interchange.

The second quarter proved harder to break through with just a Walker reverse-stick effort adding to the tally – 5-0 at half-time.

The record came into view in the third quarter with seven arriving in that 15-minute stanza as Lithuania were reduced to the role of spectators as they barely laid a stick on Ireland. Walker got his second while Duncan polished off a hat trick with a pair of goals within 45 seconds of each other.

Madeley’s second corner goal, a solo peach from Daragh Walsh and set piece efforts from Robson and McKee made it 12-0 with a full quarter remaining.

Madeley duly equalled the record with his third of the game and put Ireland over the total with eight minutes to go. Two more from Robson, one more each for McKee and Walker and a first international goal for Luke Witherow completed the 19.

It gave Ireland a winning start to the four-team competition from which the top side will qualify for next summer’s European Championships.

“I don’t think that scoreline is good for the game but we have to take into consideration in this tournament, there could be a lot of value on goal difference on Saturday morning,” Tumilty said afterwards.

“I am pleased we were clinical, executed some corners but apart from that, there is probably not a lot of value in it.”

Next up will be a completely different contest against the highest ranked side, France (11th in the world), with the winner likely to take control of the group.

“It is the one we spoke about since we came together in May and it is time for this group to produce a performance,” Tumilty said of that showdown.

“We have prepped well and the team know what is expected of them. We know there is a performance in there; corners will be a key area but we definitely have a good chance.”

Ireland: J Carr, L Madeley, J McKee, D Walsh, C Robson, K Marshall, S Murray, M McNellis, J Duncan, S Hyland, N Page
Subs: L Witherow, K O’Dea, N Glassey, M Robson, B Walker, J Lynch, M Ingram

Lithuania: N Andrasiunas, A Cesnulis, P Lakstauskas, A Burkot, M Pocevicius, R Stankevic, A Ridlauskas, A Jackevicius, J Bandziulis, E Ustinovicius
Subs: M Grubliauskas, P Sinkevicius, T Pabjianskas, I Balbatunovas

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Ireland off to flying start in EuroHockey qualifiers

Women’s EuroHockey Championship Qualifier

Ireland 3 (R Upton 2, D Duke) Poland 0

Ireland recorded a strong opening win in the Women’s EuroHockey Championship Qualifier B at the Sport Ireland Campus to head their group after day one.

 

Deirdre Duke opened the scoring in the second quarter with a deft touch to Katie Mullan’s cross and Róisín Upton added her 22nd and 23rd international goals to put the result beyond doubt.

 

It has Ireland top of the group after day one following a 1-1 draw between Turkey and Czech Republic, putting them in pole position for the one ticket to next summer’s European Championships, a key waypoint on the road to Paris 2024.

 

“It was always going to be a really tough game because we know the importance of these games and that brings a bit of stress. To get the result is really positive,” said coach Sean Dancer.

 

Poland – ranked 27th in the world, 14 places below Ireland – offered a new challenge to the Green Army, one which took the hosts took a while to break down.

 

In the first quarter, Michelle Carey and Hannah McLoughlin both had shots brilliantly saved by Marta Kucharska while Katie Mullan poked a chance wide.

 

They went in front after 19th minutes when Duke got the deftest of touches from a move set in motion by Caoimhe Perdue and crossed by Mullan.

 

Upton then slung home a powerful drag-flick from the Green Army’s second corner of the game to give extra daylight. Poland, though, fought back in the second half and had a couple of key chances which Ayeisha McFerran dealt with confidently.

 

Ireland missed out on two glorious chances to make the game extra safe with both Ellen Curran and Mullan denied at point-blank range by sub goalkeeper Anna Gabara.

 

It left some tension in the contest until Upton repeated the feat in the closing minutes with another low bullet for 3-0.

 

“We are playing a tournament where we don’t really understand the opposition and so there is a lot of figuring out and a little bit of chess playing in the game,” Dancer said of the challenge.

 

“We got the better of the first half and they probably got the better of the second. 2-0, we were never fully safe and they still had a chance. Their keeper made some really good saves and if we had put one away, the game would have been done a bit earlier.”

 

Ireland face the Czech Republic on Saturday morning in their second fixture of the tournament at 1pm at the Sport Ireland Campus before completing the competition on Sunday against Turkey.

 

Ireland: A McFerran, S McAuley, M Carey, R Upton, S Hawkshaw, K Mullan, H McLoughlin, L Tice, N Carroll, C Perdue, D Duke

Subs: N Carey, S Torrans, C Beggs, K McKee, C Hamill

 

Poland: M Kucharska, M Drozda, A Katerla, J Balcerzak, M Rybacha, M Polewczak, S Tatarczuk, W Blaszyk, B Strubbe, N Suszynska, D Mazur

Subs: M Czujewicz, A Szot, D Skoraszewska, K Diurczak, M Pabiniak, P Slawinska

 

Women’s EuroHockey Championship Qualifier

Czech Republic 1 (T Mejzlikova) Turkey 1 (P Küçükkoç)

Ireland 3 (R Upton 2, D Duke) Poland 0

 

Standings: 1. Ireland 3pts (+3) 2= Czech Republic 1pt (0) 2= Turkey 1pt (0) 4. Poland 0pts (-3)

 

August 20:

Poland v Turkey, 10.45am

Ireland v Czech Republic, 1pm

 

August 21:

Poland v Czech Republic, 10.45am

Ireland v Turkey, 1pm

Tickets : https://bit.ly/EHCQ_Tkts

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‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Funding

As part of 2022 NGB Dormant Accounts Fund, Sport Ireland will provide a €2,000,000 ‘Sport for All’ Disability Supports Club Fund. The Scheme will be open to the affiliated clubs of Sport Ireland Recognised National Governing Bodies only. This fund offers every club affiliated with a Sport Ireland recognised National Governing Body an opportunity to provide inclusive opportunities for participation for people with a disability. It will provide funding supports for local clubs to connect in a meaningful way with their community, potentially even building the club’s own community over time through the inclusion of people with a disability in all club activities.

A minimum application amount of €1,000 and maximum application amount of €5,000 is available for clubs to apply to their NGB for the following:

  • Disability Supports Education & Training.
  • Disability Supports Programme Activation and Delivery.
  • Disability Supports Small Scale Equipment and Infrastructure

For examples of what to include in your application, see the following spreadsheet DAF Club Support Budget H4A

To apply for the funding click here

Deadline for applications is 26th Aug 2022.

If you have any question, please don’t hesitate your Regional Development Officer, or Sue at: sue.haslam@hockey.ie / 00353 831007105 / 00447465947447)

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Mullan’s troops looking to finish World Cup on a high

Katie Mullan says there is still a “burning desire” within the Irish women’s team to show what they are capable of as they prepare for two classification matches to close out their World Cup campaign in Amsterdam.
On Sunday at 12pm (Irish time), they will face either Germany or South Africa – who meet on Saturday evening – in the first phase of the 9th to 16th place qualifiers with Ireland hoping to outdo their pre-tournament ranking of 12th.
“We didn’t want things to go like this but the difference between this and the last World Cup is that there’s still something very important to play for,” Katie Mullan said of these fixtures.
“I really do still believe in this group and there is a lot more to show. It’s important we come out in the next two games and show that.
“It’s important we stay switched on and everyone has a burning desire to still play the hockey we are capable of playing at this World Cup. We are grateful to still be here and competing.”
In the wider context, the fixtures will give Ireland’s young players a chance to get more time together to build cohesion and understanding with a number of big tournaments on the horizon.
In August, Ireland will play in the European Championship qualifiers in Dublin and then will face the inaugural FIH Nations Cup in December in Spain, all important milestones along the road to a push for Paris 2024.
And while Ireland did bow out of the main competition in the World Cup group stages, Ellen Curran says it can be used as part of the team’s growth.
“Personally, despite the results, I have really enjoyed the tournament. I finally feel like I fit in within the team and am getting comfortable in that right back position.
“We did have fun against Germany; we did have really good periods of play; it’s just not connecting in the final 25. We still have games to go and we will try and prove a point in those and we have the makings of a really good side.”
Women’s Hockey World Cup
9th to 16th place playoffs
Sunday: Ireland vs Germany/South Africa, Wagener Stadium, 12pm (Irish time)
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U16 Girls 8 Nations Squad Selection

The U-16 team will be competing from July 11 to 17, in the “8 Nations U16 & U18” in Terrassa.

Ireland will play against Spain, Netherlands and Austria in Group B. The first two classified teams of each group will go directly to the semifinals. 

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Ireland’s women face a hugely important date with Chile

Ireland’s women return to action in the women’s World Cup as they look to get their first win of the campaign against Chile (world ranked 17) and boost their chances of reaching the knock-out stages.

It is a big contrast from the opening tie of the competition against the world number one Netherlands, facing a south American outfit who are the lowest ranked nation in the competition, playing in their first World Cup.

As such, they offer a very different challenge but one that is vastly experienced and ready to make the most of this unique chance on the elite stage.

Chile pushed Germany hard in their first group match, Denise Krimerman’s thunderbolt corner goal keeping them in contention at half-time before the European side pulled away in the last 16 minutes.

With the Netherlands beating Germany 3-1 on Sunday evening, it means that both Ireland and Chile need a victory to stay in the hunt in the group with second and third place going through to a playoff game.

In terms of a head-to-head, Ireland have won six of their nine meetings with two draws but Chile’s only win coming during a shared series in Santiago in 2019.

The vast majority of their panel is still in situ but just six Irish players from their most recent battle are still around, showing the diverse paths in the intervening three years.

“They are where we were four years ago at a first major tournament,” Róisín Upton said. “They will take a lot from their opening game against Germany as well, do their homework on us.

“There isn’t too much footage out there on them so we will see what we can work out from them and then focus on ourselves and the little things we can learn from.”

Deirdre Duke added: “We have been thinking about this Chile game for quite a while but I think it’s important we got out and play our own game and don’t build it up too much. They are a good side but it is about us tomorrow and doing our basics right.”

The crowd presence will also be a fraction of Saturday with no Dutch match on the agenda on the day and the 2pm start time ruling out a sea of schoolkids amping up the decibel level.

The hope is the travelling support have not been inconvenienced by flight cancellations to Schiphol to make their presence felt.

Women’s Hockey World Cup
Tuesday, July 5th: Ireland v Chile, Wagener Stadium, 1pm (Irish time)
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Senior Men defeat Scotland to win the 4-Nations in Uddingston

Four Nations Invitational tournament

Ireland 5 (L Madeley 3, C Robson, T Cross) Scotland 3 (C Golden, J Golden, A Forsyth)

A Luke Madeley hat trick saw Ireland’s men win the Four Nations Invitational tournament in Uddingston as they beat hosts Scotland in the final 5-3.

Callum Robson opened the scoring when he picked out the top corner 12 minutes into the contest but the hosts bounced back to lead 2-1 with brothers Cameron and Jamie Golden both netting.

Tim Cross, however, levelled it at 2-2 at half-time and Ireland took control in the third quarter with Madeley firing carbon copy corner goals.

Alan Forsyth hit back with 11 minutes to go but the Green Machine finished off strong with Madeley completing his hat trick.

It is their second series win of the summer thus far as they continue to build to August’s target event, the EuroHockey qualifiers in Calais.

Prior to that, Mark Tumilty’s side will face Austria and Chile at the National Sports Campus in four weeks time.

 

Ireland: J Carr, L Madeley, T Cross, J McKee, D Walsh, K O’Dea, K Marshall, S Murray, B walker, S Hyland, N Page

Subs: L Witherow, C Robson, N Glassey, J Duncan, M Robson, B Johnson, M Ingram

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Mullan, Dancer and Perdue reflect on World Cup opening night against Netherlands

Women’s World Cup

Ireland 1 (R Upton) Netherlands 5 (F Matla 2, Y Jansen, S Plonissen, M Verschoor)

Ireland’s new look side put in a fearless performance but ultimately came unstuck against the Netherlands at a rocking Wagener Stadium, putting it up to the reigning World Cup, Olympic and European champions.

 

In the end, the Dutch ran out healthy winners with their set piece work – two corner goals, two from strokes – proving pivotal.

 

But Ireland were right in the contest in the third quarter when Róisín Upton’s long drag found the net. It was their first goal in their last eight meetings with the Oranje, dating back to 2005, cutting the gap to 2-1 for a spell.

 

“The scoreline doesn’t necessarily tell the tale of the game,” said captain Katie Mullan afterwards.

 

“We had them at 2-1 and were under their skin. We dominated in patches and I am extremely proud of the defensive effort out there and there are so many positives for us to take from it into the next one.

 

“There’s obviously moments we didn’t win but there were moments we did win and those are the ones to go away and learn from.

 

“Right now, it’s back to the drawing board but I am extremely proud of the girls. We have four debuts today and what a spectacle to do it in. they should be so proud of their performances. They were fantastic and played as if they had far more than zero!”

AMSTERDAM 2022 Women’s World Cup Spain & Netherlands
05 Netherlands v Ireland (Pool A)
Picture: Katie Mullan
WORLDSPORTPICS COPYRIGHT FRANK UIJLENBROEK

 

Indeed, coach Sean Dancer can take plenty of heart from a tie which saw Caoimhe Perdue, Charlotte Beggs, Katie McKee and Christina Hamill all make their international debuts in an orange cauldron.

 

“It’s really special for the four girls to get their first cap against the Olympic and world champions. What an opportunity; I was really proud of them. They stood up and showed they can handle themselves on the big stage.

 

“It’s great when you can see young kids come in and make an impact from the start against world class players. I am really excited about the future ahead for them.”

 

As for Perdue, the Tipp woman was able to reflect on a special moment despite the scoreline: “It was incredible. A packed stadium like that, I have never experienced anything like it before and the atmosphere was electric.

 

“They are an amazing team and that is the standard we want to be at. Playing the best, we worked hard on our defence and we want to build on that for our next performances.

 

“The music was pretty loud in the stadium! It is really difficult and you have to be switched on the whole time. We are yelling at each other; it is hard to hear but we are getting those messages across!”

 

In the early phases, the world number one side – buoyed by a full house, buzzing on happy hardcore pre-match music – set their stall out early with Felice Albers and Lidewij Welten going close.

 

They were denied by the outstanding work of Ayeisha McFerran who made numerous full length saves while she was back up by Sarah Torrans’ brave running down the barrel at corner time. Sarah McAuley coolly cleared a number of dangerous moments while, at the far end, Torrans fired into the side-netting from Ireland’s best moment.

 

As such, the Netherlands were unable to make any of their seven first half corners count due to the compact lines being run. They did, however, eke out a stroke from an intricate move with Yibbi Jansen slipping the ball under her arm to Maria Verschoor who was upended.

 

Frédérique Matla stepped up and while her shot was not the cleanest, it found the left corner. It remained that way through to the second half when the Dutch stepped up the pressure.

 

Yibbi Jansen doubled the lead in the 35th minute from a ripping drag-flick down the glove-side before Ireland got right back into the contest. Michelle Carey’s driving runs were a feature throughout and she won the set piece from which Upton added another to her international scrapbook.

 

But just as they sniffed an upset, the Dutch broke again and won a corner which Sabine Plonissen swept home from the top of the D.

 

Matla converted another stroke with seconds to go in the third quarter after Albers was felled for 4-1. And the victory was completed when Verschoor unleashed a perfect backhand shot to the bottom left corner seconds into the final quarter.

 

Ireland now have two rest days before their vital Tuesday meeting against Chile. The South American side lost 4-1 to Germany.

 

Ireland: A McFerran, R Upton, H McLoughlin, E Curran, L Tice, C Perdue, M Carey, S Hawkshaw, K Mullan, S Torrans, D Duke

Subs: S McAuley, Z Malseed, N Carroll, C Beggs, K McKee, C Hamill, L Murphy

 

Netherlands: A Veenendaal, S Koolen, L Leurink, X de Waard, F Albers, L Welten, F Matla, P Sanders, L Nunnink, M van Geffen, R van Laarhoven

Subs: F Moes, M Keetels, M Verschoor, E de Goede, S Plonissen, Y Jansen, J Koning

 

Umpires: H Y Kang (KOR), M Giddens (USA)

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EuroHockey ID Championship – Team announcement

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce the names of the squad members going to play in the EuroHockey ID (Intellectual Disabilities) Championship in Pinoke Hockey Club, The Netherlands from 6th / 9th July 2022. With the finals being played in the Mecca for hockey, the Wagner stadium!

This is the 3rd edition of the EuroHockey ID Championships that Ireland will participate in. The First once was in 2017 when TRRHC sent a club side and since then the growth of Hockey ID has meant that in 2019 club representatives from Monkstown and TRRHC travelled. There was no event in 2021 due to COVID, but this year it’s a true testament to the work from the clubs that we now have a team with representatives from 5 clubs, Three Rock Rovers, Monkstown, Wicklow, Railway Union and Botanic.

“We are thrilled to send a strong squad to The Netherlands with many players getting their first cap for Ireland. This has given a fantastic lift to the whole Hockey ID community and we know that the whole team will do us proud” said Rachel Kelly, Team Manager, Irish Hockey ID Team.

For more information or requests for player interviews please contact: Rachel at: +353 85 777 7643

All athletes had to be over 16 and the team is mixed gender.

Follow @eurohockeyorg on Instagram and Twitter for updates of the event.

Team Ireland

Players (10)

Cameron Ward, Botanic
Charlie O Reilly, Monkstown
Joe Whelan, Three Rock Rovers
Louis Mitchell, Monkstown
Louis Olden, Monkstown
Mark Sullivan, Monkstown
Matthew Burke, Three Rock Rovers
Niamh Kiernan, Railway
Sofia Finnegan, Botanic Hockey
Tony Ryan, Wicklow Hockey

 

Coaching and Management Team (4)

Ann Murray, Botanic
Klaas Jan de Vries, Wicklow
Rachel Kelly, Monkstown
Scott Mulligan, Three Rock Rovers

 

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Curran riding crest of wave ahead of World Cup

As weeks go, Ellen Curran says there have been few better for her. Just a few hours after her inclusion in the Irish World Cup side, college results landed – a first class honours in her masters of Biomedical Engineering.

 

“Pretty much the same day – it’s been a really good week for me!” she said during the SoftCo Series against Japan, admitting the journey has not been plain sailing.

 

She earned her call-up to the Green Army in November 2016 as a teenager but found it tricky to settle in the panel. For both the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Olympic qualifiers, she was in the shake-up for selection until late in the day but missed out.

Again, at the start of 2020, she was an ever-present in the Olympic preparation camp in South Africa before Covid fell.

“It was a really difficult period. During Covid, I picked up a niggle and it impacted my performance and I did have a lull for about a year. I wasn’t really in contention for the Tokyo squad.

 

“Post-Tokyo, I was gunning for that spot at the qualifiers, made it for that tournament and subsequently took a break from the setup. I just put my mental health and it worked.

 

“I went back to my club Pembroke – becoming EY Champions and ISC finalists – and was back to finally enjoying it. I got the opportunity to come back into the setup and am now playing the best hockey I ever have.

 

“For me, personally, it’s been the most comfortable I have been in the setup. For a long time, I probably struggled with confidence within the group but I think I am really coming into it now. Maybe it just took from going from midfield into right back which is new for me but a great experience.”

 

As for the SoftCo Series, Curran has been heartened by the performances from the young Irish side against the world number 10 side who recently won the Asia Cup.

 

“We do want to win games for confidence but where we really want to win games is at the World Cup and that is the target. With this new group, we have made such progress from being in Japan to this series. The vibe is really positive, everyone is playing well and we are starting to gel at a nice time.

 

“I was surprised at the numbers of fans who have been here, given Wednesday was a 5pm start on a Wednesday! It’s brilliant to see so many people out and taking an interest before we head to the World Cup and hopefully we will see many of them over in Amsterdam.”

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