IRISH HOCKEY CHALLENGE FINAL (WOMEN)
KILKEEL 3 BANGOR 3 [BANGOR WIN 3-2 IN SHOOT-OUT]
A very historic weekend for the Kilkeel Hockey Club saw their women’s team take part in the first final of the day, the Irish Hockey Challenge Women’s competition decider. As fate would have it, it was an all Ulster, all County Down match up, against Bangor. The match was the first of three finals being played at the home venue of Lisnagarvey in Hillsborough, County Down so neither side had a particularly long distance to travel for the final.
This closely fought game went all the way to a shootout before the teams could be separated. Bangor took the lead in the 15th minute through a goal from Hannah Lawden from open play 1-0. They increased their lead when Ruby Monaghan scored from open play to make it 2-0 to Bangor in the 28th minute. Kilkeel finally got on the score sheet on the half hour mark when Melissa Sloan converted a penalty corner to make it 2-2. Mellissa Sloan got her second penalty corner of the match in the 45th minute to make it 2-2. Leah Houston restored the lead for Kilkeel in the 56th minute when she converted a penalty corner in the 56th minute. But Louise McKibben ensured extra time when she equalised for Bangor in the 65th minute from another converted penalty corner.A shoot-out ensued. Bangor scored three of their efforts and Kilkeel scored two of their efforts. So Bangor are the Irish Women’s Hockey Challenge winners for 2023-24.
KILKEEL: Sophie Annett [c] (GK); Grace Mc Bride; Kasey Nicholson ; Leah Houston ; Nicole Annett; Isabelle Coulter ; Megan Poland ; Rachel Holmes ; Anna Chestnutt; Kerri Morris; Melissa Sloan; SUBS USED:- Sarah Annett [14 mins] ; Kate Niblock [18 mins] ; Erin McCullagh [ 25 mins]:
BANGOR:- Amber Dempster (GK); Ruby Monaghan ; Erin McKiley ; Stephanie Mitcell ; Lucy Mc Naught; Brooke Stranaghan; Hannah Boyd; Louise McKibben ; Hannah Grant ; Molly Brett ; Ellen Dines; SUBS USED ; Hannah Lawden [13 mins ; Matilda Urry [ 14 mins] ; Rachel Groves [ 17 mins] ; Vanessa Monaghan [23 mins]; Anne Jackson [ 27 mins];
IRISH HOCKEY TROPHY FINAL (WOMEN)
LISNAGARVEY 3 GLENANNE 3 [LISNAGARVEY WIN 4-3 IN SHOOT-OUT]
A second dramatic final on the day which went all the way to a shoot-out ensured the spectators who came for the day got value-for-money entertainment. The three finals taking place at Comber Road today were not the only reasons this was a special weekend for the Hillsborough club. The presence of their women’s team in this Women’s Irish Hockey Trophy Final was another reason for this to be special. And when you factor the presence of their men’s seconds in tomorrow’s Men’s Irish Junior Cup Final in Belfield, its a very special weekend indeed.
Glenanne took the lead in this game when Paula Fitzpatrick converted a 16th minute penalty corner for 1-0. Lisnagarvey’s Scarlett Rebecca Swann equalised with a converted penalty of her own in the 20th minute. It was 1-1 at half-time. Beth McFerran gave Lisnagarvey the lead with a 38th minute goal from open play to make it 2-1. Aimee Christie converted a penalty stroke in the 48th minute to put Lisnagarvey 3-1 ahead. And that was the score at the end of the third quarter. Glenanne struck back in the fourth quarter. Kate O’ Connor converted a penalty corner in the 59th minute to make it 3-2 and got an equaliser from another converted penalty corner in the 69th minute to send the match into the 1 v 1 Penalty shoot-out.
Each side missed efforts but at the end of the shoot-out Lisnagarvey had scored 4 and Glenanne had only scored 3. The Irish Hockey Trophy for Women is going to be in the Lisnagarvey Trophy Cabinet for the next year.
LISNAGARVEY :- Charlie Bowman [ GK] ; Megan Robinson; Chloe McCluskey; Aimee Christie ; Beth McFerran ; Scarlett Rebecca Swann [C]; Rebecca Rachel Quinn; Victoria Kennedy; Jessica Moore; Laura Murray SUBS USED:- Lara Wilson [ 6 mins] ; Chrissy Hopkins [ 10 mins ]; Lauren Mulholland [ 11 mins] ; Shannon King [ 18 mins] :
GLENANNE :- Rachel Barnett (GK); Kate O’Connor ; Sadie Lanigan; Audrey Westlake; Fiona Walshe; Trish O’Donoghue; Clare Shillington; Naia Paredes Byrne ; Ciara Vincent; Caoilin Dunne; Aoife McCarthy SUBS USED:- Roisin Doody (C) [ 7 mins]; Paula Fitzpatrick [7 mins] ; Hannah Quinn[ 7 mins]; Hannah Morrin [ 13 mins]; Isabella Bolger [19 mins]
IRISH HOCKEY TROPHY FINAL (MEN)
NORTH DOWN 2 KILKEEL 6
Kilkeel had two teams in action in Comber Road on the day. Their women came up short in the Women’s Irish Hockey Challenge Final which opened proceedings on Saturday losing in a shoot-out. The men made sure that Kilkeel Hockey Club would not leave Comber Road empty handed by winning the Men’s Irish Hockey Trophy Final beating fellow County men and Ulster side North Down in the final.
Luke Russell opened the scoring for Kilkeel with a goal from open play in the 20th minute for 1-0. North Down equalised when Gareth McKeown converted a 23rd minute penalty corner for 1-1. Luke Russell restored Kilkeel’s lead when he converted a 33rd minute penalty corner and they led 2-1 at half-time. In the third quarter Kilkeel established their dominance when Mark Stevenson converted a penalty corner in the 41st minute for 3-1 and David Finlay increased the lead to 4-1 scoring from open play in the 45th minute. At the end of the third quarter Kilkeel led 4-1. Jordan McCartan made it 5-1 for the Kilkeel side in the 59th minute from a converted penalty corner. North Down got a 62nd minute consolation score from a converted penalty corner for 5-2 but the final score of the game fell to Kilkeel when Jonathan Aiken converted a penalty corner in the 67th minute to leave the final score 6-2.
NORTH DOWN:- Darren Rodgers (GK); Johnny Linter; Ross Blair; Josh Gilmore; Gareth Bailie; Jordan Linter; Ross Linter; Philip Wilson [C]; Connor Tweedie; Matthew Bruce; Gareth McKeown; SUBS USED:- Jamie Orr [ 8 mins] ; Henry Templeton [ 9 mins] ; David Morris [ 18 mins] ; Scott Moore [ 32 mins] ; Mark Linter [ 36 mins];
KILKEEL :- Christopher Mc Kee [GK] ; Gary Niblock ; David Finlay ; Neil Stevenson ; Jordan McCartan; William Annett ; John Finlay ; Graham Ashton ; David Glenny ; Gareth Russell ; Mark Stevenson [C];
SUBS USED :- Luke Russell [ 9 mins] David Rae [ 9 mins] ; Mark Henning [ 13 mins]; Jonathan Aiken [14 mins] ; Andrew Wilson [ 33 mins] ; Taylor Mc Connell.
