Monday, February 23: Irish sides Three Rock Rovers and Railway Union enjoyed successful trips to compete in EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy campaigns, while a strong cohort of officials were also selected to officiate across the competitions.
Three Rock Rovers put in a strong performance in Vienna in their EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy campaign, securing the results required to maintain their status in the second-tier competition for next year.
Three Rock began their Pool A matches with a thrilling 5-5 encounter with Portugal’s AD Lousada. Having trailed 5-1 at the end of Q3, Three Rock stormed to 5-5 with Ross Canning, James Walker and Ryan Williams finding the net. A late penalty corner gave Three Rock the chance to win it, but Lousada kept them out and the sides shared the points.
A tough encounter with hosts Post SV Wien, with Three ROck looking on course to record their first win having scored twice in the final quarter to lead 3-2 with two minutes remaining. But a quickfire set of goals from Post flipped the game on its head, as a penalty corner and a goal from open play handed the points to the Austrian club.
Turkiye’s Gaziantep Polisgücü SK, were Three Rock’s final opponent of the pool stage, and proved to be their toughest opponents, securing a 6-2 result.
Two crucial ranking matches closed out the campaign, first facing Poland’s LKS Gasawa. Having led by two goals, Three Rock saw their lead quickly flipped on its head as Gasawa scored three unanswered goals going into the final minutes. Ryan Williams was Three Rock’s saviour, scoring in the final minute to secure a crucial point.
A dramatic final tie against Denmark’s Slagelse HC saw Three Rock lead 3-2 in the final quarter thanks to a James Walker hattrick. Luke Madeley extended their lead to 4-2, Slagelse pulled a goal back and Ryan Williams responded to restore the two-goal cushion. Slagelse again reduced the deficit to a single goal but Three Rock held out to secure a much-deserved win and maintain their EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy status.
A week later, it was Railway’s turn to take to the European stage, representing Ireland at the EuroHockey Club Indoor Trophy in Lambersart, France.
Railway opened their campaign being awarded a win against Gaziantep Doruk SK. The Turkish side were forced to forfeit the match after fielding ineligible players, handing Railway Union a 5-0 win.
Two tough games against hosts Iris Hockey Lambersart and Watsonians HC followed, with Lambersart taking a 6-3 win, and Watsonians walking away as 7-3 victors despite strong performances from Railway.
Railway, however, hit their stride during their raking matches. First up was Italian side SG Amsicora ASD. Amsicora broke the deadlock early, but Railway’s Maedbh Le Roux was on hand to draw her side level from a penalty corner. Sarah Patton gave Railway the lead before half-time but their opponents responded, levelling the game early in the third quarter. Railway held their nerve to finish strongly, with Sarah Patton and Maedbh Le Roux both scoring their second goals of the game to put the match out of reach and record a 4-2 win.
Railway finished out their European campaign with a confident 6-0 win over HC Olten. A pair of goals in the first half from Amy Benson gave Railway the perfect platform to build from before Niamh Gowing extended the lead to three early into the second half. Maedbh Le Roux scored yet again from a penalty corner to take the lead to four, before Amy Benson grabbed her hattrick, followed by a fourth goal for herself and a sixth for Railway to close out the tie.
The performance saw Railway retain Ireland’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy status for 2027, with Ards taking their place in the competition next year having won the Indoor Finals earlier this month.
Elsewhere, Ireland were very well represented among the officials at the EuroHockey Club Indoor competitions, with 5 people travelling across Europe for the various events.
In Spain, David Acheson got the honours of being appointed as a judge in the Men’s Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup, the top-tier men’s indoor club competition. He helped oversee ten games across the competition, including the final, acting as a technical official, scoring judge and timing judge.
Elsewhere in Vienna, Colm Kavanagh was appointed as an umpire for the Men’s Indoor Club Trophy officiating four games including the decider between Post SV Wien and Iris Hockey Lambersart.
Sarah Ingram travelled to Poland where she was appointed as a judge for the Women’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Cup, the top-tier women’s indoor club competition. Sarah also oversaw ten games including one of the semi-finals and a bronze medal match, acting as a scoring judge, technical officer and timing judge.
Finally, Tanja Schafer and Sarah Craig travelled to Lambersart, France for the Women’s EUroHockey Indoor Club Trophy. Tanja acted as Umpire Manager for the tournament, while Sarah Craig was appointed as an umpire to three games, including the decider between AHTC Wien and Irish Hockey Lambersart.