Wednesday, January 22: The EY Hockey League Division 2 for Season 2024/25 is set to kick-off this weekend with seven first round fixtures taking place across the four provinces. In the Women’s competition Monkstown host Munster champions Cork Harlequins, and Portadown play their first ever EYHL2 game against visiting Muckross in Pool A. In Pool B, Queen’s University and Lurgan will begin their campaigns with an all-Ulster matchup in The Dub, and University of Galway will welcome Leinster Champions Corinthian to Dangan.
In the Men’s competition, Pool A will see Leinster champions Railway face Kilkenny, and Cork C of I will host fellow Cork side Bandon in Garryduff. Portrane and Clontarf will face off in the only game of Pool B, with the sides well acquainted after several close encounters in provincial competitions this year.
Elsewhere, Railway Union and Old Alex will play out the first AIG Irish Senior Cup tie of 2025. The game will be played three weeks before the rest of the Round 1 fixtures as Railway Union are set to depart for the EuroHockey Indoor Club Trophy in Porto in February.
The Men’s and Women’s Irish Junior Cup Round of 16 will also take place, with the top seconds sides in the country battling for a place in the March’s Quarter Finals.
EY Hockey League Division 2
Women’s Pool A
Monkstown vs Cork Harlequins
12:20 | Rathdown School
Former EYHL side Monkstown will begin their bid to return to the topflight with what is likely to be one of their toughest games of the pool stages. Munster Division 1 champions Cork Harlequins will have lofty ambitions of their own this season having already won their provincial division with a game to go. Having come so close to promotion last season, the Cork side will undoubtedly be keen to have another crack at it again this year and are a likely play-off favourite.
Umpires: Ellie Duffy, Ben Geoghegan
Portadown vs Muckross
15:00 | Portadown
Portadown will begin their first ever EYHL2 campaign by welcoming Muckross to Edenvilla. Despite this being a new frontier for the Ulster side, their league form would suggest they will be something of a dark horse this year. Muckross will hope their trip north will be a fruitful one as they aspire to go one better than their pool stage exit last season.
Umpires: Sarah Craig, Lyn Morrow
Women’s Pool B
Queen’s University vs Lurgan
12:30 | Queen’s University
QUB and Lurgan begin with an all-Ulster clash at The Dub. Reigning Ulster Premier League Champions QUB will hope to take their first steps towards their promotion aspirations but will face a considerable challenge against Lurgan who sit just one place below them in the Ulster standings, and have considerable EYHL2 experience, having made it out of the pool last year.
Umpires: Mike Campbell, Aaron Donnell
University of Galway vs Corinthian
14:30 | Dangan
Dangan is the destination for Corinthian as they travel west to face University of Galway in the two sides’ first EYHL2 outing. The current Leinster Champions will have similar aspirations to those of Monkstown; an immediate return to the Division 1. University of Galway will be their first challenge, and despite the college side having never recorded a win in the competition, they have strengthened year-on-year and will no doubt be ready for the fight.
Umpires: Sunny Charles, Tanja Schafer
Men’s Pool A
Railway Union vs Kilkenny
13:30 | Park Avenue
Railway Union and Kilkenny play out the first of three provincial rivalries in the first round of the Men’s EYHL2. Home side Railway will fancy their chances to get off to a winning start against competition first timers Kilkenny, given their unbeaten league form prior to the winter break. Kilkenny, however, are not to be underestimated and will enter the clash with plenty of confidence given they were the only team to take points off Railway during the provincial campaign, holding them to a 1-1 draw.
Umpire: Les Allen, Neal Hermon
Cork Church of Ireland vs Bandon
14:00 | Garryduff
Two of the current top three in Munster face off in their opening games as Bandon travel to Garryduff to face Cork C of I. The sides have both came away with one win apiece in their two provincial competition encounters this season, with both games finishing 1-2 in favour of the visitors. A game that is just too close to call, this encounter could set the tone for both sides’ EYHL2 campaigns.
Umpires: Liz Clifford, Malcolm Coombes
Men’s Pool B
Portrane vs Clontarf
14:00 | Donabate Leisure Centre
The third of three provincial matchups in Round 1 pits Portrane and Clontarf against each other. Portrane have enjoyed a successful campaign thus far, coming second in Leinster, five points clear of Clontarf in third. Portrane were by far the better side in these team’s league encounter, inning 9-0 back in September, but Clontarf enjoyed a resurgance before Christmas, winning eight games in a row, including a 3-2 Nevill Cup Semi-Final win over Portrane, and a 2-1 final win over Three Rock Rovers.
Another agonisingly close tie in round 1!
Umpires: Rob Argent, Kris Cholewa
AIG Irish Senior Cup – Women
Railway Union vs Old Alex
Park Avenue | 11:30am
Railway Union and Old Alex will have the honor of playing the first game of the 2025 AIG Irish Senior Cup as the sides meet in an early encounter in Park Avenue. The teams will play their first-round match three weeks early to facilitate Railway’s involvement in the EuroHockey Club Indoor Trophy in Porto.
These sides are no strangers to each other having met twice already in the EYHL. Old Alex have arguably come away the better of the two sides, recording a 2-1 win and a 1-1 draw in their two meetings. However, Railway’s exceptional form after their rocky season start means they haven’t recorded a loss since the start of November.
Irish Junior Cup
Women’s Round of 16
UCC vs Pembroke Wanderers
Athlone vs Corinthian
Bray vs UCD
Monkstown vs Ballymoney
Pegasus vs Loreto
Old Alex vs Portadown
Catholic Institute vs Belfast Harlequins
Avoca vs Three Rock Rovers
Men’s Round of 16
Lisnagarvey vs Clontarf
Three Rock Rovers vs UCD
Annadale vs Queen’s University Belfast
Corinthian vs Cookstown
Banbridge vs North Down
Avoca vs Kilkeel
Portrane vs Cork Church of Ireland
Railway Union vs Pembroke Wanderers