Wednesday, April 23: A massive weekend of opportunity for many teams lies ahead as our EY Hockey League Division 2 sides reach their Play-Off Finals weekend with promotion on the line, while our third to sixth place finishers in the EYHL play a crunch game for a ticket in the prestigious EY Champions Trophy Finals Weekend.
Kicking things off on Saturday morning is our Men’s EYHL2 Play-Off Semi-Finals in St Columba’s College, Dublin. Cork C of I face Portrane, as perennial promotion hopefuls C of I hope this might finally be their year as they come up against a Portrane side that dominated their Pool, despite this being just their second ever appearance in the competition. Immediately after, two Semi-Finalists from the 2023/24 EYHL2 Play-Offs return as Cookstown face Cork Harlequins as both clubs look to secure promotion having missed out last year.
In the afternoon, the Women’s EYHL2 Play-Off Semi-Finals take centre stage in St Columba’s as former topflight sides Corinthian and Monkstown come up against promotion hopefuls Portadown and Queen’s University respectively. For Portadown, they will hope they can go all the way in their first ever EYHL2 season, while Queen’s University will do everything they can to finally secure topflight status after several near misses in their five EYHL2 appearances.
Elsewhere, in the Men’s EY Champions Trophy Play-Offs, third place finisher Banbridge face Avoca in Havelock Park, while fourth place Monkstown host fifth place YMCA as the sides look to join Lisnagarvey and Three Rock Rovers for the Men’s EY Champions Trophy Finals Weekend.
In the Women’s EY Champions Trophy, Catholic Institute meet Old Alex in Rosbrien after the two sides finished fourth and fifth, while third place Ulster Elks face fellow Ulster side Pegasus who finished sixth in the league standings. The winners of each will join Loreto and Railway Union in the Women’s EY Champions Trophy Finals weekend.
The Men’s and Women’s EY Champions Trophy Finals Weekend will take place in Havelock Park, Banbridge on May 3 & 4.
EY Hockey League Division 2 Play-Offs – Men
Semi-Finals
Cork C of I vs Portrane
10:30 | St Columba’s College
Having played in the EYHL2 in just one other season, Portrane have enjoyed an exceptional campaign to date, bossing Pool B to put themselves in with a chance of promotion. They face a Cork C of I side who have been here before and will be hoping this is the year they can finally turn their topflight ambitions into a reality. Both sides have tasted defeat on just one occasion in the EYHL2 this season, with Portrane boasting the slightly better record with seven wins to C of I’s five. To make things even more interesting, both sides possess a multitude of players capable of finding the net, with the likes of Anthony Glutz, Ross Hetem and Sean Graham all among the scorers for Portrane, and Ian Balding, Tiarnan Gaffney and Rob Olden all capable of finding the net for C of I. This tie may come down to who can manage the occasion better and who folds under the pressure.
Umpires: Malcolm Coombes, Neil Mackay
Cork Harlequins vs Cookstown
12:30 | St Columba’s College
Both Cork Harlequins and Cookstown were among last season’s EYHL2 Semi-Finalists with both missing out on promotion by the finest of margins. But defeat last year seems to have only spurred these sides on further to get the job done this year. But only one can progress.
Cookstown’s undefeated record holds them in good stead going into the game, with the side scoring the most goals and conceding the fewest in the EYHL2. Their source of goals is well distributed across the side, with ten different goalscorers netting this campaign. Greg Allen will be the player to look for though having bagged 10 goals in the competition.
Cork Harlequins are slightly different, but equally as dangerous. Their goalscoring threat comes primarily from forward Julian Dale. Dale yet again leads the competition scoring charts, grabbing fifteen in this season’s Pool Stages and a goal in Harlequins’ Play-Off Quarter Final against Bandon. He’s responsible for well over half of their goals and if he is given opportunities on the day, he’ll certainly get himself on the scoresheet.
Umpires: Bruce Bale, Robert Johnston.
EY Hockey League Division 2 Play-Offs – Women
Semi-Finals
Corinthian vs Portadown
14:45 | St Columba’s College
It’s youth versus experience as former EYHL side Corinthian face new kid on the block Portadown in a straight battle for promotion.
Both Portadown and Corinthian have impressed this season, with the former topping their Pool in their first ever campaign, and the latter looking just as capable at competing at the highest level despite several departures and a change in head coach entering the 2024/25 season.
These sides have met once before this season, an AIG Irish Senior Cup KO16 match-up. A Penalty Shoot-out was needed to separate the sides, with Corinthian coming out on top in that meeting, an experience that may have an influence on the outcome of this game.
Umpires: Fiona Davitt, Alison Keogh
Monkstown vs Queen’s University
16:45 | St Columba’s College
With an Ulster Premier League title already secured and a chance at promotion just days away, Queen’s University face one more challenge as they look to cap off a strong season with a place in the topflight. That challenge comes in the form of a resurgent Monkstown side who themselves have every intention of returning to the EYHL with a win on Saturday.
Both sides have been almost faultless in the EYHL2 campaigns to date, with both recording just 1 loss in the EYHL2. The difference though could well be in prior experience, with Monkstown having done this all before, while Queen’s have been in several Play-Offs and missed out on each occasion.
Umpires: Aaron Donnell, Zoe Hall
EY Champions Trophy – Men
Quarter Finals
Monkstown vs YMCA
14:20 | Rathdown School
The first of two Men’s Quater finals sees fourth place finishers Monkstown face fifth place YMCA in an all- Dublin battle for a place in the EY Champions Trophy Finals Weekend.
With an almost identical league record and similar route to goalscoring, that being primarily through the Penalty Corner abilities of Lee Cole (Monkstown) and Adam Walker (YMCA), this game is exceptionally tough to call. Monkstown, however, edge things in terms of recent form, being unbeaten in their last four games with wins over Banbridge and Corinthian, while YMCA enter after two wins and two losses.
Umpires: Rob Argent, Russell Donaldson
Banbridge vs Avoca
14:30 | Havelock Park
Current EY Champions Trophy title holders Banbridge will hope to retain their title this season with a resurgence when it matters most, beginning with a Quarter Final play off with Avoca. A difficult spell at the end of the season saw Banbridge lose two games in a row for the first time in a very long time in domestic competitions, but the EY Champions Trophy offers them an opportunity at redemption.
Avoca will no doubt see Banbridge’s recent form as an opportunity. The Dublin side have had a very different end to their season, with two wins, two draws and a loss in their last five games enough to see them climb into the EY Champions Trophy Play-Off places in the final round. But they will have no intention of ending things there.
Umpires: Simon MacAllister, Shane O’Donnell
EY Champions Trophy – Women
Quarter Finals
Catholic Institute vs Old Alex
12:45 | Rosbrien
Some shock results in the final rounds have set up a very interesting encounter in Rosbrien as Old Alex travel to face Catholic Institute.
Both Catholic Institute and Old Alex have been defensively solid particularly since returning to the pitch after the Christmas break, with Institute conceding just four goals in their last five league games, while Old Alex have conceded five. Similarly, neither side have scored in abundance with Old Alex narrowly edging that with six goals to five.
Old Alex, though, enter the encounter the more confident of the two sides having held Loreto to a draw in the final round in a game that, depending on who you ask, they could have or even should have won. Catholic Institute meanwhile suffered defeat to Pegasus in Round 18 on home soil, their first loss in Rosbrien all season. Could Old Alex be the second to grab a win i the tricky ground? Only time will tell.
Umpires: Ellie Duffy, Ian Strange
Ulster Elks vs Pegasus
14:00 | Havelock Park
An all-Ulster battle in the second Women’s EY Champions Trophy Quarter Final pits Ulster Elks against Pegasus for the opportunity to play Railway Union in the Semi-Finals the following week in Havelock Park.
Having narrowly missed out on a Play-Off place last season, Elks have proven themselves to be one of the top sides in the country, securing a third-place finish in the league. Their strong run in of three wins, one draw and one loss in their final five stands them in good stead going into Saturday’s tie. However, they face a Pegasus team that have made a name for themselves by being tough to beat. Having squeezed into sixth on the final day with their win over Catholic Institute, they’ll no doubt have a point to prove.
Umpires: Oli Brown, Sarah Craig