Both IRL U18 Girls and Boys return victorious as European II Champions.
Monday, July 21 – Dublin: The IRL U16 and U18 Pathway competitions concluded this weekend as the teams completed their summer tours. The IRL U18 Girls and Boys both returned to home soil as European Champions, securing the EuroHockey U18 Championship II titles, while the U16 Girls and Boys enjoyed a very positive experience in Houten, facing off against some of Europe’s top nations.
IRL U16 Boys
The IRL U16 Boys and Girls travelled to Houten; a hockey hotbed near Utrecht, the Netherlands, to compete in the Rabo-8 Nation. Both teams faced the underage teams of some of Europe’s top hockey nations, such as Germany, the Netherlands, England and Spain.
The IRL U16 Boys began their campaign brightly, grabbing a point from their meeting with the hosts, the Netherlands, in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Some exceptional finishing in front of goal, and expert defending saw Ireland lead the game, with the Netherlands eventually clawing their way back level in the closing stages. Ireland held firm to keep the scoring at 3-3 and take the point.
Challenging encounters with England and Germany in their remaining pool games didn’t go Ireland’s way despite very positive performances, with England emerging 3-0 victors and Germany coming away with a 4-1 win.
The IRL U16 boys progressed to their crossover games, bouncing back immediately with a slick performance against Poland, five different players getting on the scoresheet to lift Ireland to a comprehensive 5-0 win. A final outing against Scotland didn’t quite go their way, despite another determined performance, with Ireland coming out the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline.
IRL U16 Girls
Drawn in a tough group, the IRL U16 girls put in three very spirited performances in their Pool A matchups with the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, unfortunately coming out on the losing end in each.
However, the crossover matches were when the IRL U16 Girls came into their own. The team faced Poland in their penultimate game, coming away with a 3-2 win thanks to goals from Alannah Thornton, Lily May Kelleher and Lucy Megaw. They backed this up with a second 3-2 win in their final outing, beating Scotland thanks to goals from Bonnie Connor Boyd, Alannah Thornton, and Laura Keogh.
IRL U18 Girls
A flawless five-game campaign from the IRL U18 Girls saw them soar to the EuroHockey U18 Championship II title in Glasgow, securing promotion to the 2027 EuroHockey U18 Championships in the process.
Ireland were ruthless throughout their pool stage matches, putting nine past Lithuania, five past Austria, and six past Türkiye as they topped their group in style and booked their place in the semi-finals.
They set-up an encounter with Pool A runners-up Czechia, Ireland scoring after just four minutes. But Czechia responded immediately after half-time, drawing level to pile the pressure on. Ireland continued to ask questions of the Czech defence from open play and penalty corners but couldn’t find a way through, until Isla Allen capitalised on a save from a penalty corner to find some space in the circle and fire in at the near post. Evie Girvan sealed the win just moments later, guaranteeing Ireland’s promotion and booking a place in the final, where they met hosts Scotland.
Another superb start for Ireland saw them attack with real purpose from the off, early penalty corners providing chances that just went awry, before a penalty stroke was presented to Rebekah Lennon to break the deadlock in Ireland’s favour. Much like in their semi-final though, Scotland had a response, drawing level from open play four minutes into the second quarter.
The half-time break gave Ireland the chance to make the necessary tactical adjustments and refocus. An opportunity for Hollai Quinn restored Ireland’s lead as she flicked past the Scottish keeper on her reverse. Quinn grabbed her second, sealing the win for Ireland from a penalty corner just 7 minutes later.
Alongside the trophy, Ireland’s Evie Girvan also secured the Top Scorer honours, netting an incredible seven times in the tournament.
IRL U18 Boys
The IRL U18 Boys recovered superbly from an early setback to storm to the EuroHockey U18 Championship II title in Alanya, Türkiye, securing promotion to the 2027 EuroHockey U18 Championships in the process.
A challenging opening fixture saw Ireland suffer a surprising 1-0 loss to Italy. But the result seemed to only spur the team on, as they recovered to come second in their group, scoring 13 unanswered goals in their wins over the hosts and Wales.
Pool B winners Austria were Ireland’s opponents in the semi-final, with Ireland carrying their positive momentum into this game to lead 2-0 after the first quarter. A third goal put Ireland well in the driving seat before half-time, with a red card for Austria and a fourth for Ireland putting the game to bed. A late consolation for Austria saw Ireland progress to the final, and secure promotion, with a comprehensive 4-1 win.
It was an opportunity for vengeance for Ireland in the final, as they faced Italy. John Cunningham set Ireland on their way with an early penalty corner goal, before adding a second in the 19th minute. Italy clawed a goal back two minutes later, but Ireland cancelled it out in the third quarter to restore their three-goal cushion. A trio of goals in the final quarter was the icing on the cake, as Ireland showed their dominance with a 6-2 win.
John Cunningham was amongst the individual honours, picking up the Player of the Tournament and Top Scorer accolade, scoring 11 goals in five games.
