Green Machine 1-7 Netherlands

Ireland 1 (O’Donoghue)

Netherlands 7 (Pruijser x2, Hertzberger x2, van Ass, van der Weerden x2)

The hosts almost got the ideal start to the tie as they picked up a loose pass at the top of the circle and won a penalty corner inside the opening 2 minutes. But Mink van der Weerden saw his drag flick expertly saved by the glove of David Harte. The Green Machine countered immediately and won a penalty corner of their own but Shane O’Donoghue’s effort was blocked by the first runner. Harte was kept busy and lived up to his tag as one of the world’s best as he saved another drag flick from specialist Jeroen Hertzberger and a close-range effort from Mirco Pruijser. The opening goal came in the 15th minute when Pruijser found himself free on the back post to tap in a pass crossed in from the right. Ireland started the second quarter strong with both Eugene Magee and O’Donoghue drawing saves from Sam van der Wen while Alan Sothern saw his shot spin just past the post. The Irish defence remained composed throughout as the Netherlands countered at pace but were unable to add to their tally before the half time break.

3 goals for the Netherlands in the third quarter changed the shape of the game, with 2 of those coming within 2 minutes of each other. Hertzberger slotted home a powerful drag flick in the 37th minute to give the home team a bit of breathing space. But O’Donoghue got Ireland onto the scoresheet as he slapped home from close range following good link up play by Sean Murray and Mitch Darling. Seve van Ass re-established the 2-goal cushion for the Netherlands as he got on the end of Robert Kemperman’s reverse pass across goal. 2 minutes later Billy Bakker won his side their fourth penalty corner and Mink van der Weerden made it 4-1. Pruijser and van der Weerden doubled their respective tally’s inside a minute of each other to add a gloss to the game for the home fans. The Green Machine continued to challenge their hosts and Magee nearly got a last-minute goal as he evaded 3 defenders but couldn’t find a team mate in the circle. Hertzberger rounded out the scoring with an unstoppable goal as he fired home a reverse shot on the volley.

Starting: D Harte (Captain), J Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, M Darling, M Robson, P Gleghorne, C Harte, S Loughrey

Subs: M Bell, A Sothern, K Shimmins, S Murray, D Fitzgerald, D Walsh, L Cole

Odisha World Cup Fixtures (all times listed are local)

30/11/18 17:00 Ireland vs Australia

4/12/18 19:00 Ireland vs China

7/12/18 19:00 Ireland vs England

10/12/18 Crossover Match

12/12/18 Quarter Final

15/12/18 Semi Final

16/12/18 Bronze Medal Match

16/12/18 Final

/by

Green Machine 1-4 Belgium

Ireland 1 (M Bell)

Belgium 4 (Denayer x2, Hendrickx, van Aubel)

Royal Evere White Star HC in Belgium played host to the Green Machine’s penultimate match ahead of the World Cup. Torrential rain fell for much of the fixture, making conditions not ideal for both sides. Belgium broke the deadlock in the opening half with a well worked goal by Felix Denayer. The Red Lions won several penalty corners in quick succession but a composed Green Machine defence dealt with the attacks. Denayer doubled his tally moments before the half time whistle to make it 2-0 to the hosts.

It didn’t take long into the second half for the Green Machine to claw a goal back, Matthew Bell was quickest to a penalty corner rebound to make it 2-1. Minutes later and Ireland had another penalty corner, this time Vincent Vanasch making a superb save and Florent van Aubel clearing off the line. Alexander Hendrickx sent a powerful dragflick goalward on the cusp of three quarter time to give his team a two-goal cushion. The Green Machine notched up 3 penalty corners but Vanasch was in fine form, and van Aubel rounded out the scoring late in the fourth quarter.

Congratulations to Sean Murray who earned his 50thcap for Ireland today.

Team: D Fitzgerald, D Harte, J Bell, M Bell, L Madeley, C Cargo, M Nelson, A Sothern, E Magee, K Shimmins, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Darling, M Robson, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, C Harte, J Duncan, L Cole, S Loughrey

Next Match:

19/11/18 19:00 Ireland vs Netherlands at Hockey Club Hurley in Amsterdam

/by

Green Machine Beat England 2-1 In Valencia

4 Nations Tournament Valencia

Ireland 2 (Walsh, Darling)

England 1(Taylor)

With 3 places separating the two sides sitting at 7thand 10thin the world this was always likely to be a close encounter. There was nothing to split the two in the opening exchanges and the first quarter saw few real chances at either end. The game came to life a bit more in the second quarter when David Harte was called into action for the first time so smother a pacey English attack. Moments later the Green Machine won their first penalty corner of the fixture but Shane O’Donoghue’s drag flick effort went just wide of George Pinner’s goal. Lee Cole picked up a green card in the 26thminute but the English couldn’t capitalise on their man advantage. Ireland won a penalty stroke in the dying moments of the first half but O’Donoghue’s shot went wide.

The deadlock was broken thanks to a powerful reverse strike from Daragh Walsh inside the opening 3 minutes of the second half. Both teams went down to 10 men with Stuart Loughrey and David Goodfield picking up green cards, but that didn’t stop Mitch Darling from doubling Ireland’s lead with a lovely goal set up by Eugene Magee. 3 penalty corners in quick succession saw England claw a goal back as Luke Taylor found the back of the net. But the men in red couldn’t find an equaliser as an experienced Green Machine side held off the world number 7 side to claim the 2-1 victory.

Starting: D Harte (Captain), J Bell, C Cargo, M Nelson, E Magee, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Darling, C Harte, L Cole, S Loughrey

Subs: L Madeley, A Sothern, K Shimmins, D Fitzgerald, D Walsh, J Duncan

4 Nations Tournament Valencia:

29/10 16:30 Ireland 2vs1 England

29/10 18:30 Spain vs Netherlands

30/10 16:30 Netherlands vs England

30/10 18:30 Spain – Ireland

01/11 16:30 Ireland – Netherlands

01/11 18:30 Spain – England

03/11 10:00 1st vs 4th

03/11 12:30 2nd vs 3rd

04/11 10:00 3rd vs 4th

04/11 12:30 Final

/by

Mens World Cup Fast Approaching

Ireland men sealed their qualification for the 2018 World Cup with a backs-to-the-wall epic encounter with New Zealand. The Green Machine emerged 1-0 winners after Alan Sothern’s goal in the 49th minute. This was a monumental effort as injuries meant the Irish bench was reduced to just two players, with all the squad putting in an extra shift.

Ireland has made two previous World Cup appearances, in 1978 and 1990, both times finishing in 12th position. In the past few years however, the Ireland side has made real headway in the rankings and in major tournament performances. In 2015 they qualified via the HWL Semi-Finals for the 2016 Olympics and in the same year they took bronze at the EuroHockey Championships. Alexander Cox’s side now sits at 10 in the world rankings and is a hockey force to be reckoned with.

Dates: November 28th – 16th December 2018

Match Schedule: Click here for the full match schedule (all times listed are local)

November 30th 5pm Australia vs Ireland

December 4th 7pm Ireland vs China

December 7th 7pm Ireland vs England

Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar India

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased by clicking here

Official Tournament Website: Click Here.

Fan Information: Click Here

/by

Ronan Gormley Formally Retires From International Hockey

Ronan Gormley, an ever-present figure for the Green Machine, has today formally announced his retirement from international hockey. Ronan amassed 256 caps for Ireland with 121 of those coming as captain of Ireland. He became the first person in Irish hockey history to reach 250 caps, cementing his place as a stalwart of the game.

Ronan wished to pay tribute to all those who had an influence on his career, on and off the pitch “First and foremost my teammates – to some extent there is a lot of luck in sport and I was lucky to be playing during a time of immense talent in Irish hockey. Not only that, but those involved went above and beyond to do things no-one expected of them, and achieve things most said they couldn’t.

In an era of ever professionalising sport thank-you to the coaches who drove this agenda: David Passmore started the ball rolling by raising standards in the Irish Men’s hockey programme. Paul Revington arrived and changed the game. The most inspirational figure I have ever encountered, he took us all to another level in what we could do, what we thought we could do and what we expected of ourselves. And finally Craig Fulton, who came in at a time when the group was dispersed and lacked direction, and through his infectious energy and enthusiasm reinstalled in us the unconditional belief that took us historically to our first ever Olympic Games Qualification. Thanks also to all the staff who backed these men and gave so much of themselves to support our development. I look back with great pride on a rise from 23rd to a high of 9th in the world, a European Bronze medal, and an Olympic Games. Thanks to all who added to and shared the journey – great friends and special memories were made!

Thanks to my clubs – Pembroke, Club de Campo and Crefeld for the opportunity to build an international network of truly great people, and thanks to the Irish hockey community who simply never stopped supporting and backing their national teams.Thank you to the Hockey Ireland and all the sporting bodies who supported us during the years. We have battled for everything we have achieved, on and off the pitch.

Thank-you to mum, dad and two sisters who deserve special mention for their unconditional support of a kid and brother living in large part with only his interests and goals in mind!

Last but not least thanks to my own growing family – Javi, Tiago and Ayla – for the support to date and the fun in the years to come”.

Ronan remains an avid supporter as he concluded “A special congrats to the Irish Ladies for their heroic feat in the summer, and all the best to the Men in India – will very much enjoy from my vantage point on the sofa!”

All at Hockey Ireland thank Ronan for his service to the Green Machine over the last decade and a half, and wish him every success in the future.

/by

Additional Funding Announced Following World Cup Success

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross, T.D., and the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin, T.D., today announced the allocation of €1.75million in additional funding for high performance sport. The Board of Sport Ireland has agreed that the funding should be allocated to National Governing Bodies and other sporting bodies to assist athletes’ preparations for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.

Announcing the funding, Minister Ross said: “We have seen some truly extraordinary achievements over the past few weeks, with medal success for our Women’s Hockey Team, as well as Irish rowers, sprinters, para-cyclists and gymnasts. Recognising the success of our sportsmen and women, who do so much to inspire Irish children and young people, I am delighted to announce this additional funding for high performance programmes across a range of sports.

As I indicated previously, a significant proportion – some €500,000 – of this funding is being allocated to Hockey Ireland and I have no doubt that they will continue to build upon their remarkable successes of recent years”

Speaking about the announcment Hockey Ireland’s CEO, Jerome Pels said ‘Hockey Ireland is absolutely delighted with today’s announcement of additional funding of €500,000. This is a great addition to the already substantial high-performance funding we have received for 2018, which included a special grant for World Cup participation. We are very grateful for the continued support of Sport Ireland in providing funding, facilities and services that allow our players to play at the highest level of our sport. This is fantastic news helping Hockey to progress towards Olympic Qualification and a good result in Tokyo.’

/by

Irish Women up to 8th in the World

The Irish women’s senior team has climbed 8 places in the FIH World Rankings on the back of their silver medal success at the FIH World Cup in London.

Prior to the tournament, Ireland, ranked 16th, was the second lowest ranked side at the event. Wins over USA (ranked 7th) and India (10th) in the group stages, followed by penalty shoot-out wins again over India and then Spain (11th), on their way to the final meant that Ireland are now ranked 8th in the world.

World Cup champions, the Netherlands, have tightened their grip on top spot with England remaining 2nd. Australia has now moved to 3rd at the expense of Argentina who drop a place to 4th. The other big movers were the Spanish, who climb to 7th after beating Australia in the bronze medal match.

/by

Green Army Win World Cup Silver

Vitality Hockey World Cup Final, London

Ireland 0

Netherlands 6 (Welten, Jonker, van Male, Pheninckx, Keetels, van Maasakker)

It was always going to be a tough task against the world number 1 side in sweltering heat but the Green Army were in their usual determined form. The opening goal came in a crowded circle in the 7thminute when Lidewij Welten spun her marker and shot home from close range.

Anna O’Flanagan and Nicci Daly were causing the Dutch some trouble down the left wing but the experienced Dutch defence kept the circle entries to a minimum. Kelly Jonker doubled her sides lead in the 19thminute as she sent a rocket into the corner from her reverse shot.

The Netherlands notched up 5 penalty corners in the opening half but the corner runners weren’t giving the Dutch any time and drag flicks were sent high and wide until Kitty van Male picked up a loose ball from an initial penalty corner block and swept into the corner. A minute later and Malou Pheninckx found herself free in the circle and smashed the ball high into the net to put her side 4-0 in front at the half.

The start of the second half didn’t go according to plan as Welten broke into the circle in the 32ndminute and slipped the ball to Marloes Keetels free in front of goal for the tap in. Caia van Maasakker made it 6 from a penalty corner drag high into the corner. Chloe Watkins, winning her 200thcap today, was appearing all over the pitch as she poached the ball from the Dutch and then looked to set up attacks on the counter. The best chance of the quarter came from a Dutch penalty corner mistrap that saw Ireland break at pace and Deidre Duke pick up the ball in the circle but good scramble defence by the Netherlands so them win possession back. There was no lack of effort from the Green Army as they defended resiliently, and Lizzie Colvin and Katie Mullan were at the core of several turnovers as Ireland chased a goal. Daly was the first to test Anna Veenendaal as she darted into the circle and smashed the ball goalward but the shot was well saved. 2 penalty corners in quick succession for the Dutch were duly dealt with as Roisin Upton saved one off the line and Shirley McCay threw her body in front of another to see Margot van Geffen’s shot go high.

Netherlands ran out deserved winners but the Green Army cemented their place in history with World Cup silver and Ayeisha McFerran was rightly named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

Graham Shaw, head coach, said “Netherlands are an outstanding side with world class players, we can be so proud to stand here and say we came second in the world. It’s an incredible achievement, and I think when the girls reflect back they will see what a remarkable achievement this is. There’s not many people back home in Ireland that can say they have a World silver medal. This is just so special and I could not be more proud of them”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan, S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, E Tice, E Beatty, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland 0vs1 England 29/7/18 7pm

Quarter Final Ireland 0vs0 India (3-1 in shootout) 2/8/18 6pm

Semi Final Ireland 1vs1 Spain. Shootout: Ireland 3v2 Spain 4/8/18 2pm

World Cup Final Ireland 0vs6 Netherlands 5/8/18 4:30pm

/by

Green Army Homecoming Information

The World Cup silver medal winning squad will arrive into Dublin Airport at 12:30/12:45 tomorrow in Terminal 1.

Hockey fans and supporters will get their chance to celebrate with the Irish Women’s Hockey Team following their recent success at the Women’s Hockey World Cup. A special event hosted by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Nial Ring and Dublin City Council will be held for the team and supporters tomorrow (Monday, 6th August) at 3pm on Dame St. Access from 2pm will be from Dame St or South Great Georges St.

On behalf of Dublin City Council, the team will be welcomed onto the stage at 3p.m. by the Lord Mayor and other dignitaries.

This is a family-friendly alcohol-free event. Dublin City Council asks people to use public transport when travelling to and from the event..

Dublin City Council is hosting this event to give supporters a chance to congratulate the team on their success on reaching the final of the Women’s Hockey World Cup. There might even be a sing song!

Traffic restrictions will be in place from 10:00 hours on Monday, 6th August in the vicinity of Dame St and surrounding streets.

/by

Green Army Going To The World Cup Final!

Vitality Hockey World Cup, London

Ireland 1(O’Flanagan)

Spain 1 (Magaz)

Penalty Shootout:

Ireland 3 (Pinder x2, Watkins)

Spain 2 (Oliva, Riera)

The Green Army have beaten Spain in a penalty shootout to secure their place in the World Cup Final.

It was the dream start for the Green Army as Katie Mullan sent the ball into the circle and won the first penalty corner of the game. Shirley McCay swept the ball from the top of the circle and Anna O’Flanagan slipped her marker and deflected past Maria Ruiz to give her side the lead in the 3rdminute. The pace and precision of the Green Army didn’t let up and Gillian Pinder won her side’s second penalty corner before the end of the first quarter. A straight strike from the top by Ali Meeke was well saved by Maria Ruiz as O’Flanagan lurked in front looking for another deflection. Julia Pons sent a deflection at the other end just past the post as Spain settled into the game, likewise Carola Salvatella sent an unconventional shot just wide. The Green Army defence continued their impenetrable form with Shirley McCay and Hannah Matthews frustrating the Spanish forward line and limiting any further clear cut chances. Ireland ended the half the better of the two sides with Deidre Duke sending a reverse strike inches wide and then combining with Nikki Evans to win Ireland’s third penalty corner. Matthews sweep from the top was saved by Ruiz and Ireland went in at half time holding their 1-0 lead.

It took just 2 minutes into the second half for Mullan to win her sides 4thpenalty corner but the variation didn’t quite come off as McCay sent the ball to the right looking for Mullan on the post. 2 minutes later and it looked like Spain had their first penalty corner but a smart referral by Matthews saw the ball was lifted high and the Green Army won the free out. Spain began to up the pressure as the half progressed and got their equaliser in the 39thminute from a ball crossed in to Alicia Magaz who scored from close range. The stats show that Spain had 21 circle entries as they chased the winner with Lucia Jimenez sending her shot over the crossbar. Mullan won her side a penalty corner in the final 2 minutes but Zoe Wilson’s sweep was saved off the line by Rocio Gutierrez and the sides were destined for a shoot-out.

It was Pinder who was the hero as she scored her first shot and then her second in sudden death in the 6thround. In between those two vital moments though Watkins scored in the 5thround and Ayeisha McFerran was unbeatable in 4 of Spain’s attempts. Pinder’s second goal secured the 3-2 victory and put the Green Army in their first ever World Cup Final!

Graham Shaw, head coach said “This performance was testament to the character and belief in our team. It was warm out there, and I thought we looked the stronger side in the final minutes, and that’s down to the fitness of this team and how hard they work. This is just amazing and hopefully this will be a changing moment in our sport. I could not be more proud of this team, they deserve every bit of this”.

Starting: N Evans, K Mullan (Captain), S McCay, G Pinder, R Upton, A McFerran, C Watkins, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson

Subs: G O’Flanagan, Y O’Byrne, M Frazer, E Tice, N Daly, D Duke, A Meeke

Ireland’s Pool B Vitality Hockey World Cup Fixtures:

Ireland 3vs1 USA 21/7/18 6pm

Ireland 1vs0 India 26/7/18 2pm

Ireland 0vs1 England 29/7/18 7pm

Quarter Final Ireland 0vs0 India (3-1 in shootout) 2/8/18 6pm

Semi Final Ireland 1vs1 Spain. Shootout: Ireland 3v2 Spain 4/8/18 2pm

World Cup Final Ireland vs Netherlands or Australia 5/8/18 4:30pm

PHOTO:GETTY/FIH

/by