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National Indoor champions to be crowned on Sunday

The National Indoor Trophy champions will be decided on Sunday evening with four men’s and four women’s clubs vying for glory at Gormanston Park

The series starts on Sunday morning with the men’s semi-finals between Three Rock Rovers against Cookstown at 9.45am with Banbridge up against Railway Union at 10.45am. The winners will advance to the final at 3.45pm with the third place playoff on at 2pm.

The women’s semis follow on court with Muckross up against Ards (11.45am) and Railway facing Galway (12.45pm) with the prize a 5pm final with the third place match at 2.45pm.

For the men’s competition, Three Rock and Banbridge qualified as the Leinster and Ulster champions, respectively, with their opponents reaching the final four as runners-up.

Rovers were 8-3 victors over Railway Union having won all their group phases and advanced to the Leinster final with an 8-2 success over Monkstown.

In the final, it was a tight affair in the first half with Railway keeping pace in the first half with the tie 3-3 before netting five goals in succession with a hat trick from Jody Hosking.

They also feature Irish international Ross Canning while with Club an der Alster outfielder Jonas Althusmann an influential guest star.

For Railway, Stephen O’Keeffe is the outstanding Irish goalkeeper in this format, starring in the series against Scotland after Christmas while they have a wealth of experience to call on from Kenny Carroll, Brendan Parsons and Rob Abbott.

In Ulster, Banbridge took their regional crown last Sunday, winning three out of their four games in a three-team group and drawing the other against runners-up Cookstown in their final game.

The Bann line-up features outdoor international Jonny McKee who may have picked up a few tips during his time in Germany with Luke Roleston donning the pads, Sam Farson, Luke Witherow and Andrew Tinney helping power their success last weekend.

Cookstown were second in Ulster and bring with them two newly capped Irish internationals to their line-up, Jack Haycock and Mark Crooks, who will be looking to bring that know-how to bear. Their guest stars are Daniel Nelson and David Rae.

In the women’s competition, Galway were the first side to qualify for the finals weekend when they prevailed in the Tighe Cup in Connacht, winning the final five-team tournament.

Crucially, they prevailed in the final against Greenfields with Fiona Kelly’s hat trick underpinning a 5-3 success, allowing captain Elaine Carey to lift the cup. They are now looking to win the national title for the second time in their history having succeeded in 2008.

Their opponents at the reigning champions Railway who won in 2019 and 2020 and have backed that up with a Leinster victory last weekend with a dramatic 6-5 win over Muckross.

Hannah de Burgh Whyte was the game-breaker, scoring a corner in the last two minutes, crowning a big closing salvo after Muckross had led 5-4. Holly Jenkinson captains the side with fellow indoor internationals Sarah and Orla Patton and Lily Lloyd giving them plenty of options.

Muckross have internationals of their own with Irish stars Sophie Barnwell and Becky McMullen joined by Julia Balcerzak who played for Poland against Ireland in January. 

Ards – national champions from 2012 to 2018 – won the Ulster title from a three-team competition. On the opening day, they ran up 15 goals in wins over Queen’s and Coleraine and followed up last weekend with a 4-4 draw against Queen’s before getting the best of Coleraine 7-2 in the repeat fixtures.

Andrea Desneaux weighed in with eight goals with Frankie Brown nabbing seven across that series.

The semi-finals and finals will be streamed live on the Hockey Ireland Youtube channel.

 

National Indoor Trophy – Sunday 6th February 2022 (all at Gormanston Park)

Men’s semi-finals: Three Rock Rovers v Cookstown, 9.45am; Banbridge v Railway Union, 10.45am

3rd place playoff: 2pm

Final: 3.45pm

 

Women’s semi-finals: Muckross v Ards, 11.45am; Railway Union v Galway, 12.45pm

3rd place playoff: 2.45pm

Final: 5pm

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Irish senior women’s squad seek assistant coach

Hockey Ireland is seeking to appoint a full-time Senior Women’s Team Assistant Coach, to help lead the team towards achieving its strategic objectives, namely to compete at the Olympics, World Championships and European Championships. 

About Hockey Ireland 

Hockey Ireland is the National Governing Body for the sport of field hockey in Ireland. Governing the 32 counties of Ireland, the Association is responsible for the management and overall development of all areas of the sport. 

Role Summary 

  • Reporting to the Senior Women’s Head Coach, the Senior Women’s Assistant Coach will be responsible for providing world-class coaching support to the Senior Women’s team 
  • This role also involves working collaboratively and innovatively with the wider Senior Women’s management team 
  • The Senior Women’s Assistant Coach will also be required at times to work alongside the National Development Head Coach to assist in the development of these players towards Senior representation 

Key responsibilities 

  • Identify, develop and manage the current group of identified players in the Senior Women’s training squad 
  • Assist with coaching of the Senior Women’s team using modern coaching techniques, tactics and trends 
  • Monitor and evaluate player performance for team selection using relevant data 
  • Deliver and support with the delivery of regional sessions – as designated by the Head Coach 
  • Assist with the development of a group of identified players in the National Development squad (U23 downwards) 
  • Communicate effectively with staff, players and relevant stakeholders 
  • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with the Hockey Ireland Junior Age Grade National Coaches as designated 

The required candidate 

The successful candidate will be an experienced, driven, detail-focused and disciplined self-starter who is committed to bringing team success to the Senior Women’s team and developing the best of Ireland’s elite hockey talent 

Experience and credentials: 

The experiences and credentials below are a guide and are not intended to be inclusive or exhaustive and may be amended over time due to the changing needs of the organisation: 

  • Proven record of success in domestic or international hockey 
  • Experience in planning, organising and implementing a comprehensive domestic or provincial coaching programme 
  • Ability to apply the principles of coaching, sport science, medicine and technology within a high performance programme 
  • Efficient and organised, with exceptional interpersonal, oral and written communication skills 
  • Level 3 and/or FIH coaching qualifications or equivalent (or working towards them) 
  • Proven methodologies in the development of elite talent and performance  
  • Understanding of sports science principles in modern day athlete development  
  • Exceptional people skills, with an emphasis on the management of player and coach personnel  
  • A competent knowledge of the latest coaching software systems 
  • Excellent organisational and communication skills  
  • A full driving licence 
  • Capacity to travel domestically and overseas for extended periods 

Term 

The contract role will commence in March 2022 and is through to the end of the Paris cycle of 2024 (with annual performance reviews throughout) 

Reporting to: 

The process of reporting will be as determined by the Performance Director and the Senior Women’s Head Coach 

Remuneration Package 

This is a full-time position and will be remunerated in line with the successful applicants’ skills and experiences.  Relevant expenses will be covered by the programme.  It is conditional that the successful applicant must be able to live and work in Ireland. 

 Vacancy Schedule: 

Closing date for applications:  20th February 2022 (5pm) 
Expected Interviews:  24th and 25th February 2022 
Expected appointment:  Early March 2022 

 Applications should be sent to Adam Grainger, Performance Director, Hockey Ireland  adam.grainger@irelandhockey.sportlomo.com 

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Dancer names fresh-faced panel for French training camp

The Irish women’s side will travel to France next week for a five-day camp, the first away trip of an exciting 2022 with a number of new faces getting a chance to impress.

The panel features 12 of the squad that qualified for this summer’s World Cup along with seven uncapped players who have been selected following recent high-octane sessions at the Sport Ireland campus in Abbotstown.

The new faces are: goalkeeper Holly Micklem (Old Alex), Eva Lavelle (UCD), Christina Hamill (Loreto), Siofra O’Brien (Loreto) and Katherine Egan (UCD). Charlotte Beggs (Ulster Elks) is another uncapped player who was part of the panel in Pisa while Caoimhe Perdue (UCC) lined out in uncapped matches for the senior panel in 2021 against Great Britain.

The side will travel to France on Monday and return on Friday, February 11th where they will take part in three uncapped games against France as part of the camp.

“This France series is the beginning of a new cycle with key events like the World Cup, the FIH Nations Cup and qualification for Paris 2024 all not that far away,” head coach Dancer said.

“I am excited to see how the wider squad of Irish athletes compete under the pressure of competition. We have included a good balance of experience and inexperienced players for our friendlies verse France.”

The 2022 National squad will be finalised towards the end of February with Niamh Carey and Ellen Curran unavailable for the time-being. The remaining players from the World Cup qualifiers continue to be available for selection for the year ahead.

Ireland will find out their World Cup group on February 17th following the completion this week of the qualification process in Pan-America, Africa and Asia while New Zealand and Australia were confirmed as Oceania’s representatives.

The World Cup will be split across Spain and the Netherlands and take place from July 1st to 17th. It will be followed by the European Championship qualifiers in Dublin from August 17th to 21st in a four-team competition also featuring Poland, the Czech Republic and Turkey.

And the year will be rounded out by the FIH Nations Cup in Valencia from December 10th to 17th in a high quality tournament which is listed as a potential qualifier for the FIH Pro League.

*The Irish senior women’s team is sponsored by SoftCo, Park Developments and Saba and supported by Sport Ireland and Sport NI.

Ireland women’s squad for French camp, February 6th-11th (club/caps)
Elizabeth Murphy (Loreto, 13)
Holly Micklem (Old Alex, 0)
Lena Tice (Old Alex, 122)
Hannah McLoughlin (UCD, 26)
Sarah McAuley (UCD, 9)
Erin Getty (Queen’s, 11)
Jane Kilpatrick (Belfast Harlequins, 1)
Caoimhe Perdue (UCC, 0)
Sarah Hawkshaw (Railway Union, 46)
Charlotte Beggs (Ulster Elks, 0)
Katie Mullan (Ballymoney, 206)
Eva Lavelle (UCD, 0)
Christina Hamill (Loreto, 0)
Sarah Torrans (Loreto, 33)
Zara Malseed (Ards, 7)
Siofra O’Brien (Loreto, 0)
Naomi Carroll (Catholic Institute, 121)
Katherine Egan (UCD, 0)

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Leinster win boys triple header in Interpro series

Leinster’s male teams did a triple at Grange Road over Munster in the latest round of interprovincial fixtures in this year’s new-format.

At Under-16 level, Leinster held on for a 3-2 win having earlier led 3-0. Oscar Pasley nudged in from close range after Liam Richardson’s initial shot was half-stopped.

Harry St Leger slapped in from the second phase of a corner and the third came when Peter Montgomery’s upright reverse was turned in by Zach Silverman.

Munster fought back in the closing stages with captain Rob Olden and Sean Curtin firing home corners in the last 11 minutes and put the pressure on but could not find an equaliser.

At Under-18 level, Leinster were 4-1 winners. Sam Maxwell slid home on the backhand from Mark Smyth’s baseline run and pull-back; Smyth produced a brilliant finish for the second and Conor Walsh made it 3-0 with a touch to Andrew Crowe’s shot at goal having been fed by Rex Dunlop.

Ed Collins for Leinster and Harry Jackson for Munster traded further goals as Leinster won well.

The Under-21 tie, meanwhile, was settled in dramatic style by Isaac Johnson who got a crucial touch from Harry Lynch’s corner sweep in the closing seconds.

It earned a 2-1 win for the blues after they had trailed. Jack O’Meara’s corner in the first half put the southern province ahead and they held that advantage until the last 15 minutes. Lynch was the catalyst for the comeback, dragging in the leveller before assisting the winner.

Ulster and Munster’s next Under-21 fixture was initially due to played next Sunday but will be played alongside the Under-18 and 16 games between the provinces on February 27.

Men’s Interprovincial Championship
Under-16: Leinster 3 (O Pasley, H St Leger, Z Silverman) Munster 2 (R Olden, S Curtin)
Under-18: Leinster 4 (S Maxwell, E Collins, M Smyth, C Walsh) Munster 1 (H Jackson)
Under-21: Leinster 2 (H Lynch, I Johnson) Munster 1 (J O’Meara)

Sunday, February 6 fixture
Under-21: Ulster v Munster, Grange Road, 3pm

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Pegasus through to final four as Trinity, Corinthian, C of I and Lurgan land first EYHL2 wins

Pegasus advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s Irish Senior Cup with a dominant performance against Muckross at Grange Road, prevailing 6-1 in the end.

After an early disallowed effort and some good Aoife Glennon stops, Alex Speers guided home from a Shirley McCay corner slap for the opening goal and she added another from play soon after.

Leah Paul scored an open play cracker to make it 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and the advantage was stretched out to 4-0 at half-time.

Becky McMullen got a classy deflection to reduce the deficit in the second half but Pegasus kept plugging away with Lucy McKee ending up with a couple with Niamh McIvor also on the scoresheet.

In EYHL Division 2, Lurgan defied a string a of Covid cases during the week to pick up their first win in Pool 2, beating Queen’s 3-1 to jump into second place in the group.

Jo-Anne Reid was the star netting a double which sees Lurgan add to their two draws.

The win sees them leap-frog Queen’s who also fell behind Cork C of I courtesy of the Garryduff side’s 5-2 success against NUIG. The Cork side were up and running via Clara O’Sullivan’s first quarter goal and this was augmented by another for Anna Collins, set up by Ciara Sexton.

Ailbhe Folan got one back from a corner but Julie Coyne responded in kind from a set piece for a 3-1 half-time lead.

NUIG missed a stroke to cut the gap again and C of I took advantage of the let-off when O’Sullivan got her second. Sexton made it 5-1 before Folan completed the scoring with a super goal from Folan following a solo run.

In Pool 1, Trinity and Corinthian picked up their first wins of the campaign to bolster their chances of reaching the playoff places.

For Corinthian, they won 5-1 away to UCC to move into second place in the group, pulling away in the second half after a very tight first half.

Lauren McGrane put Corinthian 1-0 up in the first 10 minutes but a brilliant run from Caoimhe Perdue from halfway ended with a classy shot from the top of the D for 1-1.

Reds skipper Amber Kinlan, however, restored the UCC lead going into the first break and it remained 2-1 through to half-time. Jessica McGrane put daylight between the sides in the 48th minute from a corner move, a switch right which led to a deflection in.

Both Lauren and Jessica McGrane added their second goals of the game to complete the scoring in the closing quarter.

The healthy win has Corinthian up to second place in the group and within range of leaders Ards if they can win their game in hand.

Trinity are also up to seven points but with a game extra played as corner goals either side of half-time helped them to a 2-0 win over Galway. Valerie Hajek was on the mark before half-time and it was 2-0 via Amy Buttimer.

The next series in EYHL2 will take place on February 12 when the second tier competition reaches its halfway stage.

Women
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Muckross 1 (R McMullen) Pegasus 6 (A Speers 2, L McKee 2, L Paul, N McIvor)

EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Galway 0 Trinity 2 (V Hajek, A Buttimer); UCC 1 (C Perdue) Corinthian 5 (L McGrane 2, J McGrane 2, A Kinlan)
Pool 2: Cork C of I 5 (C O’Sullivan 2, J Coyne, A Collins, C Sexton) NUIG 2 (A Folan 2); Queens University 1 (E Getty) Lurgan 3 (J Reid 2, C McBride)

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Annadale produce another big comeback as Kilkeel, Inst and Bandon move ahead in EYHL2

Annadale produced another huge comeback to land what could be a very important point in men’s EY Hockey League’s battle to avoid the relegation places. 

They trailed 4-1 deep into the second half at Whitechurch Park against Corinthian but fought back to level at 4-4 and move four points clear of the drop zone. For the reds, they went a point clear of ninth-place Pembroke but they will rue not making more ground on a day when player-coach Brinsley Powell was on their line for the first time. 

Ciaran O’Shea gave them the lead in the second minute before Callum Robson’s cracker levelled the game early in the second quarter. 

Parity was only temporary, though, as Ian Stewart’s deflected penalty corner put Corinthian back in front and a Peter Caruth bullet – against his old club – off the back of turnover ball, made it 3-1 at half-time. 

Davy Howard’s penalty stroke seemingly had the Dubliners on course for the points but Robson’s second opened up hope and the belief – perhaps bolstered by a similar comeback against Monkstown before Christmas – was obvious. 

Robbie Davidson got in on the act with seven minutes to go and, from a corner in the 67th minute, David Tremlett equalised the tie. 

In EYHL Division 2, David Rae’s last minute screamer saw Kilkeel land the first win for any side in Pool 2, earning a 3-2 away win over Clontarf, putting them into a four-point lead. 

Kilkeel and Clontarf in action. Picture: Deryck Vincent (click image for more pictures)

The tie went tit-for-tat throughout with Alan O’Malley and Rae exchanging first half goals and the score advanced to 2-2 in the third quarter with John Mullins and Luke Russell trading strikes. 

It left the game in the mix until the last seconds when Rae was seemingly running out of pitch but, from the baseline, thrashed the ball into the top corner.  

In Pool 1, Instonians moved into the lead courtesy of their 4-0 win over Rathgar while Railway Union undid Cork C of I 1-0. 

The latter contest was a fierce one with C of I having the edge in chances in a scoreless first half. But the tie was ultimately settled by a great piece of individual skill from David McCarthy who beat a couple of defenders before firing into the bottom left corner. 

For Inst, they scored once in each quarter, Stephen Kelso getting the first, Tommy Orr nabbing the next just before half-time. Another from Kelso and a corner-switch slap from Ross Kelly completed the win. 

Bandon took a big step toward topping Pool 3 when they came back from a goal down to defeat Cookstown 3-1 in west Cork.  

Scott McCabe put the Tyrone side one up in the first quarter but his brother, Josh, was soon the busier of the goalkeepers.  

Ian Perrott equalised in Q2 and he turned creator after half-time to set David Smith to put Bandon 2-1 up. Perrott again was crucial when he picked out Karl Smyth to deflect in the third and they carried that scoreline through to the finish. 

Mossley, meanwhile, picked up their first ever EYHL win to give them a chance of pushing for a playoff place in March when the competition returns to action. 

They led from the off against Portrane with Matthew Warnock putting them 1-0 up in the second minute. A full pitch breakaway was finished off by Ethan Clotworthy and Ricky McClintock put them into a dominant position with just 22 minutes gone. 

Portrane fought back with Tom Mulvey and Anthony Glutz trimming the gap back to 3-2 early in the second half.  

But another Mossley breakout led to a corner, won by Jamie Lyall, and Neal Glassey scored to give some breathing room. Simon Todd then put them out of sight with a corner rebound and a hammer-blow from the top of the circle for 6-2. 

 

Men 

EYHL Division 1: Corinthian 4 (C O’Shea, I Stewart, P Caruth, D Howard) Annadale 4 (C Robson 2, R Davidson, D Tremlett) 

EYHL Division 2 

Pool 1: Instonians 4 (S Kelso 2, T Orr, R Kelly) Rathgar 0; Railway Union 1 (D McCarthy) Cork C of I 0 

Pool 2: Clontarf 2 (A O’Malley, J Mullins) Kilkeel 3 (D Rae 2, L Russell) 

Pool 3: Bandon 3 (I Perrott, D Smith, K Smyth) Cookstown 1 (S McCabe); Mossley 6 (S Todd 2, M Warnock, E Clotworthy, N Glassey, R McClintock) Portrane 2 (T Mulvey, A Glutz)   

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Full series of EYHL2 fixtures will see contenders emerge

An stronger idea of who will be involved in the shake-up for EY Hockey League places next season will move closer after Saturday with a full series of Division 2 fixtures on the agenda.

In addition, there is a vital men’s top tier meeting between Corinthian and Annadale while Muckross and Pegasus meet in an Irish Senior Cup quarter-final postponed from before Christmas.

Looking at the one top tier EYHL game, Corinthian and Annadale sit just outside the relegation places and will be hoping to use this tie to give them a bit more breathing room.

They drew 3-3 on the opening day of the season with Chad Futcher scoring twice for the reds; he has since returned to South Africa and they will miss his impressive drag-flicks – scoring six in total – and long overheads.

Dale are three points better off and a third victory of the season would see them put six points between them and the drop zone.

In EYHL2, the tension is ramping up in the group stages, particularly in a very tight Pool 1 where just one point covers the top three places. Cork C of I lead the way on goal difference and they meet third placed Railway Union.

Both are leading their regional leagues but have not it all their own way of late. C of I needed a late Rob Sweetnam to win at Catholic Institute in Munster to win 2-1 and stay top. Railway scraped by Dublin University and Portrane before losing their unbeaten record at the hands of Clontarf.

Instonians, meanwhile, host Rathgar who have yet to land a point in the competition.

Similarly, there is nothing between the sides in Pool 2 with Cork Harlequins, Kilkeel and Clontarf drawing all the games they have played so far.

This time out, Clontarf host Kilkeel with the Bulls in red-hot form with nine games unbeaten in Leinster, most recently beating Dublin Uni in midweek 5-0 with a Sam Grace hat trick. Kilkeel, meanwhile, have been shading high-scoring battles, beating Queens 4-3 this week and Newry 5-4 either side of a 2-2 draw with Portadown.

Pool 3 has two clear leaders – Cookstown and Bandon – with a maximum 10 points from two games on their record but that will not remain beyond Saturday with the two clubs meeting in west Cork.

Mossley and Portrane will look to kickstart their potential chances of reaching the playoffs when they face off at The Glade.

On the women’s side, it’s a similarly vital moment in the EYHL2 season. Leaders Ards are on the bye weekend and so chasers UCC and Corinthian will see their meeting at the Mardyke as vital.

NUIG and Queen’s are in EYHL2 action. Picture: Billy Pollock

The students are on seven points and five above the reds but the Dubliners have only played one game thus far due to a frozen-out fixture before Christmas which leaves them ground to catch-up and seven games remaining.

Galway and Trinity, meanwhile, are seeking their first win of the campaign when they meet in Dangan and needing a result to keep their chances of a playoff spot alive.

In Pool 2, with runaway leaders Monkstown on a break, it is a great chance for all four of the sides to put themselves in the frame for a playoff place.

Cork C of I and NUIG are both seeking their first win of the league having drawn with Lurgan in earlier rounds. The Cork side have been in excellent form in Munster, moving top of the table and reaching their regional cup semi-final with a 5-0 away win over Bandon.

Queen’s will strengthen their hold on second significantly if they can win their meeting with Ulster rivals Lurgan on Saturday. Queen’s have made strong moves in 2022 with healthy wins over Dungannon (5-0) and Raphoe (2-0) lifting them five places in the table, one spot behind Lurgan but with two games in hand.

In the women’s Irish Senior Cup, Muckross are hoping to overturn their EYHL 3-1 defeat to Pegasus when they meet at Grange Road. Both are aiming to join UCD and Pembroke in the final four with Banbridge and Catholic Institute’s date now refixed for February.

Sunday sees the latest round of matches in the male underage interprovincials with Munster and Leinster meeting in a triple-header at Three Rock.

Elsewhere, the draws were made for the men’s and women’s Irish Junior Cups and the women’s Irish Hockey Challenge with the men’s playoff places also confirmed.

Saturday 29th January 2022
Men
EYHL Division 1: Corinthian v Annadale, Whitechurch Park, 3.15pm

EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Instonians v Rathgar, Shaw’s Bridge, 3pm; Railway Union v Cork C of I, Park Avenue, 1.30pm
Pool 2: Clontarf v Kilkeel, Mount Temple, 1.30pm
Pool 3: Bandon v Cookstown, Bandon GS, 1pm; Mossley v Portrane, The Glade, 2.45pm

Women
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Muckross v Pegasus, Grange Road, 2.30pm

EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Galway v Trinity, Dangan, 1pm; UCC v Corinthian, Mardyke, 2pm
Pool 2: Cork C of I v NUIG, Garryduff, 2pm; Queens University v Lurgan, Malone Playing Fields, 12.45pm

Sunday 30th January 2022
Men
Interprovincial series
Under-16: Munster v Leinster, Grange Road, 3pm
Under-18: Munster v Leinster, Grange Road, 5pm
Under-21: Munster v Leinster, Grange Road, 4pm

National cup draws
Men
Irish Junior Cup semi-finals: Cookstown v Bangor; Banbridge v YMCA
Irish Hockey Challenge, quarter-finals: Limerick v Midleton; Waterford v Mullingar
Semi-finals: Winner of QF 1 v Portrush; Winner of QF 2 v Saintfield

Women
Irish Hockey Challenge semi-finals: Bangor v Wexford; Clonakilty v NICS
Irish Junior Cup semi-finals: Pembroke v Queens; Corinthian v Railway

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Christine O’Shea the new Connacht Regional Development Officer

Hockey Ireland is delighted to welcome Christine O’Shea as our new Connacht Regional Development Officer. 

Christine joins Hockey Ireland with a wide range of experience in the sport from coaching, managing and umpiring over the past 20 years. 

She has been a Director of Hockey for a number of years in a secondary school in Limerick, involved in Munster development teams and as Munster Under-18 interprovincial manager. 

Christine is a qualified coach and umpire and is no stranger to Hockey Ireland, providing strength and conditioning work with the Irish women’s development squad. 

She has also delivered development programmes in schools (eg Tricks 4 Sticks) and helping out with the initial coaching set-up of new schools and clubs. 

Christine continues to shine on the playing front with Catholic Institute, playing a key role in their rise to national contention in the EY Hockey League.  

Her appointment comes at an exciting time for hockey in Connacht with a number of new clubs getting off the ground in recent months. 

Last weekend saw Tuam Falcons and Loughrea Lakers host their first taster sessions. Ballinasloe Lions have their first introductory event on February 5 at the football grounds at Portiunculla. Athenry Swans got under way in September and have already played in their first blitzes.  

Some of the areas the Connacht Regional Development Officer will focus on are:

  • Grow hockey, support and develop existing/new resources for the Connacht region, an area that Hockey Ireland see as having huge potential for growth. 
  • Partnering and growing participation in NUIG 
  • Growing indoor hockey in NUIG, specifically around growing men’s hockey and encouraging social participation in hockey
  • Promoting and developing the indoor format of the game across the province 
  • Management and administration of development programmes including ClubMark, Tricks4Sticks etc.
  • Working in new areas to run cluster Primary School/Secondary School programmes with the aim of setting up new clubs around Connacht
  • Act as link between clubs and schools and identify and support clubs to develop ways to increase volunteers, coaches and umpires.
  • Delivering workshops and holding meetings to support, educate and empower clubs to implement change and become more sustainable 
  • Working in partnership with LSP/ local councils and helping clubs to identify and apply for funding opportunities

Christine started in the role last week and can be contacted on christine.oshea@irelandhockey.sportlomo.com.

 

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Adam Grainger steps down as Hockey Ireland Performance Director

Adam Grainger has stepped down as Hockey Ireland’s High Performance Director to pursue a new work opportunity with Kitman Labs.

It follows a successful period since joining Hockey Ireland in 2017 with both the Irish men’s and women’s senior international sides contesting World Cups with the latter winning silver in London 2018 before going on to qualify and compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

“Adam has made defining and lasting contributions to our high-performance programme and can be very proud of all the achievements during his time with us,” said Hockey Ireland chief executive Jerome Pels.

“We wish him the very best and thank him for all the support and his service to the sport of Hockey in Ireland.”

For Adam’s part, he said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Hockey Ireland and I am extremely proud of the work that Hockey Ireland, the wider hockey community, Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland have undertaken together.

“I believe hockey is in a strong place in Ireland and it is my hope that Hockey Ireland can now build upon the successes we have all created during both the Rio and Tokyo Olympic cycles.

“I would like to specifically recognise the passion, time and effort given to me by the Hockey Ireland Board, the Hockey Ireland High Performance Committee and the wider Hockey Ireland staff.

“Similarly, thanks to Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland high performance units for their ongoing support.

“Lastly, I want to acknowledge the support being provided by coaches and volunteers in clubs and leagues across the country, particularly at the junior age grade level.

“I am looking thoroughly looking forward to starting my role with the fast growing and ambitious performance science company Kitman Labs and will, of course, be keeping an eye on Hockey Ireland results in years ahead.”

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Banbridge’s Havelock Park the host venue for EY Champions Trophy

Banbridge’s Havelock Park has been confirmed as the venue for the EY Champions Trophy, the marquee club event of the 2021/22 Hockey Ireland club season.  

The event will take place on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24, 2022, bringing together the top four men’s and women’s club sides from around the island to crown the national champions. 

The club and the venue has played host to a string of memorable events, including the most recent edition of the EY Champions Trophy in 2019 as well as the FIH World Series Finals in the same year. Havelock Park was also the venue for the first – and only to date – visit of the Euro Hockey League to Ireland in 2016.

Frank O’Keeffe, Managing Partner, EY Ireland said: “This has been an incredibly exciting league so far and all the more precious given the challenges presented by ongoing pandemic.

“We are very much looking forward to the event and seeing which of the league’s high performing teams will ultimately come together to vie for the EYHL Champions Trophy. I’m delighted EY’s sponsorship of the league continues and this event will certainly be an excellent opportunity to celebrate the fantastic talent, teamwork and leadership displayed throughout the league.”

The host club’s president Mark Evans added: “Banbridge are delighted to once again have to opportunity to host the EY Champions Trophy weekend at Havelock Park,”

“Following the enforced cancellation of the event these past two seasons due to Covid-19, we are looking forward to showcasing the best of club hockey in Ireland over the weekend of April 23 and 24, 2022. 

“As a club we pride ourselves in our hosting capabilities and will work closely with Hockey Ireland to ensure that the standards we have set are matched and hopefully surpassed this time round.” 

Welcoming the agreement, Hockey Ireland CEO Jerome Pels added: “We are delighted to confirm Banbridge as the host club for the 2021/22 EY Champions Trophy. 

“With their army of enthusiastic volunteers, the club and the town will once again provide a perfect showcase for our players and our sport along with a top fan experience.”  

The line-up of competitors for the EY Champions Trophy will be confirmed following the conclusion of the regular season of the EY Hockey League (EYHL) and the subsequent quarter-finals which are scheduled to take place on April 9, 2022. 

Next Saturday sees Corinthian meet Annadale in a back-match from before Christmas. The EY Hockey League returns in full for the new year on February 5th with a full schedule of matches on the agenda.

** To keep up to date with the EYHL, go to: https://irelandhockey.sportlomo.com/competitions-2/eyhl/

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