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Archive for year: 2023
Sat 01/04/2023
EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION
There were two midweek games this week the outcomes of which would have a crucial impact on which two of three teams would clinch the final play off berths in the Champions Trophy.
Pegasus took on Belfast Harlequins on Wednesday night at Queens University. Kerri Magee put the home side 1-0 up on 5 minutes and Rachael Murdock added a second before half time, sealing a victory which put Pegasus, now three points clear of Pembroke Wanderers, in fifth place.
On Thursday night sixth placed Pembroke Wanderers travelled to take on seventh placed Railway Union at Park Avenue and a win for either side might have secured a play off berth.
A close derby ensued where neither side converted their opportunities to leave the full time result a 0-0 draw. Pembroke thus closed the gap to two points with fifth placed Pegasus. The draw also meant that Railway Union, even if they won on Saturday against Belfast Harlequins, would be relying on Loreto to win to secure a Champions Trophy play off spot. Loreto for their part were only one win away from securing the League title and needed no other motivation to go all out for victory. Pembroke Wanderers also needed a win to gain that final play off spot in the Champions Trophy. That result coupled with an away win for UCD could change the destination of the League trophy and it to Belfield instead. So there were a lot of possible permutations from the 18th and final round of action of the EYHL Women’s Division for season 2022-23.
The Pegasus UCD game started late due to the EYHL2 quarter-final between Queen’s University and UCC going to shuttles. Pembroke Wanderers though went into this game knowing nothing short of a victory would do .
Earlier Railway Union made a brave attempt to qualify for the play-offs by thrashing already relegated Belfast Harlequins by 7-1. Katie Lloyd scored three times, her sister Lily Lloyd weighted in with a goal as did Niamh Shaw, Edel Hyland and Sarah Hawkshaw. Katie Larmour got the consolation goal for Belfast Harlequins. Anything less than a Pembroke Wanderers win would see Railway Union sneak into the play offs at the last minute.
The Pembroke Wanderers and Loreto game proved to be a very tight affair . Only two penalty corners in the opening quarter Caitlin Sherin’s shot getting deflected for a non productive long corner and Pembroke’s effort which was the last action of the first quarter being equally fruitless. The best chance of the second quarter fell to Rebekah Fitzpatrick whose effort for Loreto was saved by Aoife Glennon.
It remained scoreless at the break Pembroke Wanderers 0-0 Loreto. Meanwhile up in Belfast , Katie Jane Marshall had given UCD the lead and the half time score there was Pegasus 0 -1 UCD. Advantage to the students.
In the third quarter at Serpentine Avenue Pembroke Wanderers and Loreto exchanged shots fired in the early stages first up Emily Beatty shot wide for the hosts Pembroke Wanderers. Loreto responded through Christina Hamill whose cross cum shot whizzed past the face of the goal needing only the feintest of touches to go in. A Loreto penalty corner hit Pembroke’s Orla Macken and there was a brief stoppage as she required treatment. Sarah Torrans teed up Rebekah Fitzpatrick but she couldn’t put it past Aoife Glennon in the Pembroke goal. Aoife Glennon also denied Rachel Kelly with a key save meaning it remained scoreless at Pembroke Wanderers at the end of quarter three.
Meanwhile back at Queen’s University, Katie Jane Marshall got her second goal of the game to increase UCD’s lead 2-0 to the students .
In the final quarter at Serpentine Avenue, Hannah Matthews penalty corner for Loreto found Christina Hamill whose effort was blocked at the expense of a long corner.
Loreto decided to remove their goalkeeper in favour of an additional outfield player and conceded a penalty corner almost straightaway. Orla Macken scored from the penalty corner to give Pembroke Wanderers the lead with minutes remaining, Leah Maguire blocked another effort from Loreto and had to go off injured but her sacrifice was worth it as their 1-0 victory secured a EYHL Champions trophy play off berth and the perfect boost for them ahead of their EHL challenge in Amsterdam over the weekend.
Because of the delay of the start of the Pegasus -UCD match Loreto had to wait to confirm their fate when the news came through that UCD had won 3-0 , the final goal coming from Sarah McAuley and were the Champions for 2022- 23 in the EYHL Women’s Division.
The final relegation issue was decided at Rathdown school where Monkstown and Catholic Institute played out a 2-2 draw. Naomi Carroll and Roisín Upton on the mark for the visitors and Sophie Moore and Millie Jerman responding for the hosts. This point secured Monkstown’s place in the EYHL Women’s Division for season 2023-24.
EYHL MEN’S DIVISION
Just as in the Women’s Division, this Division was delicately poised going into the final round of EYHL Men’s Division’s matches.
For Banbridge it was straightforward a win away to Glenanne and they would be crowned champions. Glenanne away however not an easy task . Second placed Lisnagarvey, two points behind , needed to beat visitors third placed Three Rock Rovers at home and then hope for a favour from Glenanne in the form of a win over Banbridge.
YMCA in fifth had secured their place in the EYHL Champions Trophy playoffs however the sixth and final place was technically up for grabs. Monkstown in sixth were only two points clear of Annadale. If Monkstown failed to pick up any points away to already relegated Cookstown, Annadale could sneak into the play-offs with a win over already relegated Pembroke Wanderers. Given Cookstown had failed to win a game all season that prospect might have seemed unlikely but how many times have teams who are already relegated with the pressure off managed to finish with a final flourish? Surprisingly often in team sports and hockey is no different in that regard.
Banbridge in the end won this game emphatically to seal the EYHL Men’s Division Championship on a 6-2 scoreline at St. Andrew’s College.
Cookstown finished their season by hosting Monkstown and the visitors came away with all three points in a 2-0 victory with Rory Nichols sealing the victory.
Lisnagarvey were making what ultimately proved a vain effort to secure the league when Three Rock Rovers arrived at Comber Road. Ben Johnston was on the mark twice for Three Rock Rovers and Ollie Kidd and Mackenzie Connor got on the scoresheet. As things transpired it wouldn’t have matter given Banbridge’s victory.
YMCA secured third place in the table thanks to a 7-2 win over Instonians at Wesley College. Adam Walker opened the scoring for YMCA and then Tevin Kok and Ross Henderson weighed in with two goals apiece there were also goals for Grant Glutz and Ian Perrot. Palmer and Stephen Kelso responded for the visitors. In the remaining game between Annadale and already relegated Pembroke Wanderers it resulted in a 7-1 win for the hosts .
MEN’S EYHL 2 QUARTER-FINAL S
Bandon took on Cork Church of Ireland in a regional derby. Denis Pritchard’s side had finished runner up to UCD in EYHL Pool B while Cork Church Of Ireland had secured their quarter-final berth coming third in Pool A behind Corinthians and Railway Union. After 70 minutes of play it was 2-2 and the game had to be settled by shuttles. Bandon advanced to the semi-final having won the shoot out by 4-2.
In the other quarter final it was a Dublin derby between Leinster Division 1 A rivals Avoca and Railway Union at Park Avenue.
Railway Union came second in Pool A while Avoca qualified for their quarter-final finishing in third place in Pool B. To add spice to the tie, Railway Union currently are in second place in Leinster Men’s Division 1A and Avoca are in fourth behind UCD in third with one round left to play. Avoca raced into a three goal lead through Andrew Ramsay, Andrew Tutty and Oisin O’Sullivan.
Railway began their comeback through Darragh Curley and two Mark English goals to leave it 3-3 going into the final quarter. Oisin O’Sullivan completed his hat-trick to give Avoca a 4-3 lead and Mark English completed his hat-trick to restore parity for Railway Union and make it 4-4. Railway won on shuttles to reach the semi-finals.
WOMEN’S EYHL 2 QUARTER-FINALS
Queen’s University took on UCC at their sportsgrounds in Belfast and took the lead through Alyssa Jebb. UCC got back on level terms to leave the full time score 1-1. Queen’s won the subsequent shuttles 4-2.
In the other game a single goal by Yvonne O’Byrne for Cork Harlequins was enough to secure victory over Avoca and put the Munster women through to the semi-finals.
IRISH MEN’S JUNIOR CUP SEMI-FINAL
Cookstown’s seconds had a very straight forward task ahead of them a victory of their Ulster rivals Banbridge’s seconds and they would earn the right to play in the Irish Junior Cup Final. It was Banbridge who got through this semi final winning a seven goal thriller 4-3.
Sunday afternoon saw two semi finals in both the Men’s and Women’s Irish Senior Cup.
In the women’s senior Cup Avoca took on Monkstown in the later of the two games but the other fixture began the day’s events in the Senior Cups.
WOMEN’S SENIOR CUP
Semi-finals are not designed specifically to be entertaining, although on occasion they can be some of the most exciting hockey games you could see, they are merely there to be won.
The earliest game took place in Rosbrien where Catholic Institute buoyed by their 4-1 win over Pegasus in the EYHL the previous day took on Railway Union in their second of back to back home fixtures. This one having the prize of the right to defend their Irish Senior Cup title in the final in 2023 at Belfield on April 29th . In the opposing corner was a Railway Union side battling to make the Champions Trophy play offs but had lost a EYHL game they dominated the day before against Loreto. Catholic Institute were keen not to concede goals on the day and would have been very pleased to have a kept a clean sheet over the 70 tension filled minutes. Railway Union learned lessons well, from their previous recent games , as they kept the hosts at bay for the full 70 minutes and after a 0-0 draw it went to shuttles which Catholic Institute managed to win 4-2.
Geographic proximity can produce interesting and historical rivalries. And two such rivals would face each other in the second semi-final where Blackrock based Avoca took on near neighbours Monkstown . The Skyblues had gained a valuable three points in a relegation six pointer beating Ards the day before in Londonderry Park and had a relatively short skip and jump down the road to Newpark to take on their Leinster Division 1 near neighbours. Avoca took the lead in the 3rd minute through Lizzie Field . Monkstown responded with goals from Sophie Moore and Olivia Brady to secure an Irish Senior Cup final appearance against defending champions Catholic Institute.
MEN’S SENIOR CUP
Monkstown took on Glenanne hoping to make it a Men’s and Women’s Double in terms of Cup Final appearances in 2023. Despite Rory Nichols four goal salvo it wasn’t enough to win the game against a Glenanne scoring seven times for the second time in twenty four hours. Having defeated Instonians 7-1 away the day before , Glenanne had the relatively short trip to Rathdown to take on the Sky Blues in their all Dublin Irish Senior Cup semi-final. Gary Shaw , Shannon Boucher, Jason Rogan , Gavin Gibney and Brad Venter all weighed in with a goal apiece and Richard Couse added a brace of goals in their victory. Glenanne who are looking good for a play off berth in the Champions Trophy could potentially qualify for Europe and bring home the Senior Cup to add to the Mills Cup already won earlier this month.
In the all Ulster clash at Annadale , the visitors were league Leaders Banbridge and after a scorless opening quarter , goals from Johnny McKee and Louis Rowe were enough to create the opportunity for Banbridge to win an EYHL League and Irish Senior Cup double in 2023. Banbridge who were held 4-4 by fellow Cup semi finalists Monkstown the day before can still win the EYHL Championship by winning one game.
MATCH REPORT
BELFAST HARLEQUINS 1 UCD 5 DERAMORE PARK
UCD lost Michelle Carey for the rest of the season when she sustained a medium term injury at Women’s National team training camp on Monday on a day that saw Loreto’s Yasmin Pratt suffered a similar length injury. Both will be side-lined for at least six weeks. With regards to this game it left UCD minus one of their most potent forwards at a time when they need two victories and results elsewhere to go their way to secure the 2022-23 EYHL League title. For Belfast Harlequins already relegated, there was nothing to play for except pride. Belfast Harlequins had a couple of chances in the first quarter that they failed to convert as did their visitors but it remained scoreless at the break. The breakthrough finally came in the 39th minute when UCD took the lead through Eva Lavelle capitalising on a penalty corner. Six minutes later Leah O’Shea converted a second penalty corner to increase the lead for the students. Aine Naughton who was later voted Player of the Match , opened her account on 53 minutes to leave UCD leading 3-0 at the end of the third quarter.
On the hour mark UCD increased their lead from a field goal scored by Sophia Cole to make it 4-0 and Aine Naughton got her second goal of the game and UCD’s fifth on 66 minutes to leave UCD 5-0 in front. That situation only remained in place for sixty seconds as Belfast Harlequins finally got on the scoresheet on 67 minutes when Susie McCollum scored from open play to leave the final score Belfast Harlequins 1 UCD 5. UCD go into the final week’s action in second place in the table.
BELFAST HARLEQUINS:- Suzanne Parkes, Olivia Beattie, Imogen Graham, Linzi Hamilton, Suzanne Hunter (c), Katherine Welshman, Ji-Won Hong, Claire Bannerman , Claire Whiteside, Helen Kerr, Ellie Burgess, Sasha Logan, Anna Hedley, Jodie Kee, Katie Larmour, Kathryn Smiley
UCD:- Norah McGinty; Hannah McLoughlin (c), Sarah McAuley, Aine Naughton, Leah O’Shea, Niamh Carey, Ali Griffin, Lucy Crowe, Grace Keane, Katie-Jane Marshall , Charlotte Cope, Eva Lavelle, Sophia Cole, Caoimhe Byrne
EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION
Thursday night saw two games at the top end of the table which could go a long way to deciding the destination of the EYHL Women’s Division Championship for 2022-23.
Loreto hosted Old Alexandra in a rearranged game trailing League leaders UCD only on goal difference.
Goals from Sara Torrans , Aoife Taaffe and Rachel Kelly saw the Beaufort based side record an emphatic 3-0 over fourth placed Alex to go top of the table by two points.
UCD travelled to Pembroke Wanderers and were trailing 2-0 at the end of the first quarter thanks to goals by Sinead Loughran and Orla Macken. and it remained 2-0 until the break.
Two goals by Hannah McLoughlin the first from a penalty stroke and the second a great finish from a penalty corner in the third quarter secured a valuable point for the students who drop to second place in the table. Despite losing a two goal lead this point saw Pembroke Wanderers leapfrog Pegasus, on goal difference , into fifth place ahead of their weekend game.
Rachel Kelly scored her second and third goal in two games to put Loreto 2-0 ahead in the first quarter against a Railway Union side that dominated possession and had the hosts on the back foot for most of the game. Loreto defended strongly and Grace Donald was particularly prominent in repelling the visitors attacks. Railway Union continued to dominate possession and eventually got on the scoresheet on 29 minute through Ireland captain Katie Mullan. They were unable to bridge the gap and ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 score line.
Defending champions Pembroke Wanderers hosted Old Alexandra at Serpentine Avenue and suffered a reverse at the hands of the visitors. Alex taking all three points in a 2-1 win.
It wasn’t all bad news for Wanderers however as Pegasus with whom they were jostling for fifth place were beaten 4-1 by Catholic Institute .
In the relegation six pointer , Monkstown got their busy weekend off to the perfect start with a 2-1 away win over Ards to put a three point gap between the teams with only one game to be played by each side. Loreto go into the final round of games 2 points clear of UCD and with a 1 goal advantage in terms of goal difference.
EYHL MEN’S DIVISION
Banbridge had taken on Instonians on their patch in rearranged match on Tuesday and won 6-3 to increase their lead at the top of the League table.
This victory left Banbridge heading into this weekend’s game with Monkstown needing only one more victory from their remaining games to become this season’s EYHL Men’s Division Champions. However it wasn’t to be for Bann this week as Monkstown fought to a 4-4 draw leaving the northerners still shy of points to get over the line and win this League title.
Pembroke Wanderers men’s side were beaten 2-1 at home by YMCA and Lisnagarvey were the winners of a seven goal thriller away to Annadale on a 4-3 margin.
Three Rock Rovers had a comfortable 2-0 win over bottom side Cookstown and Instonians were on the wrong side of a 7-1 score line when they hosted Glenanne. The Dubliners having the ideal preparation for their semi final on Sunday.
EYHL MEN’S DIVISION 2 POOL A
Corinthians already had this Pool title secured going into the final game securing a bye into the Promotion semi-finals. Railway Union in turn had made the quarter final berth secure as had Cork Church of Ireland so there was an element of dead rubbers in their final Pool A games against Railway Union and Cork Harlequins respectively . For Harlequins it was a busy weekend as they had to play their previously postponed fixture away to Queen’s University on the Sunday but it was nothing more than a fulfillment of an outstanding fixture with nothing at stake but pride.
Corinthians won 7-2 against Railway Union while Cork Harlequins and Church Of Ireland played out a 2-2 draw
EYHL MEN’S DIVISION 2 POOL B
UCD had long since won this Pool going into their final joust with South Antrim and secured their bye into the semi final weekend . Bandon and Avoca had also secured their quarter final berths indeed Avoca had completed their allotted fixtures before this weekend. Bandon hosted Kilkeel and it ended in a 5-1 win for the hosts. South Antrim had to host Pool leaders UCD with nothing at stake. UCD won comfortably by 3-0.
Avoca will play Railway Union in the EY2 play off quarter-finals with Cork Church of Ireland taking on Bandon in the second quarter-final. Corinthians and UCD by virtue of their Pool wins await the winners of those ties in the semi-finals
EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION 2 POOL A
UCC made sure of third place by beating Muckross 4-2 in their clash at the Mardyke.
Ulster Elks and Avoca having already secured first and second spot respectively played out their final pool game at Newpark with the visitors Ulster Elks emerging victorious by 2-1.
EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION 2 POOL B
Corinthians completed their Pool B group games with a 5-0 win away to Galway.
Queen’s University beat Cork Harlequins by 3-2 but both sides had secured their places in the EY2 Quarterfinal play offs already.
UCC will play Queen’s University from Pool B in their quarter final
Avoca will take on Cork Harlequins in the other quarter final.
Corinthians and Ulster Elks both get byes to the EY 2 semi-finals where they will await the winners of the quarter-finals.
UCD – 2 Loreto – 2
It was a two top clash in the EY Hockey League between UCD and visitors Loreto at Belfield this afternoon; an enthralling fixture played in miserable conditions that could go a long way to deciding who lifts the trophy at the end of the season. At the beginning of the day, UCD and Loreto, along with Catholic Institute, sat at the top of the table on 28 points.
UCD began the brighter of the two teams, finding space to attack through Eva Lavelle in midfield who broke through the Loreto press a number of times. The Carey sisters, Michelle and Niamh, looked dangerous on the break and Katherine Egan looked sprightly as well. But it was Loreto who broke the deadlock through a well taken penalty corner strike from Caitlin Sherin. Her slightly lifted effort was further lifted by the UCD first runner, who deflected it up and over her own goalkeeper.
The second quarter saw UCD draw level when Egan got on the end of an excellent through ball from Lavelle. Loreto thought they had averted the danger when goalkeeper Alannah Carragher saved Egan’s reverse stick effort, but the ball fell to Leah O’Shea who made no mistake to make the game even again.
At the beginning of the second half, we saw both midfields looking to make an impact on the game, Sarah Torrans and Christina Hamill from Loreto and Hannah McLoughlin from Loreto particularly effective at pushing their teams forward. There were penalty corners for both teams, with neither able to make their set pieces count.
It was in an exciting final quarter that the game opened up. Again, Loreto’s goalkeeper Carragher saved well only to find she had directed the ball to a UCD stick. This time it was Egan who found herself with the ball on her stick, the UCD forward taking a touch before a quickly taken reverse shot put her team in front.
However, Loreto were not kept quiet for long. After winning another penalty corner, the visitors turned to Sherin who was on the mark again from the top of the circle – the sheer power of the shot helping the ball into the right corner of the goal and Loreto were level again.
It was a niggly fixture, with both teams shipping green cards on regular occasions, but it was UCD who found themselves down to 10 players for the final four minutes when they had a player given a yellow card in the dying minutes. Loreto piled on the pressure but the home team held strong to claim an all-important point, and prevent Loreto from taking all three as it finished UCD two, Loreto two.
Elsewhere:
Catholic Institute could not make the most of the draw between their close rivals, Ards frustrating them by keeping them to a draw with the score finishing at two goals apiece. Indeed, it seemed to be the score line of the day as the tie between Monkstown and Pembroke Wanderers also finished in a draw, both teams scoring two goals.
Railway Union suffered an agonizing loss at the hands of the chasing Old Alex who made up valuable ground on the leaders as they came from two goals to one down to win 3-2. Pegasus against Belfast Harlequins was postponed and will be rescheduled.
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EYHL Division 1 Match report, 4th March, 2023
OLD ALEXANDRA 1 UCD 2
UCD prepared for this game with a rearranged fixture on Thursday night against Railway Union . At the end of quarter three they found themselves trailing 0-2 and looking like crashing to defeat . A barnstorming fourth quarter that saw Railway Union reduced to 9 players for a period due to two green cards saw them comeback to secure a 3-2 victory and go into this encounter with Old Alexandra level on points with League leaders Loreto. Old Alex were missing key players. Emilie Ryan Doyle was absent from the hosts defence and experienced player Jeamie Deacon also missed out through injury. Old Alexandra had prepared for this game with a busy weekend last time out. They bowed out of the Jacqui Potter Cup at the semi-final stage, losing 1-4 to Loreto on Sunday, having beaten Pegasus 2-0 the previous day to maintain their EYHL League title challenge.
At Alexandra College the students got off to a fantastic start taking the lead after only 5 minutes when Katharine Egan finished to the net. It was 1-0 at the end of the first quarter. UCD forced to penalty corners early in the second quarter but the second of these only went behind for a hit out to Old Alexandra. Nicola Evans thought she had scored the equaliser only to see her effort ruled out by the umpire. Instead it was UCD who increased their lead in the second quarter in the 32nd minute when Ali Griffin tapped home following some brilliant approach play from Eva Lavelle.
It was 0-2 at the break.
Old Alexandra went into the third quarter with a bit more intensity and sense of urgency and Jessica McGirr was on a green card in the 49th minute. Despite this they went on to win a penalty corner and the second consecutive corner saw Old Alexandra finally get on the scoreboard. The opening shot was parried by UCD goalkeeper Norah McGinty, but Old Alexandra’s Mykaela Power reacted quickest to hit the back of the net.
The score was now Old Alexandra 1 UCD 2 at the end of quarter three.
In the fourth quarter Deirdre Duke was green carded in the 62nd minute leaving her team temporarily one player down. Old Alexandra had one of their Penalty corners deflected over the bar. From the resultant 23 metre long corner resulted in a free hit to UCD. Mykaela Power had a shot from open play sail over the bar but UCD were able to absorb the pressure and hang on for the three points which following results elsewhere sent the Belfield outfit to the top of EYHL Women’s Division 1.
EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION 1 ROUND UP
Elsewhere in the EYHL Women’s Division 1 Railway Union had a 6-0 win over Monkstown with a hat-trick for Lily Lloyd , two goals for her sister Kate Lloyd and the other goal scored by Ireland captain Katie Mullan.
Catholic Institute also rattled in six in a 6-0 win over bottom of the table Belfast Harlequins. Naomi Carroll , Michelle Barrett and Roisin Begley all scoring in the first two quarters to leave Insta 3-0 ahead at half time with goals in quarters three and four by Emer Ryan , Leah Clery and Lizzy Ryan completing the scoring .
Loreto despite scoring through Caitlin Sherin were on the wrong end of a 1-2 result and Pegasus went back to Belfast with all three points in the bag from their visit to Beaufort.
That left one remaining fixture on Saturday at Serpentine Avenue. Pembroke Wanderers took the lead at home to Ards , through Orla Macken’s goal in the late game but a fourth quarter equaliser ensured a share of the spoils for the visitors in 1-1 draw.
In a busy weekend where catch up matches were the name of the game , four teams were facing into their second games of the weekend as Old Alexandra had to travel to Limerick to take on Catholic Institute on Sunday while Monkstown hosted Loreto.
EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISON 2 ROUND UP
POOL A
Muckross were schooled by the university side Ulster Elks when the Ulster Premier League side beat them 0-6 on home soil.
University College Cork were too strong for their wild Atlantic colleagues University of Galway sending them homeward to think again after a 6-2 defeat in the second game in
Ulster Elks are in first place Avoca in second and UCC are in third in Pool A
POOL B
Galway had no answers at Dangan as they were demolished 1-8 on their own turf by Queen’s University and on the opposite coast
Corinthian had a comfortable 4-0 win over Ballymoney in the Pool’s other match.
Corinthian still lead Pool B with Queen’s in second and Cork Harlequins in third.
EYHL MEN’S DIVISION 1 ROUND UP
Annadale and Monkstown played out a 2-2 draw at Lagan College in a result which didn’t do Monkstown’s hopes of high placed finish in the play off berths any favours. Lisnagarvey’s recent slump continued when they were held at home by Glenanne in a 1-1 draw that makes 7 points dropped out of a possible 9 in their last three outings.
The one consolation for the Comber Road outfit was that their rivals league table toppers Banbridge also dropped points when they drew 1-1 at Grange Road against Three Rock Rovers. Pembroke Wanderers continued to struggle losing to Instonians 2-3 at Serpentine Avenue to remain mired in the bottom two
Lisnagarvey are in second place three points behind Banbridge with Glenanne in third a further eight points adrift and Three Rock Rovers and Monkstown in joint fourth place.
At the wrong end of the table Cookstown are bottom with Pembroke Wanderers in 9th on 5 points and Instonians in 8th with 7 points to spare.
Cookstown do have two games in hand however.
EYHL MEN’S DIVISION 2 ROUND UP
POOL A
Corinthian maintained their lead at the top of Pool A with a 6-2 win over Queen’s University at St. Columba’s College . Railway Union continued their fine run in this competition with a 4-1 win over Cork Church of Ireland at Park Avenue. Railway Union are in second place with Cork Church of Ireland in third
POOL B
Bandon ended Avoca’s thin hopes of making the knock out stages of EYHL 2 by defeating them 2-0 at Bandon High School.
Kilkeel were no match for a UCD team that maintained their grip on the top spot in the pool with a 3-0 away win.
Bandon are now seven points clear in second place from third placed South Antrim.
Dublin March 1, 2023
Sport Ireland today announced an improved funding model for all Irish Olympic sports, including Hockey, as part of the Government’s National Sports Policy 2018-2027. The additional €4m of investment provided for 2023 will be directed to specific initiatives within high performance sport, including hockey.
Coaching, Paris 2024, athlete supports and High-Performance strategy activation are priority investment areas for Sport Ireland. It will address one-off costs for high performance programs and give recognition to the increased costs of doing business in high performance sport.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said: “Through this funding we can continue to support and champion our athletes with their sporting journeys in European and World Championships, while also assisting them with achieving qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The National Sports Policy 2021-2032 aims to provide continuous support to our High-Performance Program through increased levels of funding.”
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland Dr Úna May commented: “Our High-Performance Strategy sets high ambitions. In order for these objectives to be achieved, athletes and organizations require consistent support. Sport Ireland will invest over €40m throughout the Paris Cycle (2021-2024). This is an increase from 31m in the Tokyo Cycle (2017-2020), a rise of 30%.”
The total Sport Ireland funding into Hockey Ireland is €3.3m for the Paris Cycle.
Commenting on today’s Sport Ireland announcement, Hockey Ireland High Performance Director, Lisa Jacob noted: “Hockey Ireland is a very big beneficiary of the funding announced today. Not only does it continue, but it increases the support we have received from Sport Ireland over many years now.”
“The additional direct athlete support will enable women’s hockey to prepare and perform with no barriers to maximizing their collective potential. The team and Hockey Ireland recognize the opportunity it presents to excel, and hopefully qualify, for Paris 2024. We will be working hard to ensure we can deliver on this investment.”
Read Sport Ireland announcement here
Girls Under 16 Interpro Final – sponsored by Uniphar
Ulster 2-2 Leinster
Ulster win penalty shootout 2-1
A big crowd was treated to a thriller in the sunshine at UCD as Ulster and their never-say-die attitude held sway in a wonderful finale to the Girls Under 16 Interprovincial final sponsored by Uniphar. Twice they came from behind in regular time. And they were behind in the shootout as well – but Davy Menaul’s team prevailed to lift the trophy.
It all started tamely enough with both defenses on top in the first half. Just before the end of the 2nd quarter, Leinster made the breakthrough, and it came from their 2nd penalty corner. Isobel Field’s shot was deflected in by Lauryn Barry past Anna Wilson in the Ulster goal, their territorial dominance in the second quarter finally getting tangible reward, breaching the Ulster defense for the first time in nearly four and a half games in this interprovincial campaign.
But back came Ulster, Erin Pim’s solo run lighting up a final that was so much better in the second half. Pim slalomed her way past two defenders into the circle and finished superbly to deservedly tie up the game at 1-1.
In the final seconds of the 3rd quarter, Leinster went ahead again from another penalty corner. Having been on top for the previous 10 minutes, they fully deserved that lead, Field’s shot flicked in by Hollaí Quinn for her 4th goal of the campaign. At that stage it looked like Leinster might go on and win the title – both displaying the kind of hockey that augurs well for the future of the women’s game in Ireland.
Ulster again refused to buckle. Their high press forced mistakes
In the Leinster defense, centre forward Katie Herron’s strong run into the circle leading to her side’s 3rd penalty corner, Joni Cunningham the hero as her shot beat Jones in goal. The game tied up now at 2-2 and both sides running on fumes after giving everything in a pulsating final.
Near the end, player of the match Isobel Field nearly put Leinster ahead, denied by a fine stop by Lola Henderson in the Ulster goal. So 2-2 it was and the drama of the shoot out had the large attendance on the edges of their seats.
Leinster Captain Sarah Byrne put Leinster in front but only after Umpire Fiona Davitt ordered a retake; Ulster’s Katie Herron tied it up at 1-1; there then followed 7 missed penalties in a row that showed how good Leinster’s Grace Jones and Ulster’s Lola Henderson are at shot stopping.
Ulster’s Kate Spillane, the 10th penalty taker, had the opportunity to seal the win for Ulster – and she duly obliged as her side won an absorbing match that will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to see it – what an advertisement for the Under 16 game!
Stephen Alkin
| EY Hockey League Women Division1 |
| It was round 14 in the EY Hockey League Women’s Division 1 in an end to end encounter at Rathdown School , with many chances created at both ends.
UCD had the better chances in the first half running up a substantial lead at the break before being pegged back in quarters three and four to hang on for a two goal margin of victory.
UCD travelled to Rathdown School to take on Monkstown in the EY Hockey League on Saturday with revenge on their minds. While UCD had won the reverse fixture in Belfield earlier in the season, Monkstown ended the students’ aspirations in the Irish Senior Cup last November. Despite being fairly even in pure percentage, terms where possession was concerned the students carved out by far the best opportunities in quarters one and two and it was no surprise when UCD took the lead from open play in the 10th minute. A well-worked move saw Niamh Carey finish giving the students a deserved lead. They increased their lead in last minute of the quarter when Grace Kenny got her first goal of the day to put the students 2-0 ahead.
There were no penalty corners awarded at all during the entire first half and the third goal also came from open play in the 24th minute when Grace Keane got her second of the game to leave the half time score 3-0 to the visitors.
UCD were back in action early into the third quarter when Sophia Cole made it 4-0 with another field goal also from open play on 38 minutes and that seemed to spark Monkstown into action as they opened their account six minutes later through a well worked moved that saw Olivia Brady get the decisive touch to open their account.
UCD restored their four-goal advantage when player of the match Niamh Carey teed up her twin sister Michelle Carey to score from close range in the 57th minute.
Monkstown rallied in the fourth quarter scoring two goals in just three minutes. Claire O’Reilly got Monkstown’s second of the game in the 64th and Chloe Watkins strike from just inside the semi-circle was deflected past UCD keeper Nora McGinty in the 66th minute to leave the final score Monkstown 3 UCD 5.
UCD securing a badly needed three points following last weekend’s home defeat to go back into the top three places in the Division. For Monkstown this defeat coupled with results elsewhere drop into the bottom three places in the Division.
Other results:
Elsewhere in the Division Old Alexandra travelled to Belfast to take on Pegasus at the Queen’s University Sportsgrounds. A scoreless first half was followed by two Abbie Russell goals for Alex to set them on their way to a 2-0 win over Pegasus who are the only team to have played all fourteen of their fixtures so far. This win put Alex into second place in the table.
Railway Union climb to 7th place in the table following their 4-2 win over Ards at Londonderry Park. This result put Ards back into the bottom two relegation spots in the table.
Loreto go three points clear at the top of the table following their 4-2 away win over Belfast Harlequins at Deramore Park. Pembroke Wanderers proved they weren’t going to give up their League title without a fight by beating Catholic Institute who went into this game in second place by 3-0. This win sees Pembroke Wanderers go fifth in the table and into one of the highly coveted Champions Trophy play off places.
EY Hockey League Women’s Division 2 Pool A Muckross held table toppers Avoca to a 1-1 draw. Ulster Elks narrowed the gap to three points with a game in hand following their 7-0 win over University of Galway.
EY Hockey League Women’s Division 2 Pool B Queen’s University beat Corinthians 2-0 but the Dubliners remain top of their Pool B after this result. Cork Harlequins stay second following their 5-0 home win over Ballymoney.
EY Hockey League Men’s Division 1 |
In the Men’s Division Instonians got the weekend off to an interesting start by holding Lisnagarvey to a 3-3 draw at Shawsbridge. This was the first of two fixtures on the agenda for Lisnagarvey who took on Banbridge on Sunday.
Bann prepared for their top of the table clash with Garvey by beating Pembroke Wanderers by 4-0 at Havelock Park on Saturday. The struggling Dubliners put to the sword ahead of Bann’s big game on Sunday,
Monkstown won a closely fought encounter with YMCA 2-1 at Rathdown School and Three Rock Rovers matched their result beating Annadale 2-1 at Grange Road.
Glenanne took on Cookstown at St Andrews in the remaining tie and it ended in a 3-2 win for Glenanne
EY Hockey League Men’s Division 2 Pool A
Corinthian edged a 9-goal thriller at Farmer’s Cross beating home side Cork Harlequins 5-4 to remain top of Pool A. Railway Union stay second following a 4-2 win over Queen’s University in Belfast.
EY Hockey League Men’s Division 2 Pool B
UCD remain top of the table following the only fixture in this Pool where Avoca kept their slim hopes of making the play offs alive by winning 2-1 against Kilkeel. With two games remaining, should results elsewhere go their way, two wins may be enough to see them squeeze through.
