Archive for year: 2024

EY HOCKEY LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION 1 

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE 1 PEMBROKE WANDERERS 1

Roisín Begley gave the home side the lead in the 22nd minute with a goal from open play.

Just as it looked like Institute had held out for the win, Pembroke Wanderers were awarded a penalty corner. Sinéad Loughran, a University of Limerick alumnus, converted the effort to give the visitors a share of the spoils it ended 1-1.

OLD ALEXANDRA  1 UCD 1

A geographical rivalry was played out at Alexandra College where Old Alexandra hosted UCD.

The first half was scoreless and UCD had the better of the scoring chances. This pattern continued into the third quarter, and it was no surprise when an Emma Paul penalty corner gave UCD a 1-0 in the 52nd minute. A goal from UCD graduate Abi Russell gave the home side a share of the spoils and UCD collected their 7th draw of the League campaign as the game ended Old Alex 1 UCD 1.

ULSTER ELKS 1 CORINTHIANS 1

Bottom of the table side Corinthians collected their first League point of the season in this 1-1 draw with Ulster Elks at Jordanstown. Corinthians took the lead when Christine Powell converted a penalty corner in the 35th minute to leave the visitors 1-0 ahead at half-time.

Elks pegged back the lead on 61 minutes when Bethany Scott scored from open play.

PEGASUS 3 MONKSTOWN 1

Ninth placed Pegasus hosted Eighth placed Monkstown at Queens University this afternoon. Both sides went on to this game level on points with only goal difference separating them. A win for either side would them put daylight between themselves and their rivals and drop them into the bottom two of the table. Stefanie Ardis opened the scoring for Pegasus in the late game with an open play goal after 4 minutes. Alex Speers made it 2-0 in the 6th minute and Stefanie Ardis with her second of the game made it 3-0 in the 29th minute. Monkstown made a game of it when they converted a penalty stroke in the 44th minute Chloe Watkins doing the honours but it ended 3-1 to Pegasus. Pegasus go 8th in the table and Monkstown slip into 9th. Interesting times for both of these teams with four games to go.

EYHL 2 MEN’S POOL A

AVOCA 2  PEMBROKE WANDERERS 2

This all Leinster Division 1 A clash was a closely fought encounter at Newtown Park school.

Luca Prendergast opened the scoring in the 6th minute to give Avoca a 1-0 lead.

Cian Funge doubled their lead in the 39th minute to leave the hosts 2-0 ahead in quarter 3.

But Pembroke Wanderers   fought their back into the game . Ross Breytenbach converted a penalty corner in the 48th minute and

Henry Thompson from open play in the 55th minute ensured a share of the spoils for Wanderers with a goal from open play.

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY 5 BANGOR 0

This all Ulster league clash was anything but a closely fought encounter.

Queen’s took the lead through Adam Reddick from open play in the 13th minute.

Conor Irwin converted a penalty corner in the 31st minute to make it 2-0 to the students.

Cody B Large scored twice in the 35th and 36th minutes to make it 4-0 .

Conor Irwin scored his second penalty corner of the match in the 53rd minute to make the final score Queens University 5 Bangor 0.

EYHL 2 MEN’S POOL B 

SOUTH ANTRIM 2 CORK CHURCH OF IRELAND 4

Ulster League side South Antrim took on Cork Church of Ireland at the Friends School in Lisburn. And the visitors made the long trip home worthwhile by taking home all of the points on offer. Oliver Patterson opened the scoring for the hosts in 39th minute, converting a penalty corner. Under 18 international Rob Olden responded for the Munster Division 1 side converting a penalty corner in the 44th minute. Max Turner restored the lead for South Antrim in the 51st minute, converting a penalty corner to put the Ulster side 2-1 up. Jonathan Bruton equalised for C of I in the 53rd minute from open play. 2-2. Gearóid Cashman made it 3-2 for the visitors in the 62nd minute and Jonathan Spillane secured the win for the Corkmen with another open play goal with three minutes to go. It finished South Antrim 2 Cork Church of Ireland 4.

RAILWAY UNION 1 CORK HARLEQUINS 5

Julian Dale opened the scoring for the visitors with a converted penalty corner in the 11th minute. He got his second of the game from open play in the 35th minute to leave Cork 2-0 ahead at the half time break. Julian Dale completed his hat-trick in the 41st minute from a converted penalty corner, to make it 3-0. He added his fourth goal of the game with another penalty corner in the 51st minute. Andrew Dale proved goalscoring for Cork Harlequins is a family affair by adding the 5th to leave the visitors 5-0 ahead. Jan Trejbal got a consolation goal for Railway with a 66th minute goal from open play to leave the final score Railway Union 1 Cork Harlequins 5.

EHYL 2 WOMEN’S POOL A

KILKENNY 1 CORK HARLEQUINS 4

Leinster Division 1 side Kilkenny hosted Munster Division 1 side Cork Harlequins in this EYHL 2 Women’s Pool A clash at Kilkenny College. Yvonne O’Byrne put the visitors 1-0 ahead in the 29th minute when she converted a penalty corner. Michelle Barry put the visitors 2-0 up with a goal from open play in the 39th minute. Yvonne O’Byrne got her second of the game when she scored from open play in the 46th minute to leave the visitors 3-0 ahead. Sophie Naughton’s 48th minute got Kilkenny on the scoresheet and back in the match for a spell, but Joy Sampson scored in 63rd minute for Harlequins to snuff out the hopes of a comeback. Kilkenny 1 Cork Harlequins 4.

BELFAST HARLEQUINS 5 GREENFIELDS 0

Connacht Division 1 side Greenfields decided to play both their home and away games in Dublin at the National Sports Campus and it made sense for both clubs economically speaking to do so. There was no need for either side to overnight in either city given that Dublin was closer to Galway than Belfast and also closer for the Ulsterwomen than Galway. Jennifer McAuley opened the scoring for Harlequins in their temporary ” home” with a goal from open play on the 3rd minute. Emma Fraser increased the lead for the Ulsterwomen a minute later 2-0 Harlequins.  Amy Cummings-Bell made it 3-0  in the 41st minute.  Jennifer McAuley added a fourth from a converted penalty corner in the 46th minute. Katherine Welsh man put the tin hat on a 5-0  win with a goal from open play in the 52nd minute. Belfast Harlequins 5 Greenfields 0

EYHL 2 WOMEN’S POOL B 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK 4 ARDS 1

Abi O’Mahony gave UCC the lead with a goal from open play in the 7th minute. Julia McCarthy converted a penalty corner in the 20th minute to make it 2-0 for UCC. Abi O’Mahony  got her second open play goal of the game on the 30th minute to out the students 3-0 ahead. Emma O’Sullivan put the game beyond redemption with her open play goal in the 40th minute to leave the students 4-0 up. Alana Doyle’s 47th minute Penalty Stroke proved to be just a consolation goal for the Ulsterwomen it finished 4-1 to UCC.

UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY 2 MUCKROSS 3

Leinster Division 1 table toppers Muckross travelled to Dangan to take on University of Galway in the EYHL 2 Pool B. Mian Phelan-Sweeney gave Muckross the lead from a converted penalty corner in the 8th minute. Ailbhe Phelan equalised for University of Galway in the 19th minute. Caroline Mathew’s scored from a converted penalty corner in the 13th minute to restore the lead for Muckross to 2-1. Aisling McGrath from open play but the students back level in the 61st minute at 2-2. Caroline Mathews got her second goal of the match converting another penalty corner to secure the win. Muckross coming away with a 3-2 win.

AUSTRALIA 4 IRELAND 1

Australia took on Ireland in the sixth fixture of the India phase of the FIH Pro League in Rourkela today. The table toppers eventually overcame a game Ireland team with a powerhouse second half performance to win by 4 goals to 1.

Interviewed pre match on the Watch Hockey live stream Ireland head coach Mark Tumilty stated that the primary aim was to get into the final third more often. Ireland did precisely that in the first quarter forcing a long corner in the 3^rd minute. After a good team move orchestrated by Daragh Walsh, Sean Murray got the final pass and forced two saves from Australian keeper Andrew Charter in the 4^th minute. Australia had their first real shot in anger in the 9^th minute when James Milliken saved from Daniel Beale.

Australia forced their first penalty corner of the match in the 11^th minute. Blake Govers shot from the corner was saved by Milliken. It was scoreless at the end of the quarter. Australia started the second quarter well forcing their second penalty corner of the match in the 17^th minute. Saved at the line by Milliken at the expense of another short corner. Umpire made Australia retake this one as one of the Irish runners had broken too early. Australia hit this one wide off the outside of the upright.

Australia forced their 5^th penalty corner of the game in the 21^st minute Blake Govers shot towards the roof of the net but James MIlliken managed to keep it out of the net with his raised stick at the expense of a long corner.  Overall, in quarter two Australia dominated possession and Ireland defended well. Ireland had a few circle entries in the 24^th minute. In the final minute Australia had a shot across the goal mouth after a free hit and that one went wide.  0-0 at half time.

Australia didn’t score from their 8^th penalty corner, but they did however from their 9th. Blake Govers converting in the 33^rd minute  1-0 to Australia. Nathan Ephraums converted another penalty corner in the 40^th minute to increase their lead to 2-0. But Ireland responded in the 44^th minute when Shane O’Donoghue converted their first penalty corner to make the score 2-1. Blake Govers put Australia further ahead in the 52^nd minute converting a second penalty corner for his second goal of the game, to make the score 3-1 to Australia . Player of the match Jack Welch got a goal from open  play in the 56th minute to leave the final score Australia 4 Ireland 1.

Speaking after the match Ireland Head Coach Mark Tumilty said:

“For a few of the Australia goals we got unfortunate with some of the deflections. We have to defend a bit better outside the circle. We conceded very quickly after scoring and that’ s something we need to work on. We have grown in the tournament and now we need to get something on the board before we go home. I think we deserve something from this tournament and that will be our main focus going into those final games.”

AUSTRALIA: Andrew Charter (G), Corey Weyer, Jake Harvie, Tom Wickham, Jacob Anderson, Joshua Beltz, Blake Govers, Jayden Atkinson,  Tim Howard, Flynn Ogilvie, Daniel Beale  SUBS USED: James Collins (3 mins), Jack Welch (3mins), Lachlan Sharp (4 mins) Ky Willott (4 mins),  Nathan Ephraums (5 mins),  Eddie Ockenden (C) (5 mins)

IRELAND:  James Milliken (GK), Luke Witherow, Lee Cole, Shane O’Donoghue, Nicholas Page, Peter McKibbin, Sean Murray (C), Daragh Walsh, Jeremy Duncan, Ben Walker, Jonathan Lynch SUBS USED: Peter Brown (5 mins), Conor Empey (5 mins),  Matthew Nelson (5 mins), Kevin O’Dea (5 mins), Charlie Rowe (6 mins), Sam Hyland (8 mins)

Hockey Ireland Junior Age squads return from recent successful England series 

February 20, 2024, Dublin: Ireland U16 Boys, U16 girls and U18 boys each completed a three-game series with England last week on their three-day visit starting Tuesday February 13. Here’s a summary of how the games went.

Tues Feb 13 – Day 1:

England U16 Boys 2 Ireland U16 Boys 2

Ireland, fielding a number of debutants, twice led against England only to be pegged back on both occasions. Ed Irwin opened the scoring in Q2 from a drag flick. Toby Slye O Connell grabbed a second after the home nation had equalised to give Ireland a Half time lead. England equalised again in the third quarter. Both sides had chances to win the match but all in all the result was fair.

England U18 Boys 3 Ireland U18 Boys 2

Goals from John Cunningham (Penalty stroke) and Milo Thompson saw Ireland race into a 2 goal lead in Q1. England pulled one back before the end of the quarter. As the game ebbed back and forth both sides could have scored but Ireland secured a Half time lead. England equalised in Q3 pouncing on a rebound after an initial save from a drag flick by Coffey. The hosts grabbed the winner with 7 to go, but both sides would feel that they have more than a chance in the remaining fixtures.

England U16 Girls 4 Ireland U16 Girls 2

An Irish team with no fewer than 16 debutants grew into the game against a strong opponent. England took the lead on the stroke of half time, converting after a period of concerted pressure. Ireland thought they had equalised when Evie Girvan bundled home, only to be halted by the umpire who had already awarded a stroke. Hollai Quinn however stayed calm and equalised. Further English pressure saw them race into a 3-1 lead, before Quinn struck again, this time from a corner strike to bring Ireland back within 1. A fourth England goal killed the game off, but Ireland showed improvement in each quarter and could look forward to the next two games.

Weds Feb 14 – Day 2:

England U16 Boys 1 Ireland U16 Boys 2

Alfie Le Quesne’s last minute drag flick gave Ireland a much deserved victory in match 2 of their England trip. Oliver Graham had earlier converted a corner strike of his own, before an England equaliser. It was a solid performance by Ireland to back up their opening day draw.

England U18 Boys 4 Ireland U18 Boys 4

A frantic last 4 minutes saw Ireland throw away a 4-2 lead in the U18 Game. Max Caulwell scored an early corner rebound to give Ireland the lead before England struck back. Rob Olden converted a corner, only to see England equalise with the last touch of the first half. Last quarter goals from John Cunningham and Matthew McAreavey looked to have won the game, however a corner and last second penalty stroke earned England a draw.

England U16 Girls 4 Ireland U16 Girls 3

Goals from Hollai Quinn and Evie Girvin saw Ireland race into a 2 goal lead. England pulled one back then dominated the third quarter to lead 4-2. Caitlin Gribbin pulled one back but the girls couldn’t find an equaliser and the game finished 4-3

Thurs Feb 15 – Day 3:

England U16 Boys 7 Ireland U16 Boys 1

A first half blitz saw England secure the third game as they tore into the Irish leading an improbable 6-0. The second half was much more even as the young Irish lads showed great character. Johnny Woods was the Irish scorer.

England U18 Boys 0 Ireland U18 Boys 1

A final quarter penalty corner from Rob Olden secured a final day win for the U18 boys. With lessons learned from the previous day they were able to see out the win without major alarm. A solid defensive effort, highlighted by the penalty corner running of Max Caulwell ensured that the one goal was enough for victory.

England U16 Girls 3 Ireland U16 Girls 2

There was last second heartbreak for the Irish U16 girls as England struck to seal their win. Holly Farrell had given Ireland the lead before two third quarter goals had the hosts 2-1 ahead. Hollai Quinn equalised with 7 to go only for England to score just before the whistle. The girls improved every game and will hopefully take a number of lessons home with them.

Mick McKinnon Pathway Manager for Hockey Ireland reflected on the mini tournaments when the three teams returned home and said:

“I don’t really care about the results. It was the performances and the learnings that we had in these games that mattered. As a tick box yes, I am pleased with the results achieved with this particular group of players. Results, while good, are immaterial to what we are trying to achieve.” 

“The U18 Boys in the game they drew 4-4 with England and had been leading 4-2 until near the end of the game. They will have learned that they need to close out games when they have the upper hand and can apply this when the results do matter. The U16 Girls had some close games and the lessons they learned towards the end of those games will stand to them in the future.”  

“The U16 Boys in their  third game  may have had their worst result. But the character they showed in the second half when they were trailing 0-6 showed great resolve and was great to see. Learning to play when you’re tired is another box ticked.  Our underage international squads are largely  self-funded programmes that depend on the goodwill of the hockey community. If anybody reading this is interested in sponsoring these teams or helping out with raising funds for these teams contact the Hockey Ireland office and they can be put in contact with the Pathway Collective.”

IRL Men narrowly lose to the Netherlands in Rourkela after strong performance

NETHERLANDS 2 IRELAND 1

Ireland commenced their second round of games at Rourkela India with one of the toughest possible opponents. Last week when the two sides met in Bhubanswar the Dutch had won by 5 goals to 1 which in no way was a reflection on how well Ireland performed on the day.  Could the improved performances from the latter end of week one spill over into week two? That was the target for the coaching staff in today’s game.

In the first quarter a lot of what the Irish coaching team had been aspiring to achieve with the national side seemed to be happening on the field of play. The Dutch got the first penalty corner of the game, but Jip Janssen shot wide. Peter Brown had Ireland’s first real shot in anger in the 7^th cutting into the semi-circle from deep to fire wide. Ireland took the lead from a penalty corner in the 11^th minute. Shane O’Donoghue’s first effort was blocked, Matthew Nelson reacted fastest to the rebound and shot to the net. 1-0 Ireland. But just in the final minute of the first quarter the Dutch were awarded a penalty corner and this time Jip Janssen scored. Seve Van Ass almost made it 2-1 just before the hooter sounded at the end of quarter 1.

The Dutch started the second quarter strongly. They were awarded a penalty corner in the 16^th minute. Jamie Carr saved to deny Jasper Brinkmann. A series of Dutch penalty corners followed. The Irish defended the first two but had no answer to the third which saw Jip Janssen score deflecting the ball off defender Ben Walker. Before celebrating his goal his first move was to ensure the Irishman wasn’t seriously hurt. Illustrating the excellent sportsmanship which permeated the match in the first half. Netherlands led 2-1 at half-time.

A succession of Dutch penalty corners early in the third quarter were unproductive and there remained only a single goal between the sides at the end of the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter Jamie Carr denied Netherland’s Jorrit Croon who was chosen as player of the match for this game at the end of the match.  There was a penalty corner awarded to his team. Joep de Mol fired wide from the resultant penalty corner.

After a good piece of buildup play by the Dutch in the 51^st minute, Terrence Pieters passed to Croon who fired wide. A minute later Pieters won a penalty corner but Matthew Nelson ran out from the Irish goal and blocked the effort ad got a free hit out. Conor Empey dispossessed an opponent inside the Dutch half in the 60^th minute but was tackled once he entered the semi-circle. Indeed, as the final hooter sounded Daragh Walsh was attempting to create an attack after receiving a pass from Sean Murray. After the game Player of the Match Jorrit Croon was very complimentary about how Ireland had played as was his coach.

It was one of the best performances from an Irish team in recent years and ended Netherlands 2 Ireland 1 .

Speaking to coach Mark Tumilty after the game he said:

“We have definitely made progress from block 1. We should have held on to the lead a bit better. Overall, we defended well, and Shane O’Donoghue was excellent but so were a few others. Matthew Nelson, we know what he is capable of and he showed that out there today against the #1 ranked team in the world.”

NETHERLANDS: Maurits Visser (GK),  Jip Janssen, Jorrit Croon, Terrence Pieters, Justen Blok, Derck de Vilder, Floris Wortelboer, Koen Bijen, Joep  de Mol, Max de Bie, Duco Telgenkamp  SUBS USED: Floris Middendorp (3mins), Seve Van Ass (4 mins), Jasper Brinkmann (4 mins), Guus Jansen (5 mins), Teun Beins(5 mins)

IRELAND: Jamie Carr, Luke Witherow, Luke Madeley, Tim Cross, Matthew Nelson, Daragh Walsh, Shane O’Donoghue, Sean Murray (C), Peter McKibbin, Michael Robson, Ben Walker SUBS USED: Ben Johnson (4mins), Nicholas Page (4 mins),  Conor Empey (5 mins),  Peter Brown (5 mins), Kevin O’Dea (6 mins)