EuroHockey Indoor Championship II, Women: Saturday, Feb 10 – Day 2 Report

Sweden got things underway on day 2 against Slovakia in the opening game.

SWEDEN 1 SLOVAKIA 4

Nora Thien gave the Swedes a lead in the 13th minute from open play Sharlota Medikova equalised for Slovakia when she converted a penalty corner in the 19th minute and her second of the game from open play put Slovakia ahead in the game for the first time in the 32nd minute. Karolina Vyskochová increased the Slovaks lead converting a penalty corner in the 33rd minute giving them an extended 3-1 lead going into the closing stages. Barbora Pucherova sealed the win with a fourth for the Slovaks in the final minute and the final score was Sweden 1 Slovakia 4.

 

LITHUANIA 4 CROATIA 2

Lithuania took on Croatia in the second game of the day . Dovile Kukliene converted a penalty corner in the 6th minute to make it 2-0 and Viktorija Bogdanova added a third in the 7th minute to put Slovakia 3-0 ahead. Dovile Kukliene got her second of the match from open play in the 9th minute to leave Slovakia leading 4-0 and in a seemingly comfortable position. Croatia attempted to claw their way back though and were on the scoreboard in the 12th minute when Lucija Nizek converted a penalty stroke. Iskra Bedenko’s 23rd minute goal made it 4-2.

 

IRELAND 9  PORTUGAL 1

Ireland took on Portugal in their third Pool A match of the EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Galway. Chloe Brown’s converted penalty corner in the 4th minute gave Ireland the lead. Ireland went further ahead when they were awarded a penalty stroke and Orla Fox made no mistake 2-0 Ireland . Portugal got their first goal of the tournament in the 9th minute when Ana Nogueira converted a penalty corner to make it 2-1. Milla Fulton added a third for Ireland in the 11th minute  3-1. Sarah Patton scored in the 22nd minute to make it 4-1. Milla Fulton converted a penalty corner  to make it  in the 24th minute to get her second of the match to make it 5-1 for Ireland.  Jenny Mc Carlie scored in the 25th minute to make it 6-1. Ireland were awarded a penalty stroke in 32nd minute and Orla Fox got her second of the match to make it 7-1.  Ellen Robinson added another goal in the 35th minute to make it 8-1. Sarah Patton converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute to make it 9-1.

IRELAND: Kate O’Hora (GK), Laura Graham, Orla Fox,  Chloe Brown ,Jenna McCarlie, Ellen Robinson

SUBS USED: Sarah Patton (4 mins), Mikayla Power, (5 mins), Orla Patton (C) (6 mins), Milla Fulton (4 mins), Orla Macken (6 mins)

 

LITHUANIA  4 SWEDEN 0

Dovile Kukliene opened the scoring for Lithuania in the 12th minute from open play. Dovile Kukliene got her second of the game from a penalty corner in the 18th minute.

Renata Grigiene converted a 25th minute Penalty stroke  and then Dovile Kukliene in the 36th minute converted a penalty corner completing her hat-trick. It finished Lithuania 4 Sweden 0.

 

CROATIA 7  PORTUGAL 2

Croatia took the lead through Petra Hrupec who converted a penalty corner in the 2nd minute. Sasha Abramovic scored a goal from open play in the 7th minute to make it 2-0 to Croatia. Dora Jelcic added a goal in the 8th minute to make it 3-0 to Croatia and Iskra Bedenko made it 4-0 in the 13th minute.  Ana Nogueira converted a penalty corner in the  15th minute to get Portugal on the scoresheet. Sasha Abramovic got her second of the game in the 17th minute to make it 5-1 to Croatia and Dora Jelcic got her second of the game in the 19th minute to leave Croatia 6-1 ahead. Ana Nogueira added a second goal of the game for her tally to make it 6-2. Monika Vajdic rounded off ther scoring for Croatia in the final minute to leave the score Croatia 7 Portugal 2.

 

SLOVAKIA 5 IRELAND 5

Ireland’s hopes of winning this competition suffered a hammer blow in the final match of the second day when they were held to a 5-5 draw by Slovakia. Slovakia took an early lead in the 3rd minute when Martina Surinova scored from open play. Ireland equalised a minute later when Orla Fox tucked away a penalty stroke to make it 1-1. Jenna McCarlie scored again for Ireland in the 12th minute to make it 2-1. Mikayla Power added another goal to put Ireland 3-1 ahead and Laura Graham scored again in the 19th minute to leave Ireland 4-1 up at half time. Slovakia stormed back in the second half Karolina Vyskocova scored in the 26th minute to make it 4-2. Sharlota Medvikova converted a penalty corner in the 28th minute to make it 4-3 to Ireland. Barbora Pucherova equalised for the Slovaks in the 36th minute to make it 4-4. Ireland looked to have won the game when Mikayla Power scored in the final minute. Sharlota Medvikova converted a penalty corner just before the end to leave the final score 5-5.

IRELAND: Emma Buckley,  Sarah Patton, Mikayla Power, Chloe Brown, Orla Fox, Milla Fulton

SUBS USED: Ellen Robinson (2 mins), Jenna McCarlie (4 mins),  Laura Graham (4 mins), Orla Patton (c) (5 mins), Orla Macken (6 mins)

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Hockey Ireland Domestic Weekend Results Round-Up – Saturday, Feb 10

EY Hockey League 2 

 

EYHL2 MEN’S POOL A

Week 4 of the EYHL 2 got underway with two ties in the Men’s Pool A.

BANGOR  2  PEMBROKE WANDERERS 4

James Maginnis gave the visitors the lead in 15th minute when he converted a penalty corner for Pembroke Wanderers. Ross Breytenbach made it 2-0 for Wanderers with a goal from open play in the 30th minute. Bangor responded a minute later when Ryan Burgess converted a penalty corner 31st minute. Bangor drew level in the 43rd minute when they were awarded a penalty stroke from which Matthew Armstrong-Sanchez made no mistake to make it 2-2. Scott Sullivan restored Pembroke’s lead converting a penalty corner in the 52nd minute and Cian Murphy sealed the win for Wanderers in the 63rd minute from open play to leave the final score Bangor 2 Pembroke Wanderers 4.

 

BANDON  2 AVOCA 6

Bandon had no answer for the firepower of the Leinster Division 1 A opposition at Bandon Grammar school in this EYHL 2 Pool A clash. Hayden Vaitekenas opened the scoring from open play in the second minute. He got his second of the game in the 22nd minute to leave Avoca 2-0. Less than a minute later Christopher Ryan scored another goal for Avoca from open play to make it 3-0. In the 24th minute Bandon mustered a response when Fion O’Leary scored to make it 3-1 at half time. Avoca scored in the 44th minute through Andrew Tutty to make it 4-1. Christopher Ryan got his second goal of the game in the 49th minute to make it 5-1. Fionn O’Leary got his second of the game in the 56th minute to put a bit more respectability on the scoreline, but Avoca finished strongly when Andrew Tutty got his second of the game to make the final score 6-2 in the final minute.

 

EYHL 2 MEN’S POOL B 

CORK CHURCH OF IRELAND 2 CORK HARLEQUINS 2

A Leeside derby, an all-Munster Division 1 clash, and a rivalry going back to early in the last century if not further, this game had everything one could wish for. And nothing could separate the sides after four quarters of hockey at Garryduff. Jonathan Spillane gave the hosts the lead in the 9th minute 1-0 Church of Ireland. Sean Landers 28th minute penalty stroke increased their lead to 2-0. The visitors responded through John Hobbs in the 35th minute converting a penalty stroke. Julian Dale ensured a share of the spoils for the visitors when he converted a penalty corner in the 62nd minute. The final result being Cork Church of Ireland 2 Cork Harlequins 2.

 

COOKSTOWN 3  RAILWAY UNION 1

Cookstown and Railway Union played out a closely fought two quarters and the deadlock wasn’t broken until the 32nd minute when Mark Crooks converted a penalty corner to leave the hosts 1-0 ahead at the break.  Callum Anderson’s goal from open play in the 44th minute increased the hosts lead to 2-0  and Scott Mc Cabe’s goal in the 55th minute for Cookstown probably put the game beyond Railway Union giving Cookstown a 3-0 advantage. Jan Trejbal gave Railway Union a consolation by getting on the scoresheet in the 66th minute  with a goal from open play to leave the final score Cookstown 3 Railway Union 1.

 

EYHL 2 WOMEN’S POOL A 

Avoca were originally due to play Kilkenny and Greenfields from Galway were due to take on Cork Harlequins in the EYHL2 Women’s Pool A today. Neither of the two ties down for decision in this Pool took place owing to the involvement of both Avoca and Cork Harlequins in the Irish Senior Cup.

 

EYHL 2 WOMEN’S POOL B 

ARDS 1 MUCKROSS 1

Ulster Premier League’s Ards took on Leinster Division 1 side Muckross in this tie at Londonderry Park. And nothing could separate the two sides in the  first half.

Honor Powell gave the visitors the lead in the 44th minute from open play.  Ards responded through Ailish Carson who converted a penalty corner in the 52nd minute to leave things level at the final whistle. It ended Ards 1 Muckross 1.

 

LURGAN  0 UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY 0

 

MEN’S IRISH HOCKEY TROPHY 

 

KILKENNY 5 BRAY 0

 

MEN’S IRISH JUNIOR CUP

 

THREE ROCK ROVERS 4 PEMBROKE WANDERERS 1

UCD 4 KILKEEL 0 

 

WOMEN’S IRISH HOCKEY TROPHY

 

GLENANNE 4 BALLYMENA 0 

GREENFIELDS 1  LISNAGARVEY  5 

PORTRANE 2 DUNGANNON 6 

 

WOMEN’S IRISH SENIOR CUP

 

CORK HARLEQUINS 1 CATHOLIC INSTITUTE 3

PEGASUS 7 AVOCA 1  

U.C.C. 1 LORETO 3

ULSTER ELKS 0  CORINTIANS 2

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY 5  BALLYMONEY 0 

 

UCD 2 OLD ALEXANDRA 1

EYHL Women’s Division 1 rivals Old Alexandra and UCD played out a very closely fought Irish Senior Cup tie at the National Stadium in Belfield on Saturday. There was no scoring in the first quarter. Playing her final game for UCD ahead of her Erasmus stint in Australia didn’t faze Lucy Crowe in any way as she opened the scoring by converting a penalty corner in the 28th minute. Caoimhe Byrne made her return for UCD having missed the first half of the season due to her Erasmus stint in the USA. UCD increased their lead  in the 48th minute from open play through Leah O’Shea to lead by 2-0. Old Alexandra like UCD on this occasion were shorn of their Full International players got on  the scoresheet in the final minute when Aoife Taaffe finished off a nice well worked move to leave the final score UCD 2 Old Alexandra 1. So UCD go into the hat for the next round for Old Alexandra there is just the League left to concentrate on for the rest of 2023-24 season.

UCD:  Erika Gallagher, Aine Naughton, Katie-Jane Marshall, Ali Griffin, Lucy Crowe, Anna McCarthy, Katherine Egan. Emma Paul (C), Lauren Johnston, Florence Maughan, Sydney Weir McErlean SUBS USED: Caoimhe Byrne (6 mins), Leah O’Shea (8 mins), Lauren Moore (8 mins), Sophia Cole (10 mins)

OLD ALEXANDRA: Holly Micklem, Lindsay Power, Paula Oldenkott, Ella Malone, Sarah Byrne, Elva Kerr, Bethany Russ,  Robyn Hetherington, Isabella Dunlop, Zoe Hancock,  Abigail Russell (capt.) SUBS USED:  Allie Hetherington (7 mins), Aoife Taaffe (10 mins)

MEN’S IRISH SENIOR CUP

THREE ROCK ROVERS 4 QUEENS UNIVERSITY 1

YMCA 2 MONKSTOWN 1 

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IRL Men’s first FIH Pro League game against The Netherlands ends in defeat

IRL Men’s first FIH Pro League game against The Netherlands end in defeat

NETHERLANDS 5 IRELAND1

 

The Netherlands, who are the number 1 ranked hockey team in the world, were the opposition for Ireland in their first ever FIH Pro League game in Bhubaneswar, India on Saturday. Ireland defended well in the opening stages and reduced Netherlands to speculative efforts. All t hat changed in the 12th minute when Tjep Hoedermans converted from a penalty corner to give them the lead. It was 1-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Dutch increased their lead, Jorrit Croon finished from open play following a good team effort to get him into the scoring position from which he put the ball into the goal on 21 minutes. But the Irish didn’t buckle and had their two best chances of the half late in the first quarter

In the second quarter Ireland were much more of a force in the attacking third of the field. Ireland forced a penalty corner and Pirmin Blaak denied Jeremy Duncan and Conor Empey had a shot come back off the post in the 29th minute .It was 2-0 at half-time. The Dutch increased their lead early in the third quarter, Jamie Carr fouled Jip Janssen who converted the resultant penalty stroke in the 35th minute. But within 60 seconds Sean Murray burst into the Dutch semi-circle and was fouled by Jorrit Croon. Croon sat out the next ten minutes on a yellow card and the Dutch were further reduced to 9 players for two minutes when Steijn Van Heijningen was green carded. The Irish appealed the original award of a free hit to the Video Umpire. He upheld the appeal and awarded a penalty stroke to Ireland which was converted by Lee Cole in the 36th minute. This made history being Ireland’s firstever goal in the FIH Pro League. Ireland however despite their best efforts were unable to make the numerical advantage count on the scoreboard.

Any hopes of an Ireland comeback were thwarted by several saves by Pirmin Blaak and then by two goals within a minute for the Dutch. Jip Janssen converted a penalty corner in the 52nd minute to make it 4-1 and Steijn Van Heijningen’s effort hit off an Irish defender on its way to the net a minute later to seal a 5-1 win for the Dutch. The Irish had played well for most of the game and in the end some key saves from Jaime Carr prevented an even worse look to the scoreline. Duco Telgenkamp’s shot which flew over the crossbar in the dying seconds, proved to be the last action of the match. Ireland’s first game in the FIH PRO League ended in a defeat which to be fair would have been the bookies prediction ahead of the game. Ireland are back in action on Tuesday Feb 13 against Australia.

 

After the game we spoke to Head Coach Mark Tumilty:

“I didn’t think it was a 5-1 game. If we could have gotten a second goal in the third quarter, it would have been a different result. Pleased with our first half showing. We produced some very good hockey at times. Going forward at times too. Probably just a few individual errors cost us goals. Teams at this level punish errors ruthlessly. Our deep defence was good at times as it had been in Valencia recently. I thought Sean Murray was outstanding in the game today. On Tuesday we will face Australia, and this will be another challenge for us. We will need to fix a few things from today that we could do a bit better on.”

IRELAND:- Jamie Carr (GK), Luke Madeley, Tim Cross, John McKee, Daragh Walsh, Kevin O’Dea, Shane O’Donoghue , Sean Murray (C), Michael Robson, Lee Cole, Conor Empey SUBS USED:  BenJohnson (4 mins), Luke Witherow (5 mins) Jeremy Duncan (5 mins), Nicholas Page (5 mins), Peter McKibbin (7 mins), Peter Brown (7 mins)

NETHERLANDS :Pirmin Blaak , Jip Janssen, Lars Balk, Thierry Brinkman, Seve Van Ass, JorritCroon, Floris Wortelboer, Tjep Hoedemakers,  Koen Bijen, Joep DeMol, Steijn Van Heijningen  SUBS USED : Duco Telgenkamp (4 mins), Max DeBie (4 mins) Terrance Pieters (4 mins) Derck De Vilder (5 mins), Teun Beins (5 mins]), Jesper Brinkman (5 mins)

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EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-A, Women: Friday Feb 9 – Day 1 Report

IRL Indoor Women off to a winning start but Lithuania lead the pool on goal difference

 

The EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-A, Women, got underway today in Galway at the Kingfisher Centre. Slovakia took on Croatia in the opening game. Lucija Nizek opened the scoring for Croatia from a penalty corner in the 6th minute to give them a 1-0 lead. She converted a second penalty corner in the 19th minute made it 2-0. Iskra Bedenko made it 3-0 for Croatia. Dominka Chebenova got what proved to be a consolation for Slovakia in the 36th minute. Dora Jelcici  scored a fourth goal  in the 39th minute. It finished Slovakia 1 Croatia 4. Portugal took on Lithuania in the second of the day’s games and Dovile Juraite’s opening goals for Lithuania saw them lead 2-0 after 12 minutes. Dovile kukliene converted a penalty corner to put the Baltic republic 3-0 up on 17 minutes and Dovile Juraite’s penalty corner on 21 minutes completed her hat-trick and left her team 4-0 ahead. Dovile Kukliene got her second of the game to leave Lithuania 5-0 ahead in the 25th minute and a converted penalty corner by Karolina Raulnaityte in the 37th minute proved the final score of the game. It finished Portugal 0 Lithuania 0

 

IRELAND 7 SWEDEN 2

Hosts Ireland got their campaign underway against Sweden. Chloe Brown put the Irish one up in the 2nd minute. Mikayla Power scored twice in the opening half in the 3rd minute and 11th minute. Jenna McCarlie  added a fourth in the 16th  minute.  Laura Graham added a fifth goal in the  22nd minute and Jenna McCarlie with her second of the game made it 6-0 in the 23rd minute.  Sweden got on the scoresheet when Ylva Von Blanquet scored in the 27th minute to make it 6-1. Chloe Brown with a converted penalty corner got her second of the game to put Ireland 7-1 ahead in the 33rd minute. In the final minute Ylva Von Blanquet converted a penalty corner for Sweden, her second goal of the game, to make the final score Ireland 7 Sweden 2.

 

IRELAND: Emma Buckley  (GK), Sarah Patton, Mikayla Power, Chloe Brown, Orla Patton (C), Milla Fulton

SUBS USED:– Orla Fox (5 mins), Laura Graham (5 mins), Jenna McCarlie (5 mins), Ellen Robinson (6 mins),  Orla Macken [(mins)

 

After the first round of matches Lithuania led the standings on goal difference from Ireland.

Slovakia took on Lithuania in both teams second outing of the day in the next game. Sarlota Medvikova gave Slovakia a 1-0 lead when she scored in the 4th minute from open play.

Viktorija Bogdanova equalised for Lithuania in the 10th minute to make it 1-1 and her second of the game gave her team the lead for the first time in the game in the 18th minute to make it 2-1 to Lithuania. Dovile Kuklienke added a goal from open play in the 28th minute to make it 3-1 Lithuania and Karolina Raulnaitynte added another in the 29th minute to leave them 4-1 ahead on the half hour mark. She got her second goal of the game in the 39th minute to leave the final score Slovakia 1 Lithuania 5.

 

Sweden took on Portugal in the penultimate game of Day 1.  Both sides having been on the receiving ends of heavy defeats in their opening games. Sweden got off to a good start when Nora Thien scored after 3 minutes. Paula Justus converted a penalty corner in the 18th minute to give the Swedes a 2-0 lead. Nora Thien got her second goal of the game in the 32nd minute to make it 3-0 to Sweden. Klara Moberg added a fourth in the 35th minute to leave the score 4-0 and Ylva Von Blanquet grabbed a fifth in the final minute to leave the final score Sweden 5 Portugal 0.

 

IRELAND 5 CROATIA 1

Ireland rounded off the days action in Galway with their second game of the day against Croatia. Teenager Milla Fulton opened the scoring for Ireland in the 4th minute converting a penalty corner.  Chloe Brown made it 2-0 from another converted penalty corner in the 7th minute. Ellen Robinson added a third goal in the 11th minute to leave Ireland leading 3-0.  Croatia got on the scoresheet in the 19th minute when Lucija Nizek converted a penalty corner and it was Ireland 3 Croatia 1 at that stage. There was no scoring in the third quarter.  Milla Fulton rectified that early into the final quarter with a goal from open play in the 33rd minute to make it Ireland 4 Croatia 1. Laura Graham added a further goal from open play in the 37th minute to make it Ireland 5 Croatia 1.  And that was the final score.

IRELAND: Emma Buckley (GK), Sarah Patton, Mikayla Power, Chloe Brown, Orla Patton (C), Milla Fulton

SUBS USED: Orla Fox (6 mins), Laura Graham (4 mins), Jenna McCarlie (4 mins), Ellen Robinson (8 mins),  Orla Macken (8 mins)

 

After two games Lithuania lead the pool on goal difference from Ireland both sides having secured 6 league points from their two outings. The action on Saturday gets underway at 10.30 a.m. when Slovakia take on Sweden.

 

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FIH Pro League debut for IRL Men against World Number 1 The Netherlands

FIH PRO LEAGUE 

 

Ireland’s Senior Men begin their FIH Pro League campaign on Saturday in Bhubaneswar India on Saturday at 12 p.m. Irish time against The Netherlands. After that India, the hosts, take on Spain at 2 p.m. Irish time. On Sunday Ireland are idle as the other four play against each other. Spain take on Australia at noon our time and India take on the Netherlands in the 2 p.m. game.

 

Action resumes on Tuesday February 13 where Ireland take on Australia at 12 noon and The Netherlands take on Spain at 2 p.m. Irish time. On Thursday February 15 Ireland have their third game in the series when they take on Spain at 12 noon Irish time and India take on Australia.

 

The first half of the India phase of this FIH Pro League season finishes on Friday February 16 when The Netherlands take on Australia at 12 noon and Ireland play hosts India at 2 p.m.  The five nations will relocate to Rourkela and that series will commence on February 19.

 

FIH PRO LEAGUE PLAYER QUOTES 

 

Michael Robson said prior to the squad’s departure for India:

 

“When we were in Valencia we were seeing pictures online of the crowds in the stadium in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela and it was something to enjoy in terms of the atmosphere.

“We’re just delighted to get going and can’t wait to play India over there. That’s the game we are most excited about.  Superb preparation, playing against the Top 8 teams in the world. It will certainly be  a steep learning curve.

“It will get us really well prepared for the run up to Paris 2024. We’ll be able to enjoy the Pro League and just soak up the atmosphere. The stakes and pressure were massive in Valencia. The stakes are huge in the Pro League too but the expectations are probably not as high. We are going to stick to the process and see what we can achieve performance-wise.”

“We are going to focus on our own performances and how we want to play. In Valencia we didn’t get bogged down with the opposition or with the end result. We’ve worked a lot on our deep defence, we certainly feel very comfortable in it, but it’s not something we want to default to. We still want to be on the front foot and play with the ball.”

“Certain circumstances occur in match situations. But if there’s one goal in it, we’re pretty comfortable with our backs to the wall . We’ve got good structures in place and we trust that.” 

 

Daragh Walsh, on getting into the FIH PRO League:

“When we initially got into the FIH Pro League, it was just a great spectacle and a great opportunity to be involved in it. But since Olympic qualification it’s become ideal preparation for the Olympic tournament in Paris later in the year. Since Covid we haven’t had a lot of opportunities to play top opposition. But in this first phase we will have 8 matches against 4 top class opposition that we don’t get to play against very often.”

On their knowledge of the Netherlands players:

“We have one or two players who play in the Netherlands and there’s a few of us in Belgium but there aren’t as many that our lads have experience of playing against at club level. We are aware of their qualities and that opening match will be a great benchmark for us as a squad.” 

On their aspirations for the FIH PRO League: “It’s going to be a big ask to stay up in this League and in order to do that we will have to target certain games. We’d be looking to get positive results against Argentina and Spain. Spain are definitely who we are most familiar with as we usually play them 5-6 times a year. Spain tend to win most of them so at this stage we probably are owed a victory over them. They are a top-quality side, it will be difficult, but doable.”

 

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EuroHockey Indoor comes to Galway for the very first time

EUROHOCKEY INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP II-A, WOMEN

Galway welcomes the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship II with international hockey of this kind visiting the city in the west of Ireland for the first time.

Six teams will be in situ for the event which will be played on around-robin basis with the top two nations earning promotion to the top tier of indoor on the continent.

The hosts are the highest ranked nation at 23rd on the world list but they will face tough competition with Slovakia (24th),Portugal (25th), Lithuania (27th) Croatia (29th)and Sweden (39th) all potential threats. Find out a little bit more about each team below.

The EuroHockey Indoor Championship II A takes place in Galway beginning tomorrow Friday February 9 and will finish up on Sunday February 11.Fresh from their Nkosi Cup experience in December Ireland go into this tournament well prepared. This is the first time for Ireland to host a European Indoor Championship and the first major international Hockey tournament of any kind to be held in Connacht.

The participating nations are Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

Each team will have two games each on the opening two days and a final pool game early on Sunday. The rest of Sunday will be decide placings in the tournament.

Friday will be the first day of action. The tournament gets underway at the Kingfisher Centre in Galway at 10:30 a.m. when Slovakia take on Croatia. Ireland’s first game is at 1:00 p.m. when the hosts take on Sweden. Slovakia take on Lithuania in their second game of the day at 4p.m. Sweden take on Portugal and Ireland’s final game is at 6.30 p.m. against Croatia.

Saturday sees Sweden take on Slovakia at 10:30 a.m. Lithuania take on Croatia at 11:45 a.m.  and Portugal plays Ireland at 1 p.m. Lithuania play Sweden in their second game of the day at 4 p.m. Croatia face Portugal at 4.15 and Ireland take on Slovakia at 6.30 p.m.

On Sunday each team plays their fifth pool game of this tournament. At 9 a.m. Croatia take on Sweden at 10:15 a.m. Portugal and Slovakia will play their final pool match and Ireland and Lithuania round off the pool stage entirely at 11:30 a.m.

Supporting Information for the EuroHockey Indoor Championship II Women (Galway, February 9-112024)

 

Croatia (World Ranking: 29)

EuroHockey appearances: 8

Best result: Championship II – 4th place (2018)

Croatia arrive in Ireland with a line-up which has many as six players playing for the first time in this age category. They are also for the first time led by a new head coach Tin Matković (coach at Berliner SC) who accepted the invitation from his home federation to try to introduce something new to the national selection.

Due to the lack of free time, finances and halls, the side were unable to achieve plan A in terms of preparation. Nonetheless, they did put together quality time in both Croatia and Germany in recent times.

“We arrive in Galway to learn and prepare for the future because we are not favourites for the first three places,” said head coach Matković.

 

Ireland (World Ranking: 23)

EuroHockey appearances: 6

Best result: Championship II – 4th place (1987)

The hosts have developed an experienced group in recent years since returning to international indoor in 2020 following a break of 30 years. In addition to their gold run in Championship III in Bratislava four years ago, they got sixth in Championship II in 2022 and they have amassed a lot of time on the boards via series against South Africa at home and abroad.

Chloe Brown is one of the stars on show – she was recently named the best player at the English finals in Derby, captaining East Grinstead to the national championship.

Orla Fox has been close to an ever-present with 34 caps to her name with Railway Union club mate Orla Patton one behind her; younger sister Sarah Patton is an aggressive player on the counter.

At the other end of the spectrum, 17-year-old Milla Fulton is playing her first ranking tournament having debuted at the Nkosi Cup. She is the daughter of current India coach Craig and Irish indoor assistant coach Natalie; both were Olympians with South Africa.

Mikayla Power – daughter of Olympic umpire Carol Metchette – is another teenager included; both Power and Fulton played for the Irish Under-18outdoor side last summer.

Six of the side played in the 2022 Euros. In 2020, they won 5-0against Portugal and 4-3 against Slovakia in their only recent head-to-head matches since coming back to the indoor stage.

 

Portugal (World Ranking: 25)

EuroHockey appearances: 9

Best result: Championship II – 7th place (2004,2008)

Portugal will play in the second tier for the fifth time, returning to this level having finished third in Championship III in 2022.

The national federation are focused on developing women’s sport and that is reflected in young nature of their panel with five of the 12outfield players named in their wider panel being teenagers.

“The Portuguese national women’s team is very young and talented, so we believe that this European Championship will be a time for them to grow as players,” says coach João Freitas. “We are sure that they will represent our country with passion and determination.”

This weekend will see them face Croatia and Sweden for the first time since 2014 while they played Slovakia twice in 2022, losing 3-2 and drawing 4-4 in two highly competitive fixtures.

 

Lithuania (World Ranking: 27)

EuroHockey appearances: 16

Best result: Championship I – 2nd place (2002)

Lithuania are back with a new look panel having missed the 2022EuroHockey Indoor Championship. Prior to that, they have a proud history, highlighted by their silver medal in 2002 Championship in Les Ponts, France.

This year, they have a very young team with only four players having earned international caps before. Donata Grigiene (36) and Dovile Kukliene (37) provide the major experience with Dovila Juarite and Viktorija Bogdanova both having experienced this stage before.

Otherwise, the panel is all Under-21 and making their tournament debuts. In terms of previous meetings, they did play Slovakia in 2014 (11-0win), Croatia in 2020 (3-0 win) and Sweden (4-2 loss in 2018) so it will be interesting how they have evolved in the meantime.

 

Slovakia (World Ranking: 24)

EuroHockey appearances: 14

Best result: Championship I – 5th place (1996,1998, 2000)

Slovakia are keen to build on top four outcomes in each of the last three editions of Championship III and the central European outfit stands ready to make a mark in the upcoming tournament.

Their diverse line-up includes Dominika Chebenová is the pillar of experience with a remarkable 20-year history of international tournaments, bringing invaluable knowledge and understanding.

Goalkeeper Daniela Šutovská is not only a guardian of the net but a real-life lifesaver as a medical professional, balancing the responsibilities of hockey and a demanding profession. Her commitment to both fields exemplifies the resilience and dedication of the team.

Natalia Fondrková  brings a global perspective; she lived and played in the Netherlands last year to immerse herself in the culture of hockey and gain international experience.

Now, she is channeling her passion into a start-up named Sport qo, focusing on sports accessibility across Europe and Slovakia. Natalia is not just playing for her team but also working on development of the sport in general.

Karolina Vyskočová, meanwhile, is a young dynamo who Is developing her game in Germany.

Her presence adds a youthful exuberance and promises a bright future for Slovakia.

While the team holds tremendous potential, the current challenge lies in the infrastructure for the field hockey in Slovakia.

“As the tournament approaches, the Slovakia women’s field hockey team embodies the spirit of diversity, resilience, and excellence,” says coach Richard Garaj.

“Their stories extend beyond the pitch, painting a portrait of determination, camaraderie, and a shared dream of bringing glory to Slovakian field hockey. Watch out for this team.”

 

Sweden (World Ranking: 39)

EuroHockey appearances: 10

Best result: Championship II – 5th place (1996)

Sweden is a small hockey country with indoor being the main variant played. This will be their first entry since 2018 in Brussels in Championship II and they have a team with various levels of experience; some of the player have played in the Euro Championships before, while others are completely new to this type of tournament.

Over winter, they had training camps throughout and finished by playing the Danish tournament Mason Cup.

“We are eagerly looking forward to the tournament and the opportunity to play indoor hockey on the European scene,” says head coach Felix Hörnschmeyer.

“We are confident that we have the right team and staff for the task. We hope that our hard work during preparation will be rewarded.”

During their games, you can often hear the side speaking at least four different languages. They have girls who play in the English, German, Dutch, and, of course, Swedish competitions while the age range is from 18 to48 years old.

 

 

** You can follow all the scores and match data via the following link: https://fih.altiusrt.com/competitions/1552

 

 

** The tournament is not bring live-streamed.

 

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Hockey Ireland Weekend Domestic Fixtures Preview: Friday February 9, Saturday February 10 and Sunday February 11

EY Hockey League Division 1 for women returns, EYHL 2 week 4 and Irish Senior and Junior Cups, Hockey Challenge and Hockey Trophy as well as the EuroHockey Indoor Championship II, Women in Galway.

 

While Ireland Men see their debut in the Pro League this Saturday in India versus The Netherlands, it’s also a busy hockey weekend at home. The EuroHockey Indoor Championship II-A (Women) is being hosted in Galway while at club level there is a very intense schedule of matches across a whole swathe of competitions with the EYHL Women’s Division 1 returning after the Christmas break and more rounds in the EYHL 2 for Men and Women across the four pools as well as more action in the National Knockout competitions on offer for adult teams both male and female alike.

On Sunday the EYHL Women’s Division 1 resumes with some refixtures. Up for decision this weekend are the four ties which were frozen off before Christmas in Round 11. The only tie that survived on that occasion was Pembroke Wanderers and UCD which means they are idle this Sunday.

However, all the surviving clubs in the top flight are involved in the Irish Women’s Senior Cup action on Saturday. There are also ties in the Men’s Irish Senior Cup down for decision and the Men’s and Women’s Irish Junior Cup, Men’s and Women’s Irish Hockey Trophy and Men’s and Women’s Irish Hockey Challenges .

 

Week 4 of the EYHL 2 is on this weekend with the following fixtures:-

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10 2024 

EYHL 2  MEN’S POOL A

BANGOR  V PEMBROKE WANDERERS 14:30 BANGOR AURORA

BANDON V AVOCA   14:15   BANDON GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

EYHL 2 MEN’S POOL B 

COOKSTOWN  V  RAILWAY UNION   14:30    COOKSTOWN

CORK CHURCH OF IRELAND V  CORK HARLEQUINS 12:00 GARRYDUFF

 

EYHL 2 WOMEN’S POOL B

ARDS  V MUCKROSS   14:30  LONDONDERRY PARK

LURGAN  V  UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY  13:00  LURGAN JHS

 

MEN’S IRISH SENIOR CUP 

CORINTHIANS V  INSTONIANS  13:15   ST. COLUMBA’S COLLEGE

YMCA V MONKSTOWN  13:00  WESLEY COLLEGE

THREE ROCK ROVERS V  QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY  15:00  GRANGE ROAD

WOMEN’S IRISH SENIOR CUP 

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY V BALLYMONEY   12:30 QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

CORK HARLEQUINS  V CATHOLIC INSTITUTE 12:45  FARMER’S CROSS

ULSTER ELKS  V  CORINTHIAN  12:45  UUJ

PEGASUS V AVOCA   13:00  QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

UCC V LORETO  13:00  THE MARDYKE

UCD  V OLD ALEXANDRA    13:00   BELFIELD

MONKSTOWN V PEMBROKE WANDERERS  14:15  RATHDOWN

 

MEN’S IRISH JUNIOR CUP 

CORK CHURCH OF IRELAND V  RAILWAY UNION   GARRYDUFF  14.00

UCD  V KILKEEL    UCD WATER

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY V RATHGAR   SANTRY AVENUE  12:00

PORTRANE V MULLINGAR   DONABATE COMMUNITY CENTRE  16:15

THREE ROCK ROVERS  V PEMBROKE WANDERERS  GRANGE ROAD

AVOCA V CORINTHIAN 14.30 NEWPARK

LISNAGARVEY V MONKSTOWN 14.30 COMER ROAD

BANBRIDGE V INSTONIANS 14.45 HAVELOCK PARK

 

WOMEN’S IRISH JUNIOR CUP 

PEMBROKE WANDERERS  V LISNAGARVEY    SERPENTINE AVE. 14:15

RAILWAY UNION V GENESIS     PARK AVENUE  13.30

UCC V OLD ALEXANDRA    THE MARDYKE   15:30

THREE ROCK ROVERS  V  CATHOLIC INSTITUTE  GRANGE ROAD  15.00

LORETO V QUEENS UNIVERSITY 17.00 LORETO

 

 

MEN’S IRISH HOCKEY TROPHY 

BELFAST HARLEQUINS V RAPHOE   DERAMORE PARK  16.15

KILKENNY  V  BRAY   LORETO KILKENNY  13.30

NORTH DOWN V  NEWRY  OLYMPIC  COMBER LEISURE CENTRE  14.30

WATERFORD  V KILKEEL  NEWTOWN SCHOOL  14.00

 

WOMEN’S IRISH HOCKEY TROPHY 

GLENANNE  V  BALLYMENA   ST. MARKS SCHOOL 13.30

GREENFIELDS  V  LISNAGARVEY   DANGAN  13.30

MOSSLEY   V  YMCA    MOSSLEY   12.45

PORTRANE  V  DUNGANNON   DONABATE COMMUNITY CENTRE  12.00

 

MEN’S IRISH HOCKEY CHALLENGE QUARTER FINAL, 1ST LEG 

LIMERICK  V MIDLETON   12:00  VILLIERS SCHOOL

PORTRUSH V CI MENS 16.00  PORTRUSH

 

WOMEN’S  IRISH HOCKEY CHALLENGE

BANGOR  V INSTONIANS  16.00 BANGOR AURORA

WATERFORD  V  BELVEDERE 12.00 WATERFORD

 

SUNDAY  FEBRUARY 11  2024

EYHL WOMEN’S DIVISION 1 

CORINTHIANS  V CATHOLIC INSTITUTE    ST. COLUMBA’S COLLEGE  13.15

LORETO  V PEGASUS    BEAUFORT , RATHFARNHAM 14.00

MONKSTOWN V ULSTER ELKS   RATHDOWN SCHOOL  14.30

 

MEN’S IRISH SENIOR CUP 

GLENANNE  V CORK HARLEQUINS   13:30  ST. ANDREWS COLLEGE

 

IRISH WOMEN’S JUNIOR CUP 

CORK HARLEQUINS   V MUCKROSS  12:30  HARLEQUINS PARK

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Hockey Ireland strikes new multi-year teamwear partnership with Mizuno

New kit first in action against The Netherlands in FIH Pro League debut

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce Mizuno as its new teamwear partner in a three-year deal commencing February 2024.

This new partnership goes live this weekend at the IRL Men’s FIH Pro League debut versus world #1 The Netherlands on Feb 10, 2024.

The multi-year partnership with Mizuno will cover all Hockey Ireland performance teams including the Senior Men, Senior Women, the U21, U18 and U16 junior age groups, as well as various additional requirements for other representative teams, coaches, backroom staff, volunteers, officials, and staff.

Mizuno stood out as they demonstrated their commitment to creating performance clothing, tailored to meet the needs of our athletes at all levels.

Roll-out across the various teams and staff will be on a phased basis across 2024, with a retail programme to follow later in 2024 also.

Hockey Ireland wishes to thank Specialist Sports whom they have worked with since 2016 to provide Adidas teamwear across its high performance teams previously.

Mizuno and their famed ‘RunBird’ logo have been pursuing perfection since 1906 and Hockey Ireland is proud to partner with the brand as they look to build their profile in hockey across Ireland.

 

Anne McCormack, Hockey Ireland CEO, commented:

“We have set ourselves ambitious targets as an organisation across both participation and high performance, and finding the right partners as we embark on this journey is critical. Mizuno stood out as they demonstrated their excellence and commitment to our success over time.

“We believe that this agreement provides better support for our teams and enhances our sport as a whole.”

Graham Johnson, Mizuno Marketing Manager, commented:

“Mizuno prides itself on its dedication to assisting athletes as they journey through the world of sports, and we are committed to innovation and creating first-rate sportswear.”

“We are delighted to partner with Hockey Ireland, the next three years will be very exciting for us as we expand our brand presence in the Irish market and support Hockey Ireland on its path to success.”

 

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Ireland land Paredes gold to earn first ever promotion to top men’s indoor division

Ireland will play in their first official men’s EuroHockey Championship next time around as Ross Canning’s pair of penalty corner goals in the last three minutes in Paredes carried them to Championship II-A gold.

 

For full report go to EuroHockey.org website

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