Archive for category: General

Jonny Lynch, Luke Witherow, Callum Robson and Nick Page will make their ranking tournament debuts as Ireland’s men begin their EuroHockey Championship qualifiers in Calais on Wednesday with a first ever meeting with Lithuania (world ranked 61st).

A day later, they come up against hosts France (ranked 11th) in what looks to be the vital contest before finishing off the campaign on Saturday with another first encounter, this time against 40th ranked Turkey.

The tournament is their main event this summer following a wealth of test matches as Mark Tumilty sought to expand the experience and knowledge base of the panel for a tilt at Paris 2024 and beyond.

Lynch comes in for his first main event having missed last year’s Euros due to a Covid close contact ping. He was excellent as Under-21 captain in their run to Junior Championship II gold in the Czech Republic last month and so earns his place in the senior side.

Page will take up one of the midfield slots with Callum Robson up front and Luke Witherow hoping to bring some of his charges down the flanks which have been a feature this summer.

Otherwise, it features 12 of the side who played in last October’s World Cup qualifiers with Mark McNellis and Kevin O’Dea returning having played in 2021’s Euro B division.

This tournament will have an impact with Ireland’s placing at next summer’s different levels of European competition having a knock-on effect on where they will be placed in the pecking order for the subsequent Olympic qualifiers.

As such, the one ticket to the top tier of European Championships next summer for the winner from this four-team round-robin will almost certainly get Ireland into that mix.

Second and third place this week will contest the “B division” in 2023 which – on current rankings – is touch and go as to whether it will offer some tickets to the Olympic qualifiers. As such, there is a lot of importance on winning the tournament outright.

Facing France, though, is one of the hardest draws they could have picked up. The Green Machine have lost just once in the last 15 meetings dating back to 2015 but there has been a stark divergence in the two programs since the Covid pandemic.

With their place at the Olympics already confirmed, they have gone full-time. It allowed them to take up a short-notice entry to the FIH Pro League which they shone, picking up results against the Netherlands, India and Argentina.

“It will be a big ask with the prep they have had toward Paris 2024, especially in the Pro League this year,” said coach Mark Tumilty of the challenge they pose.

“But this group is in a good place to give them a good game. Turkey and Lithuania offer challenges as well and we need to be delivering good performances in those games as well.”

From Ireland’s perspective, being outside the Pro League, they have had to make do with games from sides further down the scale and have amassed wins over lower-ranked Chile, Austria, USA, Wales, Scotland and Italy.

They have done so while bedding in new faces with eight of this panel making their debut within the past 12 months as several retired following the Tokyo Olympic cycle and star men like David and Conor Harte and Shane O’Donoghue take a break from the international arena.

“We need to be challenged now against the nations above us,” Tumilty added. “We definitely learned a lot from games against Spain [in June] and now we want to meet more top nations to really challenge ourselves for learning and development.

“We are realistic about where we are with this group. It is a rebuild job but that’s not giving the players any excuses; we still go to Calais with the target of qualifying for the European A division and we are capable of doing that if we put in a performance.”

All matches will be streamed via www.eurohockeytv.org

Men’s EuroHockey Championship qualifiers, Calais (August 24th to 27th)

Jaime Carr (KHC Leuven)

Mark Ingram (Pembroke)

Tim Cross (Annadale)

Luke Madeley (Gantoise)

Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians)

Mark McNellis (Lisnagarvey)

Sam Hyland (YMCA)

Luke Witherow (Banbridge)

Daragh Walsh (Braxgata)

Jonny Lynch (Lisnagarvey)

Michael Robson (Annadale)

Sean Murray (Gantoise)

Nick Page (Old Georgians)

Jonny McKee (Banbridge)

Ben Walker (Braxgata)

Callum Robson (Annadale)

Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown)

Kevin O’Dea (UCD)

Team leader: Neil Irwin

Mananger: Ray Geddis

Coach: Mark Tumilty

Physios: Cameron Steele, Hugh Byrne

Physical trainer: Eoin Cunniffe

Fixture schedule

Wednesday, August 24th (all times Irish)

Ireland v Lithuania, 3.45pm

France v Turkey, 6pm

Thursday, August 25th

Turkey v Lithuania, 4.45pm

Ireland v France, 7pm

Saturday, August 27th

Turkey v Ireland, 9am

France v Lithuania, 11.15am

Katie Mullan’s 21st minute goal has Ireland on the brink of qualification for the 2023 European Championships as they made it two wins from two at the Sport Ireland Campus this week with a 1-0 success over the Czech Republic.

She struck with a powerful backhand shot and while her side had numerous other chances to make the game safer, this was enough to record the win (read full report here).

They march on to Sunday’s final challenge of this round-robin competition, leading the group on six points and need a draw or better on Sunday against Turkey to qualify for next summer’s top tier.

Turkey, for their part, lost 2-0 to Poland in their second game to sit on one point beside the Czechs. Maria Drozda opened the scoring in that contest with a smart finish close in. Marlena Rybacha then thumped home a penalty corner shot in the second half to complete the Polish victory.

Standings: 1. Ireland 6pts (+4) 2. Poland 3pts (-1) 3. Czech Republic 1pt (-1) 4. Turkey 1pt (-2)

Tickets

Be part of the Green Army; LINK: https://bit.ly/EHCQ_Tkts

Watch it Live via EuroHockey TV – Sunday, August 21

Poland v Czech Republic, 10.45am: https://bit.ly/3ADiCyx

Ireland v Turkey, 1pm: https://bit.ly/3c6zm7G

Tickets have gone on sale for the women’s crucial EuroHockey Championship qualifiers which will take place at the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown from August 18th to 21st.

Tickets can be purchased by the following link: https://bit.ly/EHCQ_Tkts

It will be the first capped games for the Green Army on home turf since the 2019 Olympic qualifiers in Donnybrook with Ireland coming up against the Czech Republic (World Ranked 23rd), Poland (27th) and Turkey (33rd).

The winner of the competition will qualify for the top tier of 2023’s European Championships which is, in turn, a vital stepping stone on the road to Paris 2024. The Euros in Monchengladbach offers the first direct qualification ticket to the Olympic Games.

In addition, the places in the Olympic qualifying tournaments will also be determined by performances at the 2023 Euros and so reaching the top table is crucial for Ireland.

As such, the Irish hosts this week are looking to put on a big show at the Sport Ireland Campus to progress their Olympic hopes in front of a buzzing home crowd.

Over 1,200 seats have been installed at the venue, augmented by a fan village and children’s skill zone to add to the atmosphere.

Sarah Hawkshaw grew up minutes away from the venue in Castleknock and says this kind of set-up is unimaginable from her youth days in the area. She got her first glimpse of the new additions this weekend and is excited by the prospect of walking out to a raucous audience.

“With the stands in place, it looks class and looks a different pitch altogether from the one we train on. I wish it could stay all year!” she said. “It sets the perfect scene for what will be a really tough tournament but one which, for our campaign to Paris, we absolutely must win.

“We would love to do it in front of lots of our fans who always give us a huge boost. The campus is such a good complex and is easy access for people coming down from the north and just off the M50.”

Coach Sean Dancer added about the venue: “What they have done with the stands, the structure above the dugouts and the people they have around the ground supporting it makes the environment enjoyable to come here and play hockey. Real credit to Sport Ireland and Hockey Ireland to get these facilities in place.

“The challenge would be to get this all the time because this group really want to be here. Walking out, it is a different kettle of fish. Credit to everyone because they have got it right and it would be amazing to have it here full-time. It can help Ireland get to the next level.”

His side will be hoping to finish their summer schedule on a high following their 11th place finish at the World Cup in Amsterdam in the summer. The nature of the opposition will be very different with Ireland taking on the eventual champions the Netherlands and fourth place finishers Germany in the group stages.

This time around, they are the highest ranked side at 13th in the world and so Hawkshaw says there is a very different dynamic.

“That’s where the pressure is,” the dashing midfielder adds. “It is on us to go out and do a job. They are the teams we have to control in these games, move the ball well, take our opportunities when they come around.

“A lot of sides ranked lower than us are defensively strong and have experience of doing a lot of defending. So we are definitely not expecting to walk the ball into the goal and it is an area we have to improve.”

Women’s EuroHockey Championship qualifiers (all at the Sport Ireland campus)

August 18: 

Czech Republic v Turkey, 5.15 pm

Ireland v Poland, 7.30 pm

August 20: 

Poland v Turkey, 10.45 am

Ireland v Czech Republic, 1 pm

August 21: 

Poland v Czech Republic, 10.45 am

Ireland v Turkey, 1 pm

Men’s international test match

Ireland 2 (J McKee, J Duncan) Austria 0

Ireland made it three wins in succession at the Sport Ireland Campus as second quarter goals from John McKee and Jeremy Duncan saw off world number 19 side Austria 2-0.

The tie was also the 100th cap for captain Sean Murray and he was delighted to receive the honour on home turf seven years after making his debut, also in Dublin.

“It’s a bit surreal. We play across the waters so much so doing it at home is so special, especially for the 100th,” the former Lisnagarvey man – now plying his trade in Belgium – said afterwards.

“Every cap is as special but it was nice to play freely today and get a win with the team. Our performances keep progressing and winning is certainly a habit so we want to keep that going as long as possible. It would be really good to go to France with that momentum.”

Indeed, it was Ireland’s eighth win in 10 outings this summer and Murray says these capped fixtures are giving the young Irish squad a strong matchplay grounding for those qualifiers.

“When we play the teams below us, there’s potential to lose far more than you gain so it gives the extra incentive to win. With the nature and experience of our squad, we need to get used to seeing out games [like this] well and putting the foot on the throat of the teams ranked below us. Today, we learned a bit about playing it smart when we were two goals up, not playing direct. It is a work in progress.”

He also paid tribute to Jaime Carr who recorded on a clean sheet in his 50th international: “Brilliant for him. It’s difficult for a goalkeeper to amass 50 caps – it’s not like a defender who can be the fourth best and still play every game.

“He is a world-renowned goalkeeper; everyone of the players in the Belgian league [where he is based] knows him because of that and it is a really strong area for us.”

On the field, Ireland had the edge in play for the majority of the tie with Daragh Walsh and McKee firing early shots on the backhand wide.

Michael Robson and Rory Patterson also had bashes at goal before McKee broke the deadlock with a low drag-flick through Mateuez Szymczyk – his third goal in successive fixtures.

And it was two at half-time when Ben Johnson’s extravagant turn on the baseline opened the door for Michael Robson to shoot goalward; he didn’t get a full sweep on it but the direction was good enough for Duncan to swoop and complete the job.

The third quarter saw the Green Machine in control but not able to capitalise further with McKee and Callum Robson looking dangerous. Austria held out and had their best moments in the closing few minutes but Kyle Marshall and Carr saved off the line to keep the clean sheet in place.

The two sides meet again on Sunday morning at 9.30am with Ireland finishing their series on Tuesday against Chile.

Earlier in the day, the Irish women drew 2-2 with France in an uncapped fixture.

Ireland: J Carr, L Witherow, T Cross, J McKee, D Walsh, C Robson, K Marshall, S Murray, M McNellis, J Duncan, N Page

Subs: K O’Dea, M Robson, B Walker, S Hyland, B Johnson, R Patterson, M Ingram

Austria: M Szymczyk, T Mayer, O Binder, P Kaltenböck, D Fröhlich, F Unterkircher, F Lindengrun, N Wellan, L Thörnblom, X Hasun, O Kern

Subs: C Soldat, B Kölbl, J Winkler, B Valas, M Frey, L Rizzi

Umpires: I Strange, S McAllister

Fixture schedule (all at Sport Ireland Campus, Abbotstown)

Men

Sunday, August 7: Ireland v Austria, 9.30am

Tuesday, August 9: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Women (uncapped fixture)

Monday, August 8: Ireland v France, 5.30pm

Men’s international test match

Ireland 3 (B Walker, J McKee, L Madeley) Chile 2 (F Renz, R Valenzuela)

Luke Madeley’s drag-flick three minutes from time earned Ireland first blood from their five game stint this week at the Sport Ireland Campus, beating Chile 3-2.

It capped a lively closing back-and-forth after Ben Walker got the only goal of the first half and it remained that way until a volley of four goals in a 12-minute spell. Felipe Renz levelled at 1-1 before Jonny McKee and Raimundo Valenzuela shared goals for 2-2 going into the endgame where Madeley eventually sealed the deal.

This was the first of three meetings with the south American side this week wrapping around two fixtures against Austria on Saturday and Sunday, played out at a venue hosting international hockey for the first time.

Indeed, these are the senior men’s first capped matches in Dublin in over three years with a seated stand, scoreboard and countdown clock now in situ with further augmentations en route for the upcoming women’s EuroHockey Championship qualifiers.

This tie was high-paced from the start with Conor Empey fizzing a shot just by the post in the first quarter. Walker opened the scoring when a half-hit clearance fell his way and he slotted in from close range.

It stayed that way through to half-time with James Milliken making two big stop from Chilean penalty corner shots while Adrian Henriquez did likewise from sharp efforts from Jonny McKee and Nick Page.

Ireland held sway for most of the third quarter but were pegged back 20 seconds before the last interval when Felipe Renz turned sharply when Juan Amoroso’s cross deflected his way, flicking in from close range.

The lead was restored when McKee smacked in a backhand shot following a quick Daragh Walsh free, laying off to Walker on the left who returned the ball to the centre – a neatly worked move.

Once again, Chile responded, Raimundo Valenzuela deflecting in from a long pass down the middle at the right post in the 51st minute.

But Ireland finished strong, winning a quarter of corners in the last few minutes with Madeley flicking home the last of them for 3-2 and a little boost to their world ranking quotient.

They face Chile again on Wednesday evening at 7.45pm at the Sport Ireland Campus.

Ireland: M Ingram, L Witherow, L Madeley, T Cross, D Walsh, K Marshall, S Murray, J Duncan, M Robson, B Walker, C Empey

Subs: J McKee, M McNellis, J Milliken, B Johnson, N Page, R Patterson

Chile: A Henriquez, J Purcell, V Goni, Fernando Renz, J Maldonado, K Gesswein, A Pizarro, J Amoroso, J Hurtado, Felipe Renz, A Toncoso

Subs: V Gabilondo, I Contardo, R Valenzuela, D Ordonez, A Richter, N Strabucchi

Fixture schedule (all at Sport Ireland Campus, Abbotstown)

Men

Wednesday, August 3: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Friday, August 5: Austria v Chile, 7.45pm

Saturday, August 6: Ireland v Austria, 3.30pm

Sunday, August 7: Ireland v Austria, 9.30am

Tuesday, August 9: Ireland v Chile, 7.45pm

Women (uncapped fixtures)

Friday, August 5: Ireland Development side v France, 5.30pm

Saturday, August 6: Ireland v France, 12.30pm

Monday, August 8: Ireland v France, 5.30pm