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Bandon GS leave it late to end 17-year All-Ireland wait

All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships final

Bandon Grammar 2 (J Lucas, S Dale) Banbridge Academy 2 (M Stevenson, A McKee), Bandon win shoot-out 3-1.

Sam Dale went down in All-Ireland Schoolboy Hockey folklore with a breathtaking late goal for Bandon Grammar and then subsequently completed the job in the shoot-out to overcome Banbridge Academy in the final at Wesley.

It ended a 17-year wait for Bandon, harking back to the days of the Harte twins and Jason Lynch, and Dale was relishing the moment after the final whistle.

“We never give up; that’s what we are about!” he said afterwards. “The perfect team, we have such great desire – late goal in the semis, late goal in the final and that is why this team is so special! We bind together and never give up!”

His side looked set for narrow defeat at the hands of a hugely talented Banbridge but Dale summoned up an outstanding backhand strike that whizzed into the top corner with two minutes left to earn a 2-2 draw in normal time.

And after goalkeeper Harry Forsey kept out three Bann shoot-outs, Dale stepped up to dodge one way and then impudently lob over Conor Part to start the celebrations with a 3-1 success.

It crowned a perfect day for the west Cork side as they edged by King’s Hospital in the semi-final thanks to another Dale goal and one from the superb Mark Collins.

Banbridge had earlier eliminated Midleton College 4-0 in the semis with Charlie Rowe, Cody Large, Tommy Dobson and Adam McKee on the mark.

They carried that momentum into the final with Matthew Stevenson planting a low drag-flick into the bottom corner in the first quarter for a 1-0 advantage which they held into half-time.

Bandon got level when a long reverse-stick pass made it to Justin Lucas a minute after the break but Bann were back ahead quickly, McKee getting his second of the day and, initially, his side looked more likely to net again before Bandon fought back.

They won a series of corners and when Rowe picked up a yellow card, the Munster side sniffed a chance, the big one falling to Dale on the circle’s edge. He still had plenty to do but his strike was true and perfectly executed, leaving Part unable to get enough of his hands to the rising shot. Forsey gave Bandon the instant initiative in the shoot-out with a stroke save from Rowe, laying the base for the winning moment.

The Herbie Sharman Trophy also went down to a shoot-out with Wesley landing their third trophy of the season, edging out St Andrew’s in the final after the game ended scoreless in normal time. It added to their Leinster Senior League and Cup victories.

Both Dublin sides won through in the semi-finals 2-1 with St Andrew’s beating High School and Wesley getting the best of Friends School, Lisburn.

Bandon Grammar: Harry Forsey, Ian Perrott, Trenton Spencer, Josh Hamilton-Foott , Tiarnan Brown, Alan Buttimer, Jamie Horgan, Mark Collins, Callum Mc Court, Sam Dale, Angus Seigne, Justin Lucas, Glen Gash, Conor Hoban, Charlie Gilbert, Gustav Von Der Schulenberg, Ewan Cullinane, Sean Landy

Banbridge Academy: Connor Part, Luke Watt, Aaron Baxter, Seb Best, Ben Walker, Adam McKee, Ben Pollock, Josh Brownlee, Matthew McKee, Tommy Dobson, Charlie Rowe, James Evans, Cody Large, Matthew Spence, Matthew Stevenson, Lukas Moles, Ben Farson, Denver Golbey

All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships

Semi-final: Banbridge Academy 4 (C Rowe, C Large, T Dobson, A McKee) Midleton College 0; Bandon Grammar 2 (S Dale, M Collins) King’s Hospital 1 (J Kenny)

Final: Bandon Grammar 2 (J Lucas, S Dale) Banbridge Academy 2 (M Stevenson, A McKee), Bandon win shoot-out 3-1

 

Herbie Sharman Trophy

Semi-final: St Andrew’s 2 High School 1; Wesley College 2 Friends School 1

Final: Wesley College 0 St Andrew’s 0, Wesley win shoot-out

Wesley College celebrate their Herbie Sharman Trophy success

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Hockey Ireland seeking application for new members for Board of Directors

Hockey Ireland is seeking applications for new members for the Board of Directors with expressions of interest for consideration welcomed up to 17.30 Friday 8th April, 2022.

The Board is responsible for the governance of hockey in Ireland, ensuring the delivery of our Mission, Core Values and Strategy.

The board is looking to recruit for a variety of roles, while also creating a databank of suitable candidates for future vacancies. The areas of expertise include Financial Management, Governance, High Performance, Communications, Project Management, Human Resource Management, Legal, Coach/Umpire Education, Volunteer Management, Strategic Planning, Child Welfare, Commercial, Marketing, IT.

We are seeking to further strengthen the skill set and gender balance within the Board. As a Director, you have input into the deliverance of our strategy and will contribute with insight and experience at meetings.

For full information on the role of Board member, click here or on the image below: https://irelandhockey.sportlomo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HI-Job-Final-Final.pdf

To register your interest for these vacancies, please email the Company Secretary to request an application form which will ask you to detail your interest in/reasons for applying for the role, experience as it pertains to the potential roles and detailing other assets which you could bring to Hockey Ireland. Please return via email along with a current CV to secretary@irelandhockey.sportlomo.com. All expressions of interest are request by 17.30 Friday 8th April. Representatives of the Board of Hockey Ireland will consider all applications and invite selected candidates for interview that will be held in April. Please direct any queries to the Company Secretary on secretary@irelandhockey.sportlomo.com.

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Midleton, Bandon, King’s Hos and Banbridge battle for Tasmanian Shield

The unique 2021/22 Tasmanian Shield All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships will be decided on Wednesday with Banbridge Academy, Bandon Grammar, Midleton College and King’s Hospital vying for the title.

This season, to avoid Covid complications in the usual October slot, the 16-team tournament was spread over five months, building this week’s semi-finals and final which will take place in Dublin 16.

Both the semis are on at Grange Road at 11am with 2015 champions Banbridge – the most recent winners from this quartet – up against Midleton who are looking to reach their first ever final having made it to the final four back in 2010.

King’s Hos are another looking to reach the final for the first time; they meet Bandon who reached three successive finals between 2003 and 2005, winning at the third attempt. The final will be played at 4.30pm in Wesley College

The Herbie Sharman Trophy will also have its final four play out; Friends will play Wesley in Booterstown while St Andrew’s are up against High School at St Columba’s in the semi-finals with the final to be played at Wesley at 2.30pm.

 

Tasmanian Shield

Banbridge Academy

The Banbridge Academy boys have worked hard this season and have been very successful thus far. With a number of Irish and Ulster Under-16 and Under-18 players in the squad, the team have progressed undefeated in Ulster so far this season. 

Before Christmas, the team defeated Wallace High School in a close final to win the McCullough Cup and then beat Friends’ School in the Ulster Schools’ Burney Cup Final. Twins Charlie and Louis Rowe along with Matthew McKee have become EYHL regulars for Banbridge HC this year, and Ben Pollock, Tommy Dobson and Aaron Baxter have also featured in Ireland’s top league on numerous occasions. 

Cody Large will hope to be back to his best after a recent illness, and Seb Best is striving to get fully fit after a long-standing injury. Head Coach Simon Jess is desperate to get his hands on the coveted Tasmanian Shield after missing out a number of years ago. 

Banbridge Academy

In his first full season in charge of the 1st XI in 2018, his troops dismissed the powerhouses of both Wesley College and St Andrew’s only to fall at the final hurdle to surprise winners Newtown. The covid pandemic took away the opportunity for two talented Banbridge squads to win the ultimate prize, so they could not be more motivated to go all the way this season. It would be a fitting way to celebrate Mark Cordner’s 25 years of steering boys’ hockey in the Academy.

Squad: 1. Connor Part (GK) 3. Luke Watt. 4. Aaron Baxter. 5. Seb Best. 6. Ben Walker. 7. Adam McKee. 8. Ben Pollock. 9. Josh Brownlee. 10. Matthew McKee (VC). 11. Tommy Dobson. 12. Charlie Rowe (C). 13. James Evans. 14. Cody Large. 15. Matthew Spence. 17. Matthew Stevenson. 19. Lukas Moles. 20. Ben Farson. 24. Denver Golbey (GK)

Coach: Simon Jess; Assistant Coach: John Clarke; Manager: Colin Walker. Teacher in Charge: Mark Cordner.

 

Bandon Grammar School

Bandon Grammar School come into the All-Irelands in great shape having won Section One of their group with success against Friends School, Cookstown High and Newpark while they have also taken the Munster Senior A league and the cup crown last week with success against Midleton.

Irish underage players like Mark Collins, Ian Perrott, Callum McCourt and Sam Dale are the key players while goalkeeper Harry Forsey has impressed on the club front with Bandon HC. 

Squad: 1. Harry Forsey GK 5. Ian Perrott (VC) 6. Trenton Spencer 4. Josh Hamilton-Foott   2. Tiarnan Brown 3. Alan Buttimer 17. Jamie Horgan 10. Mark Collins (Capt) 9. Callum Mc Court 16. Sam Dale 8. Angus Seigne 19. Justin Lucas 20. Glen Gash 11. Conor Hoban 7. Charlie Gilbert 13. Gustav Von Der Schulenberg 14. Ewan Cullinane 18. Sean Landy GK

Manager: Melvin Buttimer; Head Coach: Ashley Smyth; Assistant Coach: Ross Smyth.

Bandon Grammar School

 

King’s Hospital 

The King’s Hospital management team of Angus Dunlop and Peter Caruth may argue that this year’s squad have overachieved in getting to a Leinster Schools cup final, and the last four of the All Irelands. With only three sixth years in the squad, the KH side were looking to be competitive in the league, with a view to pushing on next year with a more experienced side. 

However, momentum gained during the All-Irelands group stages, carried the team to a cup final date with Wesley, and a second All Ireland semi-final in two successive attempts. KH were beaten in the semi-final by eventual winners High School the last time the tournament was played in 2019.

The backbone of the team is made up of Leinster representatives Bryan Lydon and Andrew Crowe in defence, with Rex Dunlop pulling the strings in midfield, and Cian Tucker a dangerous presence in the opposition circle. The squad have also benefited from this year’s intake into the boarding house in KH, with three German students prominent during the cup run.

Their group run saw them pick up a morale boosting 3-0 win over St Andrew’s in the group stages while the turning point in the season came in a tricky second round tie away to Sullivan Upper. 2-0 down after five minutes, the team rallied to win a thriller 6-4, Tucker with a hat-trick in a gutsy squad performance. Ashton were well beaten in the final group game, as KH qualified form the semi finals with an unblemished three from three.

Squad: 1. Michael O’Leary 2. Ruairi Lyons 4. Henry Thompson 5.Casper von Kries 6. Moritz Titho 7. Rex Dunlop 9. Cian Tucker 10. Bryan Lydon 12. Colm Gaffney 13. Scott Kenny 14. Dylan Ronan 15. Jake Quinn 16. Jordan Awunah 17. Andrew Crowe 18. Philip Cole 19. Alex Derrien 20. Josh McDonald 21. Cian O’Dowd

Coach: Angus Dunlop; assistant coach: Peter Caruth; goalkeeper coach: Sean Butler; manager: Derek Tucker

 

King’s Hospital

Midleton College (pictured above)

The east Cork side went through in the most dramatic fashion possible as they edged a three-way tie on points with their goals scored column being the ultimate decider in Section 4. 

With their group games complete – two draws and a 5-0 win over Methody – they had to wait and hope for High School and Wallace HS to draw and so it came to pass, their 11 goals scored in three games proving the decisive factor. They also reached the Munster Schools Cup final but were undone by Bandon GS in the final.

Johnny Spillane is the top scorer and captain and he is backed up by Leaving Cert students Ben and David Ryan, Paul Curtin and Arron Brohkorb who provide solidity across the midfield and defensive lines.

Up and coming young players Evan Bolster, Sean Curtin, Daragh Daly and Robert Olden play a key role, too. Mult-talented Kyle Read, Eoghan Smyth and Richie Daly commit to hockey within the school even with a huge commitment with club and provincial rugby as part of the extended Munster underage panels, reaching the regional Under-16 Schools Cup final. Bailey Stuart dons the pads with Ronan Murphy strong in defence.

Squad: 1. Bailey Stuart (Gk), 2 Sean Curtin , 3.David Ryan (Vc),4. Arron Brohkorb, 5. Darragh Daly , 6.Ronan Murphy, 7.Ben Ryan, 8. Paul Curtin, 9.Kyle Read, 10. Johnny Spillane (Capt), 11 Robert Olden , 12.Andrew Sweetnam, 13 Daniel Spillane, 14. Evan Bolster, 15 Richard Daly, 16 Oscar Curtin , 17 Eoghan Smyth (Gk), 18 . Bruno Riviere

Coach: Clive Seale; Manager: Eric Callendar

 

Herbie Sharman Trophy

High School

The 2019 overall winners are looking to win an All-Ireland schools title for a second successive campaign. They missed out on the main semi-finals on goals scored to Midleton in a slightly frustrating season in which they are unbeaten in league on all fronts but have not quite translated that into silverware to date. In the Leinster league, they drew with both St Andrew’s and Wesley along with winning against King’s Hospital 4-1 while they bowed out in the cup semi-final to eventual winners Wesley 3-2. 

Ben Pasley, Charlie Beattie, Alex Lynch, Sam Maxwell, Tom Whelan, Oscar Pasley and Isaac Lindsey are all part of Leinster squads while their Senior 2 side won the Leinster Senior Trophy and their league section, showing good strength in depth.

Squad: Luke Stevens GK, Darragh Sullivan, Luke Fitzpatrick, Sam Walsh, Marcus Empey, Sean O’Brien, Eli Breen (Captain), Charlie Beattie, Sam Maxwell, Oscar Loftus, Alex Lynch, Tom Whelan, Oscar Maguire, Adam Hearne (GK), Oscar Pasley, Isaac Lindsey, Chris DeLacy, Andrew Robinson, Matthew O’Doherty.

Coach: Paul Fitzpatrick, Assistant Coach: David Howard, Manager: Sarah Gray, Physio: Aliceia Rugg

 

Friends School

After a slow start to season the team are finding a little better form post-Christmas and progressed to the Burney Cup final. Ulster U18 player Mackenzie Connor carries the goal threat having scored 36 goals already this season. Captain Jamie Anderson leads the side from defence and he is supported by Ulster U18 goalkeeper Scott Hosick. The Archbold brothers have also represented Ulster and pose an attacking threat.

Squad: 1 Scott Hosick GK, 2 Finn Markwell, 3 Tom Archbold, 4 Ben Aughey, 5 Scott PAtterson, 6 Ethan McDonagh, 7 Harry Archbold, 8 Alex Irwin, 9 Robbie MAyne, 10 MAckenzie Connor VC, 11 Callum Mohan, 12 NAthan Cherry, 13 Thomas Edwards GK, 14 Jamie Anderson C, 15 Carter McClure, 16 Adam Neill, 17 Harry Barbour, 18 Joel Wilkinson

Coach: Craig Cunningham, Asst Coach: Ollie Kidd, Manager: Robin McKay

 

Wesley College

The Leinster Senior Cup and League winners just missed out on a semi-final berth when Banbridge Academy got the best of them 2-0 in the final round of fixtures. They go into the Herbie Sharman Trophy where they will meet Friends School in the semi-final.

Squad: 1 Harvey Burgess, 3 Andrew Fox, 4 Alex Mulligan, 5 Ben Keating, 6 Josh Gill, 7 Sam Smalley, 8 Ben Stewart, 9 Alex Keyes, 10 Mark Smyth, 11 Ed Collins, 12 Andrew Brown, 13 Pierce Ryan, 14 Conor Walsh, 16 Ben Nathan, 17 Gordon Bernon, 20 Andrew Armitage, 21 Sam Chapman, 22 Peter Walker

Head coach: Natalie Fulton, Assistant coaches: Brinsley Powell, Jonathan Harte; Manager: Kathryn Henderson

 

Tasmanian Shield

Semi finals: Midleton College v Banbridge Academy, Grange Road, 11am; King’s Hospital v Bandon GS, Grange Road, 11am

Final: Wesley College, 4.30pm 

 

Herbie Sharman Trophy

Semi finals: Friends School v Wesley College, Booterstown, 10.30am; St Andrew’s v High School, St Columba’s, 10.30am

Final: Wesley College, 2.30pm

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Pembroke, Insta, Garvey and Monkstown into ISC final

The changing of the guard continues at the top table of the women’s game as Pembroke and Catholic Institute will contest the women’s Irish Senior Cup final in late April having led the way in the EYHL.

The latter will be looking to win the title for the first time while Pembroke have not won the cup since 1975.

Insta left it late on Sunday afternoon in Rosbrien to turn things around as UCD – winners of three of the last four editions of the cup – looked set to be the first club to win in Limerick this season thanks to a Hannah McLoughlin penalty corner strike.

But two goals from Naomi Carroll in the last 10 minutes saw Institute turn the game on its head for a 2-1 success in front of a big home crowd. It will be their third final appearance, their most recent coming in 1984.

UCD came out of the traps quicker and scored a corner in the seventh minute through McLoughlin and they kept up an intense level of pressure through the second quarter but the hosts hung tough.

The Limerick side found their feet in Q3 and ramped up their game significantly in the closing stages. A super ball from Ciara Moloney picked out Carroll to deflect into the top corner and they had a string of good chances before taking the vital one with two minutes left, a passing movement which Carroll took to her left and cracked in on her reverse.

Pembroke, meanwhile, showed no hangover from their EYHL celebrations on Saturday as they beat Pegasus 2-0 at Serpentine Avenue with Orla Macken and Gillian Pinder’s penalty stroke in the second half making the difference.

Catholic Institute’s Anna Horan, Muireann Scanlon and Roisin Upton celebrate. Picture: Max Fulham

On the men’s side, reigning champions Lisnagarvey were pushed to the absolute limit at the unfamiliar Beaufort surrounds as they beat Glenanne in an epic shoot-out.

Jonny Lynch’s goal put Garvey in control but Richard Couse levelled in the fourth quarter to send the game to the shoot-out which went all the way to 8-7 before Daniel Nelson slotted the winner.

Monkstown will be Garvey’s opponent. They looked to be coasting when Jeremy Duncan scored twice in the first half, adding to one from Lee Cole to make it 3-0 against Cookstown but the Co Tyrone side – who ply their trade in the Ulster Premier Division – grabbed goals from Calum Anderson and Michael Kerr to give the Dubliners a real fright.

The two finals will take place on April 30 in Belfield.

Men
Irish Senior Cup semi-finals: Glenanne 1 (R Couse) Lisnagarvey 1 (J Lynch), Lisnagarvey win shoot-out 8-7; Monkstown 3 (J Duncan 2, L Cole) Cookstown 2 (C Anderson, M Kerr)

Women
Irish Senior Cup semi-finals: Catholic Institute 2 (N Carroll 2) UCD 1 (H McLoughlin); Pembroke 2 (O Macken, G Pinder) Pegasus 0

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Pembroke take women’s EYHL title as playoff and relegation places confirmed

Women’s EY Hockey League – day 18 round-up
Pembroke 1 (A Naughton) Muckross 0
Aisling Naughton’s spectacular second minute goal was enough to get Pembroke the 1-0 win against Muckross they needed win the women’s EY Hockey League for the first time.

Earlier in the day, Catholic Institute beat Belfast Harlequins 2-1 at Deramore Park to take the league down to the last fixture to determine the destination of the title.

It meant Pembroke had to get a victory against a side fighting for their lives to try and escape relegation. And the Serpentine Avenue hosts got off to a dream start when Naughton dove full length at the left post to turn in Ellen Curran’s excellent ball.

From there, Pembroke dominated the play in the first half but a tough of over-eagerness meant an insurance goal proved elusive with Rachel O’Brien hitting the post and a number of other chances bouncing across the face of goal.

That ratcheted up the tension in the second half as any Muckross break-out had the potential to scupper the celebrations and, with lots on the line, the green and whites found some rhythm.

But Pembroke finished strong, controlling the final quarter as Aoife Glennon – an immense talent between the posts – kept out a range of shots from different angles.

“It’s just phenomenal to be able to finish it off like this, at home, in front of our crowd; absolutely buzzing,” Naughton said afterwards with the club landing the title for the first time having never breached the top four before in the EYHL.

“It is quite momentous. When a few of us joined a few years ago, we had a goal to bring the club to this level and we have a built a squad of not just 18; there’s 26 or so. And this is testament to that because we only played two matches at full fitness.

“We were delighted to get that early goal; we had plenty of chances and Muckross made it really difficult for ourselves. But we did have too many chances and we really do need to make sure of it if we are here again! But one’s enough!”

It also brings with it a guaranteed European ticket while for Muckross it means a drop back to EYHL Division 2.

Belfast Harlequins 1 (K Larmour) Catholic Institute 2 (R Upton, L Clery)
Catholic Institute can console themselves with a direct ticket to the EY Champions Trophy semi-final after a break-out performance in the regular season, finishing second overall.

Their win was built around goals from Roisin Upton and Leah Clery but they were also left with jangled nerves as Katie Larmour getting one back for Belfast Quins.

Needing a win to keep their title hopes alive, they started off brilliantly with Upton nailing a penalty corner drag-flick for her 13th of the competition this season.

But Quins, needing a win to secure their own fate at the time, were in no mood to lie down and they played their part in a corner exchange of an end-to-end first quarter. Clery doubled the advantage off the back of an outstanding run from Naomi Carroll but Larmour made sure there was no room for comfort with a corner goal; 2-1 at half-time.

And that was how it remained throughout the second half with Quins going closest to nicking one, hitting the post in the fourth quarter while they had two corners on the final whistle.

Insta, however, held on for a nervy win which meant Pembroke had to win their last game while Quins had to wait to see how Muckross fared. In the end, Quins stayed up on nine points.

UCD 0 Pegasus 2 (A Speers, L McKee)
Pegasus earned a home EY Champions Trophy quarter-final berth with two first half goals giving them the points against UCD.

Pegs were up and running nice and early. They had already gone close from a couple of corners before Lucy McKee broke the deadlock in the sixth minute – Shirley McCay’s ball up the middle was controlled on the 23-metre line and the forward weaved in and out of a couple of tackles before thumping home.

They moved two clear midway through the second quarter from their fourth penalty corner, a sweet move with McCay’s slap deflected in by Alex Speers.

Pegasus’s Emma Quinn. Pic: Adrian Boehm

UCD had a huge amount of pressure in the second half, running up five penalty corners, but each one was well dealt with by Megan Todd and her corner team while they also kept out a number of shots from the edge of the D to maintain their clean sheet and the three points.

For UCD, the result was just about enough to see them make it into the playoffs and a quarter-final rematch against Pegasus, edging out Railway Union on goal difference.

Old Alex 1 (S Robinson) Railway Union 1 (Z Delany)
Old Alex got enough from this tie to secure their place in the EY Champions Trophy quarter-finals at the expense of Railway Union who could have potentially overhauled them with a victory at Milltown.

It was an incredibly tight match, befitting how close things have been in mid-table all the way through the campaign. Railway had the early pressure with a high press working well before Alex broke out with Nikki Evans almost linking up with Mikayla Power.

Kate Dillon’s touch was well dealt with by Holly Micklem as Q1 ended scoreless and it remained that way through Q2 as Lena Tice’s corner slap was cleared and Evans had an effort snuffed out.

Into the second half, Kate Lloyd’s volley was repelled by Micklem’s left boot but it was Alex’s turn to camp in Railway territory and when Power won a corner, they went in front with Sarah Robinson deflecting in a Tice slap from the top.

Needing a win, Railway got their lifeline before the end of the third quarter when a bouncing past made it to Zara Delany at the far post to finish off.

Alex looked the more likely in the early staged of Q4 to score next with Evans and Abbie Russell firing shots but Railway remained a threat and had the big moments in the last few minutes. The Milltown side survived, though, and finish in fifth place and a date with Loreto in the playoffs.

Cork Harlequins 1 (M Barry) Loreto 5 (C Hamill 3, S O’Brien, Y Pratt)
Cork Harlequins welcomed Loreto to Cork for the final match of their 2021/22 EHYL 1 season with the Dublin team prevailing in a hard fought and enjoyable encounter.

Loreto were without Hannah Matthews, but otherwise had a full strength side for Paul Fitzpatrick to choose from. Joy O’Kelly replaced the injured Lorna Bateman in goal for Harlequins.

The halftime score of 0-0 resulted from an even game in which neither side found their composure in the circle.

The first goal was all important, and it was Loreto made the breakthrough with a skillful individual finish on the reverse from the dangerous Chrintina Hamill.

Harlequins had a chance to pull level from the flick spot in the 42nd minute, however Elizabeth Murphy’s strong stick save kept Loreto ahead. In fact, Hamill increased the Dublin side’s lead with a stroke in the 48th minute and completed her hat-trick a minute later to move the tie beyond Cork Harlequins.

Two further strikes for Loreto in the final quarter and a Michelle Barry consolation at the death meant a final score line of 5-1 to the visitors.Cork Harlequins finish the season at the bottom of the EYHL while Loreto have a quarter-final to prepare for.

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Lisnagarvey close in on men’s EYHL title with big win over Monkstown

Men’s EY Hockey League – day 17 round-up
UCD 2 (J Menelaou, J Filgas) Banbridge 3 (J McKee, L Witherow, D Finlay)
Banbridge ground out an important three points at Belfield against a gutsy UCD who showed up well despite having little left to play for this term bar pride. It keeps the Ulster club in contention for a possible top two spot and direct qualification for the EY Champions Trophy semi-finals.

Bann went in front in the eighth minute when Jonny McKee flicked in from a penalty corner switch to the right. The students replied quickly with Josh Fligas rebounding from the third wave of a messy penalty corner.

Luke Witherow restored the Co Down club’s lead from a brilliant end-to-end move, set in motion by Peter Brown and McKee’s lovely interchange on halfway.

Luke Witherow celebrates his goal for Banbridge. Pic: Adrian Boehm

But Jay Menelaou got a slightly fortuitous touch to Kevin O’Dea’s crash ball into the D to make it 2-2 at half-time with the students threatened a big shock.

Bann, though, moved in front for a third and final time early in the second half when McKee’s shot was well saved by Matthew O’Brien Holohan but only as far as David Finlay. From a tight angle, he roofed his shot.

McKee and Finlay were frequent threats throughout the tie but O’Brien Holohan was equal to those efforts. When the goalkeeper stepped out for an extra outfielder, it did open a golden chance for McKee when he robbed the ball on halfway but he chipped over on his backhand.

Lisnagarvey 5 (T Chambers 3, M McNellis, M Nelson) Monkstown 1 (L Cole)
Troy Chambers’ hat trick put Lisnagarvey within touching distance of the men’s EY Hockey League title with a breath-taking 5-1 win over Monkstown at Comber Road.

Town went into the tie off the back of six successive victories and they went in front when Lee Cole’s corner shot snuck in.

But Garvey have been in outstanding form in recent weeks and Chambers got them back on terms before half-time and four second half goals saw them spin into a big lead.

Mark McNellis smoked in a shot from a penalty corner breakdown to start the goal-rush; Chambers found space to tomahawk in the next and Matthew Nelson’s back post finish put them well and truly out of range.

Chambers completed his treble in the closing minutes as Garvey move five points clear of Three Rock Rovers in second place.

Annadale 3 (A McAllister, S Pinion, T Robson) Pembroke 2 (C Hynes, A Sothern)
Three Annadale goals in the first 22 minutes helped propel them to safety and within range of snatched a playoff place on the findal dat of the season. For Pembroke, it means they have to beat UCD in the final round of matches and then hope Corinthian don’t do likewise later next Saturday against YMCA.

Dale went ahead from their first attack of note, Callum Robson’s sharp hit on the turn getting a touch in front of the goalkeeper from Adam McAllister after a swift break-out.

Spencer Pinion then pushed in a low corner shot in the seventh minute and it was almost three a couple of moments later when Tim Cross’s shot went just wide.

The game was still barely 10 minutes old when Julian Dale got to a bouncing ball first before Sam Hamill and batted his volley wide just before colliding with the out-rushing goalkeeper as both sides threw everything into the first quarter. Pembroke had three corners to no avail.

Annadale, however, moved three clear when stopper Tom Robson received a corner on his open side and then hit into the left corner.

In the second half, an excellent Ilko Dartsch save denied McAllister a fourth before the Pembroke fightback started in earnest. A long overhead was missed by a defender in the left corner and Dale controlled and forced the ball across where Cillian Hynes got the final touch.

Big chances abounded with Hamill getting the best of a one-on-one chance while McAllister rounded Dartsch but his shot was deemed high and dangerous when it hit Philip Forster on the body with a shot which looked to be heading wide.

Sothern was credited with Pembroke’s second four minutes from the end amid some aerial pinball to make it 3-2 but Dale closed ranks to see out their second win of the campaign against Pembroke.

YMCA 2 (G Glutz, A Meates) Three Rock Rovers 4 (R Spencer 2, E Jennings, A Empey)
Three Rock Rovers moved back up to second in the men’s EY Hockey League as Ryan Spencer and Ali Empey goals in the last 20 minutes saw off YMCA at Wesley.

After a couple of early corners, Rovers went in front via Spencer who finished off from around the p-spot following a baseline run and pull-back.

YM stepped up in the second quarter and had a couple of corner chances go close but Rovers came on strong just before the big interval with Empey’s aerial skills leading to a big chance which goalkeeper Cameron Larkin did well to snuff out. The second goal arrived, though, when Evan Jennings cleaned from a corner on the hooter for 2-0.

The Y, though, were back level in jig-time in the second half when Grant Glutz scored a penalty corner and then Andrew Meates got a beautiful touch to Sam Hyland’s reverse-stick cross for 2-2.

The hosts, however, saw Meates and Ben Chadwick simultaneously sent to the sin-bin and Rovers got back in front in their absence, Empey – in his first game of 2022 – scored via a defensive deflection.

And Empey played a perfect pass to Spencer who was all alone at the top of the YM circle to get the insurance goal.

Glenanne 5 (S O’Donoghue 2, S Boucher 2, R Couse) Corinthian 2 (A Sutton, C Futcher)
Glenanne picked up their 10th win of the season to leave Corinthian with a nervous final day of the men’s EY Hockey League to look forward to next Saturday as they look to survive the drop.

The Glens got off to a great start with Shane O’Donoghue scoring a corner in the third minute and they were 2-0 up via Richard Couse with only eight minutes played.

Corinthian – who were without Peter Caruth, Robbie Clarke and Ben Murphy – did cut the gap with Andrew Sutton scoring his second goal of the season before half-time.

But the game was over early in the second half with Shannon Boucher scoring in both the 39th and 40th minutes. Chad Futcher got one back but O’Donoghue’s stroke copper-fastened the Glens win.

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Pembroke buzzing after women’s EYHL goes down to the wire

Aisling Naughton’s spectacular second minute goal was enough to get Pembroke the 1-0 win against Muckross they needed win the women’s EY Hockey League for the first time.

Earlier in the day, Catholic Institute beat Belfast Harlequins 2-1 at Deramore Park to take the league down to the last fixture to determine the destination of the title.

It meant Pembroke had to get a victory against a side fighting for their lives to try and escape relegation. And the Serpentine Avenue hosts got off to a dream start when Naughton dove full length at the left post to turn in Ellen Curran’s excellent ball.

From there, Pembroke dominated the play in the first half but a tough of over-eagerness meant an insurance goal proved elusive with Rachel O’Brien hitting the post and a number of other chances bouncing across the face of goal.

That ratcheted up the tension in the second half as any Muckross break-out had the potential to scupper the celebrations and, with lots on the line, the green and whites found some rhythm.

But Pembroke finished strong, controlling the final quarter as Aoife Glennon – an immense talent between the posts – kept out a range of shots from different angles.

“It’s just phenomenal to be able to finish it off like this, at home, in front of our crowd; absolutely buzzing,” Naughton said afterwards with the club landing the title for the first time having never breached the top four before in the EYHL.

“It is quite momentous. When a few of us joined a few years ago, we had a goal to bring the club to this level and we have a built a squad of not just 18; there’s 26 or so. And this is testament to that because we only played two matches at full fitness.

“We were delighted to get that early goal; we had plenty of chances and Muckross made it really difficult for ourselves. But we did have too many chances and we really do need to make sure of it if we are here again! But one’s enough!”

It also brings with it a guaranteed European ticket while for Muckross it means a drop back to EYHL Division 2.

For Catholic Institute, they can console themselves with a direct ticket to the EY Champions Trophy semi-final.

Their win was built around goals from Roisin Upton and Leah Clery but they were also left with jangled nerves as Katie Larmour getting one back for Belfast Quins.

Pegasus secured a home quarter-final berth with a 2-0 win over UCD with the students scraping into a rematch with the Ulster side as Railway Union could not do enough against Old Alex to break into the playoffs, a 1-1 draw.

Old Alex will meet Loreto who eased by Cork Harlequins 5-1 with a hat trick from Christina Hamill.

** Fuller round-up to be posted in due course

Women’s EY Hockey League: Pembroke 1 (A Naughton) Muckross 0; Belfast Harlequins 1 (K Larmour) Catholic Institute 2 (R Upton, L Clery); Old Alex 1 (S Robinson) Railway Union 1 (Z Delany); Cork Harlequins 1 (M Barry) Loreto 5 (C Hamill 3, S O’Brien, Y Pratt); UCD 0 Pegasus 2 (T Doherty, K Magee)

Pembroke goalscorer Aisling Naughton celebrates with Emily Beatty. Picture: Max Fulham

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Methody land Kate Russell title after thrilling Salerno finale

Methodist College Belfast won the Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships for the second time as Jiwon Hong struck what proved to be the vital goal against Salerno at Dangan.

The tournament went down to the wire with Methody needing just a draw in the final game of the competition but a win for Galway hosts Salerno could have seen them nick the title.

And they put themselves in the frame as they led twice with Grace Walsh putting them 1-0 up only for Ruby Tindall to tie things up. Then a spectacular Anna Costello penalty corner early in the second half against had Salerno dreaming of bringing the title back to Connacht for just a third time in its 42 year history.

But Hong snagged the equaliser for Methody to make it 2-2 and they held on for that key result to stay clear in the round-robin table after two intense days.

Overnight, there was a three-way tie on four points with Holy Child Killiney with Crescent Comp and Kilkenny College looking to make a late charge.

It was the Limerick side who started off the day with Holly Doupe and Sarah Fitzgerald putting their first win on the board with a 2-0 success against the cats.

Game two was a thriller with both Salerno and Holy Child remaining unbeaten following a 2-2 draw.

Roisin Heaney finished off an outstanding goal, created by by Ailbhe Folan’s long run, and Folan also netted for the hosts with Olivia Napier and Alex Purcell getting the Killiney efforts.

That opened the door for Methody to jump into the lead when they won 2-0 against Kilkenny, Jen Lamont and Sophie Moffett on the mark.

Crescent guaranteed themselves a medal when Charlotte Horan’s penalty corner goal put them 1-0 to the good against Holy Child.

What shade everyone would get, though, was all to be decided in the final game where Methody added to their 2016 success in memorable fashion.

Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships
Friday results: Crescent Comp 2 (H Doupe, S Fitzgerald) Kilkenny College 0; Salerno 2 (R Heaney, A Folan) Holy Child Killiney 2 (O Napier, A Purcell); Kilkenny College 0 Methodist College Belfast 2 (J Lamont, S Moffett); Crescent Comp 1 (C Horan) Holy Child Killiney 0; Salerno 2 (G Walsh, A Costello) Methodist College Belfast 2 (J Hong, R Tindall)

Final Standings: 1. Methodist College Belfast 8pts (+3) 2. Salerno 6pts (+2) 3. Crescent Comp 6pts (0) 4. Holy Child Killiney 5pts (0) 5. Kilkenny College 1pt (-5)

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Garvey and Town showdown pivotal in men’s EYHL title race

On the penultimate match weekend of the men’s EY Hockey League regular season, Lisnagarvey can potentially win the title should they get the best of Monkstown and Three Rock falter against YMCA.

The former is the meeting between the two sides currently on the best runs with Garvey picking up 19 from the last available 21 points to set themselves clear at the top of the table.

Town, meanwhile, have won all of their league games in 2022, making it six in succession for Eddie O’Malley’s side. They have done so despite a number of absentees with David Nolan, Nick Dee and Jazze Henry missing last weekend’s 4-1 win over YMCA, opening up an opportunity for John O’Hara and Josh O’Neill to make their first team debuts.

They have been defensively tenacious with David Fitzgerald exceptional between the posts last weekend against YM who created a number of big chances that required his full attention.

The sides served up a thriller at Rathdown before Christmas with Town winning 4-3 but Garvey have not lost since hit steamroller mode, scoring 18 times in the last four games. Ben Nelson is in line for a return to action.

Rovers will be keenly interested in the outcome from this tie while hoping to fulfill their half of the title-chasing bargain when they go to YMCA in a repeat of St Patrick’s Day’s Mills Cup final.

For the Y, they have missed Matthew Walker at the base of their defence with his foot in a protective boot. Their main issue has been giving opponents a big start, going 3-0 inside 21 minutes in that cup finals and 2-0 behind against Town last Saturday inside four minutes.

Both times, they rattled their south Dublin rivals but only after they had a big deficit to make up.

At the bottom, there is lots to ponder once again. Perhaps the central tie in this regard is Annadale’s hosting of Pembroke. The Ulster side will go mathematically safe if they emulate their result at Serpentine Avenue before Christmas when they won out 4-0.

It would be quite a turnaround for Dale to do that. Between early February 2019 and late October 2021, they endured 30 winless EYHL games in succession through the pandemic years but that result allied to two successes against UCD has them on the verge of staying up.

Pembroke will benefit from the return of Julian Dale after suspension and their comeback point against Corinthian a week ago has kept them in touch with Dale and Corinthian.

For the reds, they were kicking themselves that they could not see home their lead against Pembroke with only 40 seconds remaining. They will be further stymied with Peter Caruth likely to miss this week’s tie with Glenanne at St Andrew’s.

Glenanne, meanwhile, have an exceptionally busy spell on their agenda. After this game against Corinthian, they host Lisnagarvey on Sunday in the Irish Senior Cup semi-final and then play Three Rock Rovers on March 30th in their refixed league game.

Saturday 26th March 2022
Men’s EYHL Division 1: Annadale v Pembroke, Lagan College, 1pm; Glenanne v Corinthian, St. Andrews, 1.30pm; Lisnagarvey v Monkstown, Comber Road, 2pm; UCD v Banbridge, Belfield, 1pm; YMCA v Three Rock Rovers, Wesley College, 2.15pm

Sunday 27th March 2022
Men’s Irish Senior Cup, semi-finals: Glenanne v Lisnagarvey, St Andrews, 1.30pm; Monkstown v Cookstown, Rathdown, 4pm

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Hockey Ireland welcomes Richard Fahey as interim CEO

Hockey Ireland is delighted to welcome Richard Fahey to the role of interim Chief Executive Officer for the organisation.

Richard will commence in the role from Monday 28th March, succeeding Jerome Pels who is moving from the role he has held since January 2017 to take up an equivalent position with England Boxing.

Richard has held several senior management posts within Irish sport over the past twenty years, most recently as Chief Executive of Tennis Ireland.

He was formerly Director of Club Licensing and Facility Development at the Football Association of Ireland, providing him with experience in both individual and team sport environments. Richard is also a board member at the Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing Partnership.

During his time with Tennis Ireland, tennis enjoyed a significant growth in participation as he drove improvements in governance, built relationships with clubs and helped develop new competitive opportunities for players.

He has also played a key role in facilitating the development of tennis and football facilities at local and regional level across the country including the FAI National Training Centre at the National Sports Campus.

A key task for Richard will be to build on the work done to date by Jerome and all the team in Hockey Ireland and to bring a new perspective and experience to our sport as we continue our journey to deliver for our players, coaches, umpires, volunteers and clubs.

Richard said: “I am very much looking forward to commencing my role as interim Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Ireland and working closely with the staff, the Board and with everyone involved in Hockey on the island of Ireland to further develop this wonderful sport”.

Hockey Ireland chairman Trevor Watkins added: “Hockey Ireland are very pleased to welcome Richard to lead us in what is an exciting time for our sport. Richard’s skills and experience are a perfect fit for Hockey Ireland. The Board looks forward to working with Richard as we continue to implement our strategy and take advantage of the opportunities before us.”

The search for a permanent CEO will be advertised shortly on the Hockey Ireland and Sport Ireland website.

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