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Junior Green Army pick up two wins from three over Wales

** Picture courtesy of Front Row Union

The Junior Green Army defied the odds to produce another strong series of performances over the weekend against Wales in three closely-fought contests at Jordanstown.

In the lead-up to the series, nine players and three members of staff were deemed close contacts following their return flight from their Five Nations tournament in Spain to a positive case from outside the group.

This meant a large turnover to the initially announced panel and support staff but a cohort of 18 players was available for the series and they showed up well.

Game one on Friday was a cagey affair between two well matched sides with defences largely on top. Ireland came on strong in the closing quarter and duly got the winning goal with seven minutes remaining when Orla Macken struck home the only goal with a powerful penalty corner hit.

Day two went the way of the Welsh visitors on a 1-0 scoreline with the key goal arriving via a smart breakaway move, flicked home from a tight angle. It was a tight and physical contest with precious little between the sides.

The pendulum swung back the Irish way in game three with Ireland getting the 1-0 result on Sunday. Nadia Benallal capped her return from injury with a beautiful reverse-stick touch from a penalty corner for the only goal.

Wales had started this one the stronger but Ireland worked their way back into the contest and dominated the closing phases to see out the win.

The squad will meet the Wales Under-23 side in three fixtures this week to continue their busy summer of action.

Under-23 series (all at Jordanstown)
Wednesday, July 21: Ireland v Wales, 7pm
Thursday, July 22: Ireland v Wales, 4pm
Friday, July 23: Ireland v Wales, 12.30pm

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Four returnees to Green Machine side for Scotland series

Shane O’Donoghue, Lee Cole, Jeremy Duncan and Luke Madeley will make their first appearances of the summer for the Irish senior men as they travel to Scotland this weekend for a three-game uncapped series.

They are joined for the first time by Rory Patterson in the line-up with the Wimbledon forward having recently trained with the Irish setup for the past few weeks for the first time.

It is part of busy preparations for August’s EuroHockey Championships II and, potentially, October’s World Cup qualifiers which were announced this week to be taking place in Wales.

Otherwise, it continues a theme of giving new faces a chance to shine with uncapped players Kyle Marshall, James Milliken, Troy Chambers, Matt Walker, Ollie Kidd, Kevin O’Dea, Nick Page, Jonny Lynch, Fergus Gibson and Mark McNeillis in the mix this time.

“This camp is to give players who had not been involved in the GB camp an opportunity to experience international hockey,” coach Mark Tumilty said. “That is a key focus of mine with the group.

“Other players who have not featured in any series yet will get exposure to games against the GB elite development panel in early August. There are also some regular internationals returning who had been missing for various reasons.”

Indeed, O’Donoghue is a significant addition as Ireland’s all-time top goalscorer with over a century of goals to his name. Cole is back after injury curtailed his involvement earlier this summer thus far.

Madeley returns to the panel following two seasons in the Belgian top tier with KHC Leuven while Duncan is back in for his first international fixtures since November 2019’s Olympic qualifiers in Vancouver. All four of the returnees were part of the travelling party for the 2018 World Cup. 

Ireland men’s panel for Scotland series – Clydesdale, Glasgow; Thursday, July 22nd to Sunday, July 25th

Jamie Carr (KHC Leuven), James Miliken (Lisnagarvey), Tim Cross (Annadale), Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians), Peter McKibbin (Lisnagarvey), Matt Walker (YMCA), Luke Madeley (KHC Leuven), Daragh Walsh (Three Rock Rovers), Sean Murray (KHC Leuven), Johnny McKee (Banbridge), Troy Chambers (Lisnagarvey), Ben Walker (Three Rock Rovers), Matty Nelson (Crefelder HTC), Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown), Ollie Kidd (Lisnagarvey), Kevin O’Dea (Cork C of I), Nick Page (Old Georgians), Jonny Lynch (Lisnagarvey), Rory Patterson (Wimbledon), Fergus Gibson (Loughborough Students), Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne), Lee Cole (Monkstown), Michael Robson (Annadale), Mark McNellis (Lisnagarvey)

Fixture schedule

Thursday, July 22nd: Ireland v Scotland, 7.30pm, Clydesdale

Saturday, July 24th: Ireland v Scotland, 4pm, Clydesdale

Sunday, Sunday 25th: Ireland v Scotland, 11.30am, Clydesdale

 

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Ireland U-19 boys and girls shine in England in Four Nations Series

Both the Irish boys and girls Under-19 teams made it with three wins from four in their respective Four Nations series competitions over the weekend with impressive performances against England in Lilleshall.

For the boys, their Saturday 5-1 success against the English was one of the biggest scorelines for Ireland at any grade as Simon Lowry’s outfit produced an outstanding display.

In a fast-pressing performance from the outset, they raced into a 1-0 lead via Waterford man Ian Balding’s powerful drag-flick. Ben Ryder swooped to chip the second into the roof of the goal when he nipped in behind the last defender.

Evan Jennings came to the fore in the second half, setting up Josh Filgas with a square pass following a powerful run. Jennings’ deft deflection extended the advantage to 4-0 and while England got one back in the final quarter, Jennings provided another first time finish for his double and 5-1.

The result follows two wins over Wales last week with their one setback a frustrating 3-2 defeat to England on Friday. After a cagey opening, the deadlock was finally broken by England midway through the second quarter.

It wasn’t long before Ireland got a deserved equaliser following some sustained possession high in the England half. Balding’s drag flick was saved but the rebound was batted into the net by James Maginnis.


Ireland continued to pressure England, but a quick counter-attack found them lacking cover at the back and the resulting penalty stroke, on the half time whistle, by Luis Cuttle left Ireland trailing 2-1 at half time.

After the break it was all Ireland, but the equaliser proved elusive, with a number of balls flashing past the back post and an England goalkeeper who was on fire against the Irish penalty corner attack.

Late in the third quarter a slick move down the left, left England with a back post tip-in to extend their lead further. Ireland reacted well by scoring immediately in Q4 with Rex Dunlop deflecting at the penalty sport from a well-polished short corner routine.

As such, after that disappointment, coach Lowry was delighted with how his side bounced back.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better reaction in game two this weekend,” said Lowry. “The guys acquitted themselves brilliantly and played with real desire and intensity and the way we moved the ball was top class.

“We were disappointed not to come out of game one with a result because we played well for much of the game and created a lot of chances, particularly in the second half.

“After Friday it was nice to see our attacking quality shine through. It was a real team effort from both players and staff to pick ourselves up and go again.”

The side has been working with a panel of 34 players for this development series and so it was a nice way for some to sign off this phase of their underage careers.

“For some of these guys it is their last involvement in the Under-19 program, and it is great to have been able to finish with a win like that, particularly after the 18 months that we’ve had. It’s all to play for now and we can’t wait to face Scotland in UUJ next weekend.”

That is a reference to a title showdown with Scotland with two games next weekend at Jordanstown.

On the girls side, Ireland back up their two big wins over Wales last week with four points out of six from their trip to England. Emma Paul’s first half goal gave the Little Green Army a 1-0 success on Friday with the strike coming following consistent pressure which led to a penalty corner that the captain slotted away.

And they carried that momentum into the second half to make it three wins from three in the competition with three clean sheets at that stage.

In so doing, it means Ireland’s senior, Under-23 and Under-19 female sides have all beaten either Great Britain or England in the past four months.

Saturday did see their perfect defensive record breached when Tamsin Cookman scored from a penalty corner in game two on Saturday morning for England.

And it remained that way until early in the final quarter before a flurry of penalty corners ended with Nicola Torrans – younger sister of Sarah who is currently in Tokyo with the Olympic squad – pouncing on a penalty corner chance at the back post.

It meant a 1-1 draw with a point each to their name but the English hosts went on to edge a shoot-out after the game which earned them an extra bonus point.

That leaves Ireland on 10 points from 12 available to date with England in second on eight points. It meansGavin Groves’ side are in pole position with two games against Scotland to come at Jordanstown.

Boys Under-19 Four Nations
Friday: England 3 (T Graves, L Cuttle, R Wilson) Ireland 2 (J Maginnis, R Dunlop)
Saturday: England 1 (W Petter) Ireland 5 (E Jennings 2, I Balding, B Ryder, J Filgas)

Girls Under-19 Four Nations
Friday: England 0 Ireland 1 (E Paul)
Saturday: England 1 (T Cookman) Ireland 1 (N Torrans), England win bonus point shoot-out 3-2

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Junior Green Army enjoy competitive series at Egara

Ireland’s Under-23 selection played out a series of competitive games at Club Egara, Spain last week in a Five Nations tournament that featured the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the host nation.

Against the Dutch, the tie was scoreless at half-time before the decorated opponents ended up winning 2-0 while Erin Getty had to depart early with a nasty head injury.

Game two was more open against Spain who took a 2-0 lead before Ellen Curran’s neat finish on the backhand got Ireland back in range. Spain did move further clear but some sharp reactions from Katie Fearon to her own rebound saw the game close out 4-2 in the host’s favour.

Against Belgium, it proved a frustrating 1-0 final score as Ireland held sway for much of the tie but could not find the killer touch.

Ireland did finish with a draw against Germany in a hugely impressive performance though they were left to rue two late goals which denied them victory. Abbie Russell’s super corner deflection made it 1-0 early in the game and that lead was doubled in the second half when Siofra O’Brien got an outstanding touch to Laura Foley’s cross.

But Germany fought back when they swapped out their goalkeeper in the closing minutes and took advantage of a couple of Irish sin-binnings to deny the Junior Green Army victory, settling for a 2-2 draw.

Nonetheless, coach Dave Passmore was upbeat about the performances from the campaign.

“Overall it was a great week against some of the world’s top teams at this level,” he said. “While we played some really good hockey and had periods of dominance in all games except the first. That said it was obvious most of the other players had not had the season-long Covid break we had and we were punished for lapses in concentration and defensive decision making.

“It was pleasing not to concede any open play goals against Holland, Germany and Belgium but it was evident we are behind in developing a depth of drag flickers.

“Our performance against Germany was probably the best I have ever seen for an Irish underage team but we will learn a lot from the last nine minutes when two goals up and they took their keeper off; getting two cards during that period being a costly.

“The players have been fabulous and committed to what this program is about while building a strong bond and team ethos. We look forward now to taking on the Wales senior team this weekend, a team that has grown in strength in recent years and is preparing for their Europeans in August.

“Hopefully Erin Getty will be fit to return after her serious facial cut. She has returned to our squad fitter and stronger than I’ve ever seen.”

Next on the agenda for Ireland is a trio of games next weekend at Jordanstown against the Welsh senior team with the squad shuffled once again to maximise development benefits.

This week’s fixture schedule (all at Jordanstown):
Friday, July 16: Ireland Development squad v Wales, 7pm
Saturday, July 17: Ireland Development squad v Wales, 4pm
Sunday, July 18: Ireland Development squad v Wales, 9.30am

Ireland development squad for Wales series: Roisin Begley (Catholic Institute/Munster), Nadia Benallal (Beeston/Leinster), Niamh Carey (UCD/Leinster), Ellen Curran (UCD/Leinster), Sophia Cole (UCD/Leinster), Amy Elliott (UCD/Leinster), Katie Fearon (Railway Union/Leinster), Laura Foley (Co-captain, Catholic Institute/Munster), Erin Getty (Queens/Ulster), Christina Hamill (Loreto/Leinster), Hannah Humphries (GK, Catholic Institute/Munster), Anna Horan (Catholic Institute/Munster), Jane Kilpatrick (Loughborough Students/Ulster), Orla Macken (Co-captain, Pembroke/Leinster), KJ Marshall (UCD/Leinster), Ellie McLoughlin (GK, Muckross/Leinster), Lisa Mulcahy (Loreto/Leinster), Siofra O’Brien (Loreto/Leinster), Sara Patton (Railway Union/Leinster), Caoimhe Perdue (UCC/Munster), Yasmin Pratt (Loreto/Leinster), Ellen Reid (Banbridge/Ulster), Jess McMaster (Queens/Ulster), Siofra Murdoch (Monkstown/Leinster)

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Keep Walking, Keep Well

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Hockey Ireland Announces Three Year Sponsorship with AIB and Hockey Ireland’s Junior Age Group Girls

Hockey Ireland today announced a three-year long sponsorship with AIB and Hockey Ireland’s Junior Age Group Girls.

Hockey Ireland’s Junior Age Girls Group programme is comprised of the Under 18 and Under 16 squads that together form an important part of the sport’s high-performance pathway, enabling some of Ireland’s most talented young hockey players reach their full potential.

AIB Head of Corporate, Institutional and Wholesale Banking Cathy Bryce said:

“AIB is delighted to be sponsoring Hockey Ireland’s Junior Age Group Girls programme. At AIB we want to enable young people to achieve their true potential, and this sponsorship enables us to provide support to a key element of Irish hockey’s high performance programme.

“Few teams have brought as much joy and inspiration in recent times as the women’s senior hockey team and we are delighted to be able to support those who aspire to match their incredible achievements in future years.”

Hockey Ireland Performance Director Adam Grainger added this is a huge boost for the stars of the future:

“Hockey Ireland Junior Age Grade girls’ teams welcome AIB onboard and look forward to its sponsorship of the upcoming series Four Nations Development Series starting this weekend. This AIB and Hockey Ireland partnership adds extra impetus to immediate programme plans and further afield towards Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification.”

Hockey Ireland CEO Jerome Pels added:

“AIB has a strong connection with hockey as a sport and we very much look forward to working together in the coming years at supporting our junior players which is at the heart of the young hockey players’ development programme.”

The announcement comes ahead of this month’s Under-19 Four Nations Development Series with England, Scotland and Wales which will run over three consecutive weekends with six rounds of matches in total for both boys and girls.

Ireland will host Wales at Jordanstown for their double-header next weekend before travelling to England on the weekend of July 16 and 17 at Lilleshall. The series finishes off with a return to Jordanstown against Scotland on July 24 and 25.

The series is the highlight of their summer for the teams as Ireland’s JAG teams get back into action for the first time since February 2020. It follows the cancellation of their European Championship campaign last summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic and so the players will be raring to go for this new challenge.

Four Nations Development Series 
Saturday, July 9: Ireland U-19 girls v Wales, 2pm; Ireland U-19 boys v Wales, 4pm (both at University of Ulster Jordanstown)
Sunday, July 10: Ireland U-19 girls v Wales, 10am; Ireland U-19 boys v Wales, 12.15pm (both at University of Ulster Jordanstown)

Saturday, July 16: Ireland U-19 girls v England, 2pm; Ireland U-19 boys v England, 4pm (both at Lilleshall)
Sunday, July 17: Ireland U-19 girls v England, 2pm; Ireland U-19 boys v England, 4pm (both at Lilleshall)

Saturday, July 24: Ireland U-19 girls v Scotland, 2pm; Ireland U-19 boys v Scotland, 4pm (both at University of Ulster Jordanstown)
Sunday, July 25: Ireland U-19 girls v Scotland, 10am; Ireland U-19 boys v Scotland, 12.15pm (both at University of Ulster Jordanstown)

** To read more about the JAG Under-19 squad, click here

** Further info on the JAG Boys Under-19 squad is here

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Teenager O’Dea on the mark in Irish men’s series against GB

Cork man Kevin O’Dea netted his first senior international goal for Ireland in their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Olympic-bound Great Britain at Bisham Abbey on Thursday morning.

Just a few days since completing his Leaving Cert exams, he fired home with 10 minutes to go to raise hopes of nicking a result from the uncapped test match which forms part of their build-up to the European Championships II in Poland next month.

GB had take a 1-0 half-time lead and doubled up just before the end of the third quarter from a penalty stroke before Cork C of I’s O’Dea got one back. The hosts, however, struck in the final play to make the game safe.

Nonetheless, the series represents another step forward for coach Mark Tumilty after a 20-month gap in action prior to their recent series against Scotland. This week, Ireland lost game one to the full GB setup 4-0 and then beat their elite development squad 8-4.

Ben Walker scored four times in that second game while Michael Robson netted twice in the first half to see Ireland build a 3-2 lead with Walker getting the other.

And they raced clear in the second half with another three from the Three Rock Rovers man while Conor Empey and Daragh Walsh – two other products of the Rathfarnham club – also weighing in.

Like the recent series against Scotland, Tumilty tried out numerous new players and he says that trend will continue when they take on the Scots again in the coming weeks.

“It was great for Kevin O’Dea to score a week after completing his Leaving Cert,” Tumilty said. “I felt during all three games we tried to play attacking hockey and are developing our style of play. The players are getting more confident on the ball and this showed over the three games.

“We still have plenty of work to do as we build a squad and playing style that enables us to achieve our long term objectives.

“Overall a very worthwhile camp, our performance improved each game and was great experience for our younger players who grew as the week progressed.

“I am pleased with how the players are developing and I look forward to giving other players an opportunity against Scotland.”

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Hockey Ireland welcomes continued Women in Sport funding

Hockey Ireland has welcomed Sport Ireland’s continued investment in its Women in Sport Programme which will provide €150,000 to the sport over the two years 2021 and 2022.

This investment aims to support NGBs and enhance all aspects of female involvement across the Women in Sport policy target areas, namely Coaching & Officiating, Active Participation, Leadership & Governance and Visibility.

Recognising that effective and sustainable programmes require a long-term approach, Sport Ireland is committed to a two-year Women in Sport investment cycle. The continuation of this two-year award cycle will enable NGBs to further progress their strategic objectives for women in sport.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD welcomed today’s announcement, stating: “Addressing the participation gap in sport and physical activity for women and girls is a priority of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027.

“In recent years we have seen some improvements in this area. The Government and Sport Ireland are committed to continuing this work with the aim of eliminating the participation gap by 2027. While the interim Q1 2021 Irish Sports Monitor, published by Sport Ireland, shows that the gender gap in participation has been eliminated during Covid-19 restrictions, there is a lot of work to do to ensure that more women and girls participate in sport and physical activity.

“As we gradually re-open society we must work to ensure sport and physical activity become a meaningful part of the day-to-day lives of all women in society”.

Minister of State for the Gaeltacht & Sport Jack Chambers TD commented: “The previous cycle of Women in Sport funding saw significant strategic advancements in the promotion of Women in Sport. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, progress was made on many of the strategic objectives set out in the Women in Sport Policy.

“We are seeing the results of this work in the participation figures and also importantly in the board composition of NGBs, with an increase from 24% of females serving on NGB boards in 2019 to 29% in 2020. There is still a long way to go to improving these figures but the funding announced today will go towards promoting more involvement in sport and physical activity at all levels, from the pitch to the boardroom.”

Funding will be ring-fenced under Women in Sport for strategically important internal and NGB related events and projects under the ‘Special Projects’ funding. This may also be used to support organisations who did not apply for funding support in the current round.

In 2020, the sector delivered on a number of objectives set out in the Women in Sport policy and there were many projects of note throughout the year.

Chief Executive of Sport Ireland John Treacy added: “The appointment of Nora Stapleton as Women in Sport Lead in Sport Ireland, as well as the appointment of leads in many NGBs has led to the creation of a network with increased levels of information sharing, collaboration and delivery of joint initiatives amongst the sector.

“This network, along with the wider NGB sector are working hard to promote sport and physical activity to women and girls. The funding announced today will not only see a diverse range of sports available to the female Irish public but an increase in the visibility of females be that as role models on the pitch or playing field, on boards or in the media.

“It is important that we work together to achieve the ambitious targets and I would like to acknowledge the continued support of the Ministers and staff in the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media”.

Dr. Una May, Director of Participation and Ethics, Sport Ireland commented: “The Women in Sport funding announced today will give the NGBs support and certainty to proceed with their programmes to address the target areas of the Women in Sport policy. In 2020 we saw some exciting and innovative approaches to Women in Sport including the first ever Girls Get Active Hackathon and the publication of significant pieces of research. There is a lot more planned for 2021 and beyond and we continue to work closely with the sector to achieve the objectives of the Policy”.

Speaking at today’s announcement, Women in Sport Lead Nora Stapleton said: “2020 was a difficult year and like all areas across the sector, many Women in Sport programmes and events were curtailed or had to be redesigned. Many programmes will continue in to 2021 and the NGBs have submitted applications for many new, innovative and exciting projects for the next cycle and I look forward to working with them”.

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Oscar Wilde’s Hockey Club ready to launch this summer

Hockey Ireland has joined with Sport Ireland and Sporting Pride for the #LetsGetVisible campaign as part of Dublin Pride Health and Wellbeing Week.

The campaign aims to recognise and acknowledge the importance of visibility and representation amongst the LGBTQI+ community, specifically in the sport sector.

Ireland is currently home to two LGBTQI+ specific clubs, the Pink Ladies and the Oscar Wildes. This week, we got the lowdown on the Oscar Wildes from founder Cormac McKay as he looks to get the club up and running.

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“Starting a team in the middle of a pandemic! It’s difficult enough as it is!” he said of the new venture. “It’s a brand new club we are trying to setup but it now looks like we have a target with the Euro Games in Copenhagen set to go ahead in August.”

The Euro Games is an LGBTI+ inclusive sporting event including 29 sports and will take place from Wednesday, August 18 to Friday, August 20 in Copenhagen. McKay previously linked up with the Black Swans – from Copenhagen as it happens – at the competition in Stockholm and that’s “how I got mixed up in it!”

“That was about four years ago. I just answered an ad on Facebook. It was a Danish team that was looking for players so I ended up playing with the Black Swans of Copenhagen. I really, really enjoyed it! I met the Pink Ladies over there and I made a promise to the Ladies that I’d try and form an Irish team so here I am now trying to get it going.

“It’s always more fun when it’s overseas and it’s very much a fun competition. It’s not hyper competitive and I truly enjoyed it when I was in Stockholm so I definitely want to try and get a men’s team going.

For his part, McKay followed in his family footsteps to take up the game 24 years ago, first with Smithfield and then with St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park and now under the Dublin North banner with whom he still plays.

With the Oscar Wildes, they will host summer hockey sessions on Monday and Friday evenings at 8pm at the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown.

It will be open to any new or old players of any age any skill to come and play; registration is only €20 for the summer.

“I have a handful at the moment and haven’t really promoted it yet to the clubs. I had been holding off until there are clearer guidelines coming from Denmark about what is allowed but, by the look of things, fingers crossed it will all go ahead.

“This will be a brand new team from scratch and we will have the facilities of the National Sports Campus as our training venue.

“It is a bit of fun; it is not a ‘serious’ competition but it is about trying to get more members of the LGBT community involved in sport.

“It is primarily for international events. I don’t really see us having enough players to run a league; maybe down the road, there might be enough to run a team in Division 8 or something like that. At the moment, I don’t see a need for a team like the Dublin Devils [in football] or the Emerald Warriors [in rugby].”

** If you’re interested in finding out more about the Oscar Wilde’s LGBTQ men’s hockey club you can contact Cormac McKay on cormac325@gmail.com.You can also follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Oscar-Wildes-LGBTQ-mens-hockey-club-2710879852257178/

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Junior Green Army win GB Series ahead of Five Nations in Spain

Sophia Cole’s late equaliser saw Ireland’s development squad land an impressive series win over their Great Britain counterparts at Jordanstown, ending the four-game run with two wins, a draw and one loss on the ledger.

The UCD midfielder struck with two minutes left on the clock with a peach of a backhand shot from a penalty corner to earn a 2-2 draw in the last game of the series.

Earlier in the tie, Limerick native Laura Foley cracked home to make it 1-1 from another set play before GB edged back in front in the third quarter.

The draw backed up a pair of 1-0 wins for Ireland, the first coming last Tuesday with Niamh Carey stealing in at the back post for the only goal and then, a day later, captain Foley scoring again following a brilliant counter-attack move instigated by Jessica McMaster.

Game three belonged to the visitors with Britain running up a 3-0 win but game four was much more even and the Junior Green Army got a deserved draw to shade the series.

Overall, coach Dave Passmore was able to deploy 27 players over the course of the week for the squad which plays a key role in developing players for the senior setup.

Ireland celebrate Sophia Cole’s late equaliser. Picture: Keith Wilson (https://www.keithwilsonphotography.com/hockeyireland)

Indeed, it has been a fertile production line of late with Olympic call-ups Sarah McAuley, Sarah Hawkshaw, Sarah Torrans, Lizzie Murphy and Michelle Carey all featuring in recent times.

From this, he has since named a reduced panel of 20 to travel to Club Egara in Spain for a Five Nations between equivalent teams from the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Germany. The tournament rules stipulate teams can field up to eight sides from an Under-23 category with the remainder having to be Under-21.

“There is a nice mix of experienced players with senior caps and younger players such as Charlotte Beggs who impressed in our recent trip to Spain,” Passmore said of this latest selection.

“There are no easy games in this tournament and we obviously have a hard start with the first match against The Netherlands but the GB series has demonstrated that we can compete and this should be a great leaning experience to see exactly where we are at.”

The series also saw the return of senior cap Erin Getty to the line-up after a break from the program and she slotted back in to great effect.

“I am delighted the Erin Getty has rejoined the squad after a concerted effort on improving her fitness and she was a stand-out player in the series against GB. She combines excellent technique with a really mature reading of the game and so fitted straight back in and the girls are delighted she is back playing.

“We are very thankful to Spanish Hockey for hosting this tournament alongside a boys event given the tournament we had planned in Dublin could not go ahead due to Covid Protocols.”

The following week, the panel will see a number of changes for a three-game series against the Wales senior team with games at Jordanstown on Friday, July 16, Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18. Their summer series will conclude three more games against a Wales Under-23 side from July 21 to 23.

Under-21 5 Nations, Club Egara (Saturday, July 3 to Saturday, July 10, 2021): Charlotte Beggs (Pegasus/Ulster), Niamh Carey (UCD/Leinster), Ellen Curran (UCD/Leinster), Sophia Cole (UCD/Leinster), Amy Elliott (UCD/Leinster), Katie Fearon (Railway Union/Leinster), Laura Foley (Catholic Institute/Munster), Gemma Ferguson (GK, Ulster Elks/Ulster), Erin Getty (Queens/Ulster), Christina Hamill (Loreto/Leinster), Jane Kilpatrick (Loughborough Students/Ulster), Ellie McLoughlin (GK, Muckross/Leinster), Jess McMaster (Queens/Ulster), Lisa Mulcahy (Loreto/Leinster), Siofra Murdoch (Monkstown/Leinster), Siofra O’Brien (Loreto/Leinster), Caoimhe Perdue (UCC/Munster), Ellen Reid (Banbridge/Ulster), Yasmin Pratt (Loreto/Leinster), Abbie Russell (Old Alex/Leinster)

Non-Travelling Reserves: KJ Marshall (UCD/Leinster), Roisin Begley (Catholic Institute/Munster)

Management:
Head coach: David Passmore
Manager: Lorraine McGowan
Coach: Steven Arbuthnot
Coach: Una McCarthy
Physio: Amy Phelan
Physiology support: Lauren Daey
Analyst: Aaron Passmore

Fixture schedule (all at Club Egara, Spain; times local)
Monday, July 5: Ireland v Netherlands, 8pm
Tuesday, July 6: Ireland v Spain, 8pm
Thursday, July 8: Ireland v Germany, 6pm
Friday, July 9: Ireland v Belgium, 6pm

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