Ire v England, Men’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

Ireland 1 (M Robson) England 2 (Z Wallace, P Roper)

England set the pace in the opening quarter getting two passed Mark Ingram in the 11th and 12th minute. The opening goal of the game came from Zachary Wallace while the second goal came from a penalty corner moments later. The initial shot came from Ward but was saved by Ingram, the rebound saw Roper get the deflection from a pass back into the circle.

Michael Robson had Ireland’s first opportunity of the second quarter when he received a well-aimed aerial from Daragh Walsh. The ball went wide from his shot as England goalkeeper Pinner ran out to meet him along with three English defenders. The score remained Ireland 0 – 2 England as Stuart Loughrey took a shot on the goal which also went wide. Although, it wasn’t long before Eugene Magee managed to get the ball in to the English circle and provide Robson with another opportunity. It went around Pinner nicely and hit the back of the goal to bring Ireland back into the game.

Despite the change in score, England continued to hold the majority of possession with a solid defence ending the first half Ireland 1 – 2 England.

Jamie Carr came on in Ingram’s place in the third quarter, making to excellent saves from shots from Roper and Griffiths. Despite putting more pressure on England in the third quarter Ireland had few opportunities, sending the ball wide of the goal on more than one occasion.

Ingram was back on for the final quarter, saving well from an attack by Roper. With four minutes left on the clock, Conor Harte received a Yellow Card bringing Ireland down to 10 men. Ingram was brought off to increase outfield players, but strong English defence prevented Ireland adding to the score in the final quarter.

Speaking after the match, Eugene Magee said “We’re very disappointed after that result today.

“England are a strong side. We had some good phases of play, unfortunately our end product wasn’t good enough today.

“We’ll pick ourselves up, go again, recover well and look forward to Wales.”

The Irish men will now face Wales in their final match of the tournament on Saturday at 14:45 Irish time. Both teams will be hoping to avoid relegation. England face Scotland in their final match at 12:30 Irish time, the result of which will is significant for both Ireland and Wales. An England Scotland draw guarantees relegation, while a win for either gives both Ireland and Wales a chance to avoid joining the lower tier.

The Irish women’s squad will take on Belgium tomorrow in their Pool C match at 14:45 Irish time.

Ireland: J Jackson, J Bell, E Magee, K Shimmins, S O’Donoghue, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, C Harte, M Ingram

Subs: J Carr, T Cross, S Murray, J Duncan, L Cole, S Loughrey, S Cole

England: G Pinner, D Ames, H Wier, A Jackson, I Sloan, S Ward, P Roper, A Dixon, B Creed, J Gall, W Calnan

Subs: H Gibson, O Willars, H Martin, C Griffiths, J Waller, T Sorsby, Z Wallace

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Ire v Germany, Women’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

Women’s Pool B: Ireland 1 (S Hawkshaw), Germany 1 (P Maertens).

An exciting match for many reasons as the Irish Women finished with a level score against World Ranked Number 5 Germany this afternoon in Antwerp. Unfortunately, a win was required to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

Speaking after the match, Head Coach Sean Dancer said “Obviously it’s very disappointing for us to lose a must win game, but for me that was a good scenario – a quarter final situation.

All credit to the girls, we got a draw, but unfortunately we needed a draw and weren’t quite good enough”.

Germany took the lead eight minutes into the opening quarter with a shot from Maertens finding the back of the net. Despite Germany dominating possession, Ireland were relentless and continued to press them. The equaliser came in the final minute of the opening quarter, when a penalty corner for Ireland rebounded off German Keeper Sonntag and Katie Mullan managed to secure a pass to a well-placed Sarah Hawkshaw to bring it home.

Germany’s Hannah Gablac made her presence felt in the second quarter but Ireland’s defence remained strong. A penalty corner to Germany save Grote flick for the goal but McFerran got her pad to it nicely to keep the score level. Ireland were lucky later in the quarter when McFerran rightly stepped to defend one side of the goal. Although Elisa Grave managed to position herself dangerously the other side, her attempt from inches out hit the post.

Ireland had a few opportunities leading up to half-time. Gillian Pinder had a shot saved by Sonntag, with Deirdre Duke securing the rebound, unfortunately sending it wide. While Lena Tice continued to frustrate German attempts in the Irish circle.

Irish defence was very strong in the third quarter, fending off a number of attacks by Germany. While McFerran was strong again as Rebecca Grote managed to take a shot from a German penalty corner. Meanwhile her counter-part Sonntag continued to prevent Ireland taking a lead, with shots from Daly and two penalty corners for Ireland both well saved.

The final quarter was marked by much excitement. Sonntag was on form again as Chloe Watkins hit a beautiful shot into the circle to find Daly who’s shot was saved. Germany proceeded to get a run shortly afterwards, entering the Irish circle and forcing McFerran out to defend. The ball crossed the line however the video umpire was called upon to confirm the goal before it was granted, making the tension in the stadium palpable.

No goal was given, with the video umpire stating the whistle had blown before the ball crossed the line, with the sides remaining level. Germany went on to secure a string of penalty corners shortly after, ending in them being granted a penalty shot. Nike Lorenz stepped up to take it but Ayeisha McFerran was never in doubt saving it comfortably.

Ireland chose to take McFerran off with 3 minutes left on the clock to increase outfield numbers. Despite Katie Mullan getting a nice run up the pitch, passing to Evans who found O’Flanagan, German Keeper Sonntag prevented another goal forcing the ball wide. German player Lorenz received a yellow card with less than 3 minutes remaining, bringing Germany down to 10 players, however they managed to hang on without conceding a goal, with the final hooter signalling a 1-1 full time score.

The Irish Women played well and will take lots of positives from the match against Germany in the long-term, however they now move to Pool C to play the third place finisher of Pool A who have yet to be decided. The match will take place at 14:45 Irish time on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Irish Men’s squad will face off against England tomorrow afternoon at 14:45 Irish time.

Ireland: A McFerran, K Mullan, S McCay, E Tice, B Barr, C Watkins, L Colvin, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke

Subs: R Upton, N Evans, G Pinder, N Daly, H Matthews, E Murphy, A Meeke

Germany: A Wortmann, N Lorenz, S Oruz, H Gablac, A Schroder, E Grave, J Muller-Wieland, J Sonntag, P Maertens, V Huse, H Granitzki,

Subs: K Horn, L Micheel, N Kubalski, S Zimmermann, F Hauke, C Pieper, R Grote

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Ire v Germany, Men’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

Ireland 0, Germany 5 (N Wellen, T Grambusch, M Hellwig, F Fuchs, L Windfeder)

A tough day for the Irish Men’s squad sees them defeated 5 – 0 by Germany in their final pool match of the Euro Hockey Championships in Antwerp.

Ireland had a promising start with Daragh Walsh securing a penalty corner for Ireland in the second minute of the game, but German keeper Aly was able to keep Shane O’Donoghue’s drag flick from crossing the line and putting Ireland on the score board.

Germany went on to score two goals from two penalty corners from Wellen and Grambusch in the opening quarter. Opportunities from Ireland came from Eugene Magee and Kirk Shimmins, but with both going wide and hitting the side of the goal the score remained Ireland 0 – 2 Germany.

The second quarter saw Germany dominate in the opening minutes, forcing Ireland to play defensively. Paul Gleghorne played well to prevent an opportunity for Germany when Ingram stepped left to defend one threat and the ball passed to his right towards Germany’s Ruhr not far from the goal line. A penalty corner to Germany in the final second of the quarter was well saved by Ingram to keep the score Ireland 0 – 2 Germany as the sides broke for half time.

Despite starting the defensively in the second quarter, Ireland gained momentum throughout and this was clear as the sides met again after half time.

Jamie Carr was on form with a number of excellent saves in the third quarter. A more assertive Ireland applying pressure saw a few missed opportunities; Sean Murray was able to find Eugene Magee with a chance which was sent wide again, while shortly after Magee found Robson nicely, who brought the ball to the circle and pushed to Tim Cross who slipped past it letting the ball go wide.

German defence was strong in the final quarter as Ireland secured two penalty corners, neither converting to a goal. Jamie Carr was taken off as Ireland attempted to put a goal on the score board by increasing their outfielder numbers. Germany continued to apply pressure and secured a further three goals in the final five minutes, with the last goal coming from a penalty corner which saw Lee Cole narrowly miss getting his stick to the ball to prevent the final goal.

“It’s a disappointing score line obviously”, said Men’s Captain Jonathan Bell. “We were in the game for large parts of the match, and we were still on the hunt at half time. Obviously two nil is a long way back when you’re playing someone like Germany, but if we’d got it to two one it could have been a different game.

“We pulled the keeper at the end to bring on an extra outfielder and they hit us with three goals which was tough on the score line.

“However, there were a lot of positives in the performance compared to the performance against Holland and we’ll have to carry that into the relegation pool. We’ll bring that energy and intent to those next two games. In tournament hockey your next match is always your most important match, so for us now it’s all eyes on the next game.”

The Irish Men now enter the relegation pool with Scotland and England. Wales will need to beat Belgium by 4 or more goals to avoid the relegation pool.

Next up, the Irish Women will take on Germany in their final pool game tomorrow at 11:15 Irish time, the Irish Men will take the pitch again on Thursday at 14:45 Irish time against the 3rd place finisher of Pool A.

Ireland: J Jackson, J Bell, E Magee, K Shimmins, S O’Donoghue, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, C Harte, M Ingram

Subs: J Carr, T Cross, S Murray, J Duncan, L Cole, S Loughrey, S Cole

Germany: M Muller, M Grambusch, L Windfeder M Haner, T Herzbruch, C Ruhr, M Zwicker, F Fuchs, T Oruz, J Grosse, V Aly

Subs: N Wellen, D Nguyen, T Grambusch, D Linnekogel, F Wienke, T Walter, M Hellwig

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Ire v Scotland, Men’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

In a lively first quarter, Scotland were first to show what they can offer in front of goal, Andy Bull’s corner push hitting the post after Jamie Carr got a crucial boot to the shot.

Ireland replied in kind, making most of the play with a speedy set of counter-attacks and they went in front in the 12th minute when John Jackson stole possession in the left corner. He crossed through a forest of legs to find Shane O’Donoghue unmarked and he picked his spot for his second goal of the tournament.

They looked the more likely to add to their total until the last few minutes of the second half but a late Scottish salvo put the pressure on. Lee Morton delivered the perfect ball and Kenny Bain stepped in front of his marker to deftly touch in for 1-1 in the 28th minute.

Scotland then carried that momentum into the third quarter, moving in front for the first time from their third penalty corner. The first drag was saved by Mark Ingram but Bain was on hand to poach the rebound.

It gave them a noticeable lift in confidence as they made most of the attacking moves. Murray Collins did get a yellow card but it didn’t slow their momentum and in his absence, Alan Forsyth was only denied by an amazing Ingram save.

It became 3-1 when Craig Falconer got in behind his man on the left side, spun around his marker and flicked into the top of the goal.

Ireland were in a desperate position but they got a lifeline via Tim Cross’s first goal in green, a wonderful shot from right to left in the circle. That came with five minutes to go and they went on to win two penalty corners in the endgame, one of which was given as a stroke after a video review.

O’Donoghue kept his nerve and flicked into the left of the goal for 3-3. And it might have been even better but Sean Murray saw Tommy Alexander somehow save his deflection in the last minute.

“We back ourselves in the way we play to get a result,” Cross said after inspiring the comeback. “We had patches where we were loose across the whole field and, in international hockey, teams will punish you.

“We managed to fight back at the end which was class by us but we just need to bring that energy to all four quarters rather than patches of it.

“It keeps us alive and anything can still happen. We got into Germany positive and looking to win – there’s always a chance if we turn up and play our best stuff.”

As for his first goal in green, he added: “The ball just sat up nicely from Robbo, got a good piece of it on the half volley and it went sort of where I was aiming! 3-1 down, you need something from anyone – a big tackle, big corners or big goals will bring that energy. It could have been anyone who got the goal – I would have been as excited!”

Ireland are back in action on Tuesday at 2.45pm (Irish time) against Germany.

Ireland: J Carr, J Jackson, J Bell, E Magee, K Shimmins, S O’Donoghue, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, C Harte

Subs: T Cross, S Murray, J Duncan, L Cole, S Loughrey, S Cole, M Ingram

Scotland: T Alexander, C Duke, M Bremner, A Bull, A Forsyth, L Morton, K Bain, M Collins, D Riddell, E Greaves, C MacKenzie

Subs: T Atkins, C Falconer, C Golden, A McQuade, N Parkes, G Byers, D Forrester

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Ire v Belarus, Women’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

Women’s Pool B: Ireland 11 (R Upton 4, A O’Flanagan 2, N Evans 2, B Barr, D Duke, Z Wilson) Belarus 0.

The Green Army put in a strong performance this afternoon in Antwerp to give them a very comfortable win over Belarus in their second pool match of the Euro Hockey Championships. Asserting themselves from the whistle, the Irish Women secured a Penalty Corner in the opening minute. Despite it ultimately being kept out of the goal by Belarus’s Navitskaya, it set the tone for the match with the Irish securing a total of 18 penalty corners throughout the match, compared to Belarus’s 3.

“It was a good tough game”, according to Head Coach Sean Dancer, “We started quite well in the first quarter, obviously really pleasing to take an early lead.

“I felt we became a little complacent in the second quarter and we let Belarus back in to the game – not from a score point of view, but from a playing point of view. But a really pleasing second half, we stepped it up and played some good hockey.”

Ireland dominated the game with close to 54% of the total possession according to the TMS stats, building it to over 60% in the final quarter of the game.

Roisin Upton put Ireland on the scoreboard in the 4th minute when a penalty corner insertion from Hannah Matthews was deflected from Lizzie Colvin. While Anna O’Flanagan followed with the second goal shortly after. Similarly, an insertion from a penalty corner from Matthews to Colvin provided Chlow Watkins with an opportunity but the ball was saved and O’Flanagan’s goal resulted from a scuffle for the ball on the rebound.

The second quarter saw a few chances for Ireland failing to convert to a goal with Belarus challenging more. Chloe Watkins and Katie Mullan worked well to keep Belarus out of the Irish circle at one point, while Roisin Upton was on hand to counter a shot into the Irish circle by Halinouskaya and send it back up the pitch. The half time score remaining Ireland 2 – 0 Belarus.

A flurry of goals marked the third quarter, with Ireland extending their lead to 8 – 0. Roisin Upton secured herself a hat trick by the end of the quarter, while Nikki Evans added two to the overall tally with her second coming from a saved penalty corner rebound.

Lizzie Colvin provided a lovely pass to Anna O’Flanagan in the final quarter. O’Flanagan was positioned perfectly to push the ball into the back of the goal while Belarus’s Liavonava stood to the side with her focus on Colvin. Deirdre Duke and Roisin Upton brought the game to a close with a goal each from penalty corners.

The final score Ireland 11 – 0 Belarus. A positive day for the Irish Women in Antwerp. They face Germany on Wednesday at 11:15 Irish time in their final pool match. Meanwhile, the Irish Men will take on Germany tomorrow at 14:45 in their final pool match.

Ireland: A McFerran, K Mullan, S McCay, E Tice, C Watkins, L Colvin, N Daly, H Matthews, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson.

Subs: R Upton, N Evans, G Pinder, B Barr, E Murphy, D Duke, A Meeke

Belarus: H Zhylevich, K Mitskevich, U Kasabutskaya, M Halinouskaya, S Bahushevich, N Silitskaya, N Syrayezhka, M Nikitsina, K Syddykava, M Navitskaya

Subs: T Liavonava, N Shtsin, D Belavusava, X Efimencova, Y Kurhanskaya, V Skryba, V Sidarava

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Ire v England, Women’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

Tim Cross and Shane O’Donoghue both scored in quick succession in the last five minutes to complete the comeback and earn a point. It means, at the very least, they are just about still alive in the semi-final chase going into their final group game against Germany.

Women’s Pool B: England 2 (S Petty, G Ansley) Ireland 1 (B Barr)

Ireland’s women produced a rousing last quarter but could not find an equaliser from their opening Belfius EuroHockey Championships tie in Antwerp.

Trailing 2-0 at half-time to a pair of penalty corner goals, Ireland bossed large parts of the second half with Beth Barr getting one back with 17 minutes to go. And they had chance after chance in the closing 10 minutes but could not find a way past the defences of two-time world goalkeeper of the year Maddie Hinch.

“We’re pretty frustrated with the result, not the performance we put in, especially in the second half,” captain Katie Mullan said afterwards. “We were a bit slow to start but they felt our pressure in the second half and we could have done with a couple more minutes at the end. We would have got the goal with another quarter!

“But it does say a lot about where we are at and where we are moving to. It wasn’t about hanging on. For us, we controlled phases of the game, had a lot of opportunities. In the past against England, it would be a different story so that is a positive.

“It was a physical game, some hard tackles from both sides. I personally enjoy that bit of physicality, a good battle.”

In the first half, England took what looked like full control in the first half with penalty corner goals in either quarter for a 2-0 advantage.

Hannah Martin was the key player, her bounding runs causing plenty of problems, and she won the corner which led to their opening goal.

Ayeisha McFerran saved Ansley’s first shot but Anna Toman kept the ball live and, after a couple of swipes, Petty nudged in at the left post for 1-0.

Ansley doubled the lead from another set piece, a breath-taking drag-flick that was too quick for the out-stretched reach of McFerran.

For Ireland, the pick of their first half manoeuvres came in the last minute via a corner. Roisin Upton’s push took a deflection from Anna O’Flanagan, hopping and skipping over Maddie Hinch but Toman was in place to clear up.

But, after a scrappy phase of the game, Ireland got a goal back from their second corner while England were down to 10 players with Martin on a yellow. Chloe Watkins – who was outstanding in midfield – won the corner and then slapped the ball into Beth Barr whose touch made it through Hinch, setting up a fascinating final quarter.

Martin thrashed inches wide with a great chance before Ireland started to step on once again, creating chance after chance. Cards became more prevailent, too, with Zoe Wilson and Sarah Evans taking yellows.

Maddie Hinch made two hugely important saves while Shirley McCay’s penalty corner shot went inches wide as England held on to their slender lead and all three points.

Ireland play Belarus on Monday (2.45pm, Irish time in a quick turnaround, hoping to get their first win of the campaign.

Belarus lost 13-0 to Germany and so a victory is imperative.

“You’ve got to move on very quickly in tournament hockey. We won’t reflect too much on today but we will look to control and play like the second half to tee up a big game for ourselves against Germany.”

Ireland: A McFerran, N Evans, L Tice, K Mullan, B Barr, L Colvin, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke, A Meeke
Subs: R Upton, G Pinder, S McCay, C Watkins, S Hawkshaw, L Murphy, N Daly

England: M Hinch, L Unsworth, A Toman, H Martin, S Townsend, S Petty, E Rayer, G Ansley, H Pearne-Webb, L Owsley, I Petter
Subs: S Evans, T Howard, E Deforand, S McCallin, J Hunter, G Balsdon, A Tennant

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Ire v Netherlands, Men’s Euro Hockey Champs Match Report

Men’s Pool B: Ireland 3 (S O’Donoghue 2, T Cross) Scotland 3 (K Bain 2, C Falconer)

A heroic late fightback saw Ireland salvage what could be a crucial point in their Belfius EuroHockey Championships campaign, coming back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Scotland in Antwerp.

Men’s Pool B: Netherlands 5 (B Kellerman 2, M Pruijser 2, S van Ass) Ireland 1 (S O’Donoghue)

Ireland’s men fell to a tough opening 5-1 loss to the reigning champion Netherlands at the Belfius EuroHockey Championships in Antwerp.

They fell 3-0 behind in the first eight minutes to a fired up Dutch side and while they fought back well in the second and third quarters, the world number two side were too strong.

In the first three minutes, Seve van Ass burst into the circle to pick out the top corner with an unstoppable reverse-stick shot; Ireland did call for a video review, feeling he used the back of his stick illegally but the goal stood.

Soon after, Mirco Pruijser was fed with his back to goal and he wriggled out of a tackle and pumped in a vicious shot. Bjorn Kellerman did likewise from further out and Ireland were left with a mountain to climb.

After the initial shell-shock, Ireland began to put some good phases together, most notably when Ben Walker clipped a foot for a penalty corner. Shane O’Donoghue did the rest with his 107th international goal with a low ripper past Sam van der Ven to give hope.

Eugene Magee then stung the palm of Sam van der Ven as the Dutch looked rattled, particularly when Jelle Galema was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes for an off-the-ball incident.

Some of the tackles the Green Machine put in at this stage were huge, stretching every sinew to stay in the contest.

Kellerman, though, got a killer fourth goal in brilliant style, a perfect strike while running away from goal with an upright volley. Mark Ingram made some outstanding saves, too, but could not keep out Mirco Pruijser’s perfect neat post touch in the closing quarter.

For Irish captain Jonny Bell, he admitted it was a tough day in the teeming rain, “We started very poorly and they caught us on the hop a bit, scoring those three goals. It’s a long way back from there but we did regroup and got one back. At times, we played up to the level required and there were good signs. But for long periods, we just weren’t on the money.”

Bell also praised the two goalkeepers – Jamie Carr and Mark Ingram – who shared the duties in the stead of the injured David Harte. “Both guys have been training with the squad a long time and we are lucky to have a pool of really good keepers. It was always going to be tough but the guys performed well and will kick on. Our tournament will start tomorrow; we will have to dress ourselves and respond.”

That is a reference to Game Two against Scotland at 2.45pm (Irish time) in their second game. The Scots lost 9-0 to Germany in the other group game in Antwerp but did push Ireland close in a two-game series in Glasgow last month.

“Always a huge battle. Any recent game has been a gritty affair and both teams will be up for it. We need to dust ourselves down, look at the errors we made and correct them.”

Ireland: J Carr, J Jackson, J Bell, E Magee, K Shimmins, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, C Harte

Subs: T Cross, M Robson, J Duncan, L Cole, S Loughrey, S Cole, M Ingram

Netherlands: P Blaak, J de Geus, B Bakker, S van Ass, S de Wijn, S Baart, M Pruijser, B Kellerman, T Brinkman, J Janssen, M van der Weerden

Subs: J Hertzberger, L Balk, G Schuurman, D van Puffelen, J de Mol, J Galema, S van der Ven

Umpires: B Goentgen (GER), P Walker (ENG)

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EuroHockey Championships schedule (all in Antwerp; Irish times)
Men
Saturday, August 17: Ireland 1 (S O’Donoghue Netherlands 5 (B Kellerman 2, M Pruijser 2, S van Ass)

Sunday, August 18: Ireland v Scotland, 2.45pm

Tuesday, August 20: Ireland v Germany, 2.45pm

Thursday, August 22: Semi-final or relegation pool match

Saturday, August 24: Final, Bronze match or relegation pool match

Women
Sunday, August 18: Ireland v England, 10.15am

Monday, August 19: Ireland v Belarus, 2.45pm

Wednesday, August 21: Ireland v Germany, 11.15am

Friday, August 23: Semi-final or relegation pool match

Sunday, August 25: Final, Bronze match or relegation pool match

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Women’s International Squad Announced for Euro Hockey Champs

The Irish Women’s Hockey squad was unveiled early this morning for the Euro Hockey Championships which will get underway later this week in Antwerp.

After a strong training block together and several international training matches, the following squad has been selected:

 Name

1. Ayeisha McFerran

2. Roisin Upton

3. Nicola Evans

4. Katie Mullan (C)

5. Shirley McCay

6. Elena Tice

7. Gillian Pinder

8. Bethany Barr

9. Chloe Watkins

10. Elizabeth Colvin

11. Nicola Daly

12. Hannah Matthews

13. Elizabeth Murphy

14. Sarah Hawkshaw

15. Anna O’Flanagan (VC)

16. Zoe Wilson

17. Deirdre Duke

18. Alison Meeke

Speaking on the squad selection Head Coach, Sean Dancer, said, “We have had a good preparation period leading into this competition, with the opportunity to push and develop our squad with a number of International games.

Our selection has plenty of experience and we will be expecting them to stand up when it counts and make the most of our opportunities.

The Euro Hockey Championship is an excellent competition with Olympic qualification for the winner, this is a great challenge that our group is looking forward to.”

Vital World Ranking points are at stake for all teams in this tournament as the Olympic Qualification process heats up. The Green Army will take on England, Germany and Belarus in Pool B of the Championship with their opening match against England taking place on Sunday 18th of August at 11:15 local time.

All Euro Hockey Championship matches will be streamed live on EuroHockeyTV at: https://www.eurohockeytv.org/en-int/schedule

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For more information on the Belfius Euro-Hockey Championships, see: http://www.belfiuseurohockey.com/en/

The full match schedule can be found at http://www.belfiuseurohockey.com/en/calendar/

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Men’s Squad Announced for Euro Hockey Championships 2019

Hockey Ireland Announce Men’s Senior International Team for upcoming Euro Hockey Championships in August.
The Senior Irish Men’s Hockey squad was unveiled this morning for both their upcoming Euro Hockey Championships campaign in Antwerp this August, as well as their Four Nations tournament in Spain at the end of this month.

Vital World Ranking points are at stake for all teams in this tournament as the Olympic Qualification process heats up. The Green Machine will take on the Netherlands, Germany and Scotland in Pool B, with their opening match against the Netherlands taking place on Saturday 17th of August at 15:45 local time.

The squad selected is as follows:

Name

1. James Carr.

2. Mark Ingram.

3. Jonathan Bell.

4. Lee Cole.

5. John Jackson.

6. Stuart Loughrey.

7. Paul Gleghorne.

8. Conor Harte.

9. Tim Cross.

10. Daragh Walsh.

11. Shane O’Donoghue.

12. Stephen Cole.

13. Kirk Shimmins.

14. Michael Robson.

15. Ben Walker.

16. Jeremy Duncan.

17. Eugene Magee.

18. Sean Murray.

Reserve. Matthew Nelson.

Reserve. Matthew Bell.

Speaking on the squad selection Head Coach, Alexander Cox, said, “I’m happy to announce the team that will contest the Euro Hockey Championships for Ireland. There are some different names in the squad in comparison to our FIH Series Finals earlier this summer. I’m content that this squad is, at this moment, our best squad and I expect we will do well in the coming weeks; however, there are still some decisions to be made around our goalkeepers for Europeans. The upcoming Four Nations tournament will be a good opportunity to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for European Championships.”

The Men will head to Spain ahead of the Euro-Hockey Championships campaign for a Four Nation tournament, taking on Spain, England and Malaysia.

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For more information on the Belfius Euro-Hockey Championships, see: http://www.belfiuseurohockey.com/en/

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International Weekend Round Up

International Test Match Women’s:

Match 1: Ireland 7 (Z Wilson 2, E Curran, K Mullan, A Meeke, D Duke, L Colvin) Italy 0

The Irish Women’s pre-European Championship preparations took a marked step forward as they hammered Italy 7-0 at Stormont in the driving rain.

It came against a side that they often struggled against, recording two wins in their last eight meetings with the last three outings producing draws.

In terms of a result, though, this was done and dusted early on. Zoe Wilson banged home two penalty corner hits in the first 11 minutes. From a fourth corner before the end of the first quarter, Wilson hit goalward again and Ellen Curran – elevated from last week’s Under-21s in Valencia, along with Liz Murphy, finished it off.

A lovely Sarah Hawkshaw run down the line picked out Serena Barr who picked out Katie Mullan for a fourth goal before half-time as Italy struggled for meaningful periods of play.

The goals continued to flow in the second half with a turnover on the edge of the D opening an opportunity for Hawkshaw who held up play and picked out Ali Meeke for number five.

Deirdre Duke was an unused sub in the first half but was used to great effect as an “impact player” in new coach Sean Dancer’s rotation. She struck from the top of the circle for 6-0 and Lizzie Colvin got the seventh with 21 minutes to go.

There were big chances for more spurned while Italy did have one major chance skip wide of an open goal to keep Murphy’s clean sheet in place.

Head Coach Sean Dancer was delighted with the performance “Italy is certainly an improving team; they may not have had much preparation since the World Series or, as some teams do, go through their dips. I don’t think it was a true indication of where they are at.

For us, it was really pleasing to see a lot of things we have been practicing unfold in a game. Winning an international game 7-0, you have got to be happy.”

Ireland: L Murphy, R Upton, N Evans, K Mullan, L Tice, G Pinder, S Barr, L Colvin, S Hawkshaw, Z Wilson, A Meeke

Subs: S McCay, B Barr, H Matthews, A O’Flanagan, E Curran, D Duke

Match 2: Ireland 4 (N Evans 2, S Hawkshaw, D Duke) Italy 1 (C Ruggieri)

Ireland’s women ran up another strong win over Italy at Stormont in substantially better conditions than their weekend encounter.

Nikki Evans was on form securing the opening goal of the game in the 13th minute from a lovely cross from Roisin Upton, who managed to run up the right hand side taking on a series of Italian defenders before providing Evans the opportunity to deflect home.

The visiting side brought a greater challenge than their weekend endeavour, with Emma Buckley defending the goal well in the second quarter. However, the Italy’s Giulianna Ruggieri managed to get the ball past her straight into the bottom corner to give Italy the equaliser.

Although Nikki Evans played well to get the ball back into the Italian circle, the opportunity was defended solidly by Italian Captain Chiara Tiddi. Goalkeeper Natalia Schinoni saved well Chloe Watkins managed to take a shot at the goal at close range in the 30th minute, closing out the quarter with half-time remaining 1-1.

The third quarter saw Evans restore Ireland’s lead early on. Emma Buckley produced another strong save shortly afterwards to defend the Green Army’s lead. A penalty corner to Ireland was dragged wide by Upton in the 37th minute. A following penalty corner won by Katie Mullan was saved by Schinoni as Hannah Matthews went in to deflect. Another penalty corner was awarded, and the Irish drag flick was saved again.

A penalty corner to Ireland in the opening minute of the final quarter saw Sarah Hawkshaw find the back of the net. A number of penalty corners in Ireland’s favour were awarded, with two saved from attempts by Zoe Wilson, and a third from Roisin Upton also saved by the Italian Goalkeeper. Deirdre Duke secured the final goal of the match in the 58th minute for the final score of Ireland 4 – 1 Italy

The Green Army will head to Belgium on August 7 – 9 to the Euro Hockey Championships tournament venue for matches against Belgium before the squad’s final selection is confirmed on August 11th.

Ireland: E Buckley, R Upton, N Evans, K Mullan, S McCay, L Tice, G Pinder, B Barr, A O’Flanagan, Z Wilson, D Duke

Subs: Y O’Byrne, C Watkins, H Matthews, S Hawkshaw, E Curran, S Barr

International Test Match Men’s: Ireland v Scotland

The Irish Men took on Scotland this weekend in a two-match series in Glasgow.

Match 1: Scotland 1 (K Bain) Ireland 1 (B Walker)

The first match saw Ireland draw 1-1 with both Tim Cross and Peter McKibbin making their debuts for Ireland in very wet conditions.

The tough conditions prevented either side from creating any clear opportunities in the early stages, with the teams looking evenly matched in the opening stages of the match.

Ireland forged an opportunity towards the end of the first quarter but the effort was well saved at the near post by Tommy Alexander; sending the ball into the air and over the bar.

Ireland opened strong in the following quarter, however Alexander was on form, producing a top class save getting his left pad infront of the ball to keep the sides even.

Ben Walker forced the ball home in a crowded D to put Ireland on the scoreboard and give a 1-0 lead to the visitors with 13 minutes to go.

However, Scotland’s Kenny Bain scored the equaliser when he lifted the ball home at the far post for 1-1 with six minutes to go.

Match 2: Scotland 1 (A Forsyth) Ireland 2 (J Duncan, B Walker)

Match two saw John Jackson receive his 250th cap for Ireland, with Michael Robson also receiving his 100th cap.

The Irish Men opened well. The first opportunity of the game coming from a penalty corner, with Lee Cole sending the ball just over the bar. It wasn’t long before Jeremy Duncan was applying serious pressure to Scottish keeper David Forrester, who double saved well to keep Ireland from taking the lead. The first was a reaction stop to his left, before getting to his feet and having to dive to his right to save the rebound.

A penalty corner to Scotland saw Alan Forsyth strike from a rebound to make it Scotland 1-0 Ireland.

Jeremy Duncan was on hand again early in the second quarter deflecting a Michael Robson ball into the top left corner to equalise for Ireland. Shane O’Donoghue presented another opportunity a minute later, although Scotland’s Forrester prevented Ireland from taking the lead at this point.

While early in the second half Ben Walker supplied a clinical finish into the bottom right corner to give Ireland the lead.

The final quarter saw Forsyth with the opportunity to equalise for Scotland but the wall went wide from a tight angle. While another penalty corner opportunity for Scotland was blocked on the line. Shane O’Donoghue was denied a last-minute goal with his flick at the goal blocked by Murray Collins, having already rounded the keeper.

Ireland: D Fitzgerald, J Jackson, J Bell, S O’Donoghue, S Murray, M Robson, B Walker, D Walsh, P Gleghorne, L Cole, S Cole

Subs: T Cross, M Nelson, K Shimmins, P McKibbin, J Duncan, S Loughrey M Ingram

 

Both teams will head to Antwerp in August to compete in the European Continental Championships, with important world ranking points at stake for each squad.

The Women’s team will take on England, Germany and Belarus in Pool B; and the Men will play the Netherlands, Germany and Scotland in their Pool B.

The Belfius EuroHockey Championships will take place from the 16th to 25th of August in Wilrijkse Plein, Antwerp. You can find more information on the tournament at //www.belfiuseurohockey.com/en/

Before that, the Men’s squad will head to Spain to play in a Four Nations Tournament against Spain, England and Malaysia.

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