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EuroHockey ID Championship – Team announcement

Hockey Ireland is delighted to announce the names of the squad members going to play in the EuroHockey ID (Intellectual Disabilities) Championship in Pinoke Hockey Club, The Netherlands from 6th / 9th July 2022. With the finals being played in the Mecca for hockey, the Wagner stadium!

This is the 3rd edition of the EuroHockey ID Championships that Ireland will participate in. The First once was in 2017 when TRRHC sent a club side and since then the growth of Hockey ID has meant that in 2019 club representatives from Monkstown and TRRHC travelled. There was no event in 2021 due to COVID, but this year it’s a true testament to the work from the clubs that we now have a team with representatives from 5 clubs, Three Rock Rovers, Monkstown, Wicklow, Railway Union and Botanic.

“We are thrilled to send a strong squad to The Netherlands with many players getting their first cap for Ireland. This has given a fantastic lift to the whole Hockey ID community and we know that the whole team will do us proud” said Rachel Kelly, Team Manager, Irish Hockey ID Team.

For more information or requests for player interviews please contact: Rachel at: +353 85 777 7643

All athletes had to be over 16 and the team is mixed gender.

Follow @eurohockeyorg on Instagram and Twitter for updates of the event.

Team Ireland

Players (10)

Cameron Ward, Botanic
Charlie O Reilly, Monkstown
Joe Whelan, Three Rock Rovers
Louis Mitchell, Monkstown
Louis Olden, Monkstown
Mark Sullivan, Monkstown
Matthew Burke, Three Rock Rovers
Niamh Kiernan, Railway
Sofia Finnegan, Botanic Hockey
Tony Ryan, Wicklow Hockey

 

Coaching and Management Team (4)

Ann Murray, Botanic
Klaas Jan de Vries, Wicklow
Rachel Kelly, Monkstown
Scott Mulligan, Three Rock Rovers

 

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Camp spaces filling up fast!

Our Dublin Summer Camps are filling up fast! Book now to avoid disappointment.

While our July GK has sold out, there are still spaces available at the one from June 22nd -24th.

Irish and Leinster goalkeeper coach, Riona Norton, will lead this camp. Riona is the current Goalkeeper Coach for the Irish U18 girls’ squad who are preparing for the 8 nations tournament in July. Riona is also the Head Goalkeeper Coach for the Leinster U16, U18 and U20 girls’ squads, and is involved in the Leinster U14 boys and girls development programme. Booking for the Goalkeeper Camp is open now and places are limited, so make sure you book soon.

See below link for details on all our summer camps

https://irelandhockey.sportlomo.com/event-page/ 

 

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Dublin Summer Camps

We are delighted to announce that Irish and Leinster coach, Noelle Farrell, will act as Head Coach of the first performance camp for 1st – 6th years in June (15th – 17th). Noelle is the current Head Coach of the Leinster U16 girls’ team – a role she has held since 2019, the Assistant Coach of the Irish U16 girls’ team and has previously worked as head coach of the Irish U17 girls’ team. As a player, Noelle has represented Leinster and Ireland at U21 level and she has also completed the Coaches for Europe Development Programme. Booking for the performance camp is open now at https://irelandhockey.sportlomo.com/event-page/

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Summer Camps – Munster and Connacht

Our ‘So Hockey’ summer camps have launched in Munster and Connacht!

For more information and to book a place, click here

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Hockey Ireland Launch ‘Pick up a Stick’

Would your club like to provide adults in your community with an opportunity to try hockey for the first time or to get back into the sport in a fun and friendly environment?

Hockey Ireland is inviting clubs and other community groups to get involved in the ‘Pick up a Stick’ programme.

Funded by Sport Ireland’s Women in Sport programme, the initiative involves running a five or six week programme with a particular focus on one of the following target groups:

Mixed (male and female), Male-only, Female-only

Clubs participating in the Pick Up A Stick programme will receive the following supports:
  • A €300 bursary to help support the running of the programme. This could be used to contribute toward pitch hire or coaching fees, equipment or even simply to support a BBQ at the end of the six weeks for all participants.
  • Equipment 
  •  Pick Up A Stick Pack containing coaching plans for sessions
  • Subsidised coaching / umpiring courses for clubs taking part
  • Support from Development Officer team

If your club or community group is interested in applying to run a Pick up a Stick programme, please click here

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Stunning Lisnagarvey retain men’s Irish Senior Cup title

Men’s Irish Senior Cup final
Lisnagarvey 3 (A Williamson, H Morris, B Nelson) Monkstown 1 (D Carson)
Lisnagarvey extended their lead at the top of the men’s Irish Senior Cup winners all-time list as three second half goals saw them retain the title at Belfield in brilliant style.

It was right the way in the balance until the closing minutes as Andy Williamson’s goal was all that stood between the sides with five minutes to go.

But two counter strikes from Harry Morris and Ben Nelson put them in dreamland, winning this title for a 25th time, adding to the EY Hockey League and EY Champions Trophy crowns already won this term.

Williamson had a dramatic day, scoring the first, being sin-binned while the second went in and then returning to assist the third when his effort bounced off the post.

“It feels great to get the third trophy this year. It’s something our guys have chased for a few years now, it’s fantastic,” he said afterwards, tormenting Monkstown for a second week running having scored late on in their Champions Trophy semi-final.

“We know it will be tough against those guys, one of the toughest out there. I just so happened to get the two goals. It has been a long season for me, only coming back in January after ankle surgery so great to be back and playing strong opposition.”

Indeed, it could expand to five titles as they still have Ulster’s Kirk Cup and a European campaign to come in June.

Monkstown were the sides out of the blocks quicker with Andrew Fogarty to the fore. His reverse was the first shot on target while Lee Cole’s drag-flick was guided around the post by James Milliken.

Garvey came more into it in the second quarter with Daniel Nelson and James Lorimer pulling off shots from a very tight game.

It opened up more after the break with Troy Chambers exceptional down the Lisnagarvey right and they started a run of corners, one of which Williamson planted into the corner.

Monkstown, meanwhile, had strong shouts of their own. They argued one corner was denied by a body on the line by Johnny Bell but umpire Warren McCully – standing in his last fixture – and Alison Keogh – the first female to officiate the men’s final – agreed it went off a stick.

When Williamson departed for the sin-bin, it seemed time for Monkstown to really turn the screw but it was their opponents who broke out in devastating fashion. Ben and Matthew Nelson combined with quick-fire passes and while the brilliant Lee Cole dove back to nick the ball away in the shooting phase, it squirmed invitingly to Morris waiting on the right post to tip in.

It left Garvey four minutes to play out but, with Town applying a full press, a lengthy James Lorimer overhead was brilliantly tipped around the last defender by Williamson. His shot bumped off the bottom of the post but Ben Nelson followed up to touch in.

There was still time for Davy Carson to rifle one into the net but it was a consolation as Garvey had their victory and a third trophy in this remarkable season.

Monkstown: D Fitzgerald, D Nolan, D Carson, A Fogarty, J Duncan, J Henry, D Cole, S Cole, G Cole, K Kenning, L Cole
Subs: N Dee, G Sarratt, K Lynch, S Hohn, M Gibbons, T Kohlmann, R Clarke

Lisnagarvey: J Milliken, J Lorimer, J Lynch, J Bell, M McNellis, J Corry, A Williamson, D Nelson, A Edgar, M Nelson, T Chambers
Subs: P McKibbin, B Nelson, H Morris, C Chambers, R Getty, O Kidd, J Ritchie

Lisnagarvey’s Ben Nelson celebrates in style. Pic: Adrian Boehm

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Insta crown remarkable season with first ever women’s Irish Senior Cup

Women’s Irish Senior Cup final
Catholic Institute 1 (A Hickey) Pembroke 0
Aoife Hickey wrote herself and Catholic Institute into Irish Senior Cup folklore as her 16th minute goal handed the Limerick club their first ever senior title as they denied Pembroke a perfect treble at a drenched Belfield.

She brilliantly volleyed in Naomi Carroll’s knee-high cross for the only goal and the Limerick club saw out the win in super style to crown a remarkable season.

At the start of the campaign, they openly admitted top six would represent success but, by the spring, they had marked themselves along with Pembroke as the two outstanding clubs on the scene.

Pembroke had landed the EY Hockey League and Champions Trophy, picking apart Insta just six days ago at Havelock Park 4-1.

But the patterns shifted drastically this week with Carroll an effervescent dynamo at the heart of this remarkable performance.

“We are ecstatic,” said Carroll, the game’s outstanding player. “We had a tough week, losing to Pembroke last week and were devastated after it but it just shows the quality in their side, scoring two goals in the first quarter and they really put us under the pump.

“We really had to turn things around and we had to believe in ourselves and couldn’t let that happen again. We knew if we could keep it close or score early, we’d give ourselves a chance and I am absolutely over the moon. It’s been a really long season and it is incredible to finish it off on this high.

“We watched a lot of video and saw we ourselves made a lot of mistakes which we knew we could rectify. We knew the pace they had in midfield and the quality in their defence in their flat-stick tackling. We had to change what we did and bring our strengths forward, not fall into their game plan. We focused on that and gave it everything! Empty the tanks was our motto!”

Pembroke had started brightly with Aisling Naughton’s backhand needing a diving Christine O’Shea block to smother it’s path with Rachel O’Brien had a couple of big digs at goal.

But Carroll’s influence soon came to bear and it was her surge that laid the base for Hickey to net just before the end of the first quarter, battling to nick the ball and then rounding the defence on the right flank.

She almost created a second for Lizza Ryan whose deflection was blocked by goalkeeper Emma Buckley who was far busier than a week before.

Pembroke came on strong in the second half with Ellen Curran and Gillian Pinder building up speed. They won five penalty corners but found no way through with the combination of Pam Smithwick and Michelle Barrett an adept duo to clear the lines.

Insta, though, always looked the more incisive on this occasion. Ryan and Hannah Kelly combined well to force another save from Buckley while a baseline cross was just beyond the stick of Kelly from another big chance.

Without the insurance goal, it always left Pembroke in the hunt, winning a series of set pieces in the final play.

But, fittingly, Carroll had the last touch of the game, charging down as the first defensive runner on the final hooter to confirm the victory.

Pembroke: E Buckley, L McGuire, A-K Trevor, S Loughran, E Beatty, O Macken, E Curran, R O’Brien, I Delamer, A Naughton, G Pinder
Subs: A Griffin, C Moroney, C Foley, S Campbell, T Wensley, M McCready, R Cowman

Catholic Institute: P Smithwick, C O’Shea, N Carroll, R Upton, L Clery, E Ryan, M Barrett, A Horan, J Clein, C Moloney, M Barrett
Subs: A Hickey, H Kelly, B Murphy, M Scanlon, A Bourke, L Ryan, M O’Callaghan

Umpires: G Garrett, F Davitt

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Pembroke and Garvey eyeing up treble on Irish Senior Cup final day

Pembroke and Lisnagarvey will look to add the third trophy of potential triples on Saturday as the Irish Senior Cup finals return to Belfield for the first time since 2018.

They won the respective EY Hockey League and EY Champions Trophy finals and now have Catholic Institute and Monkstown standing in the way of a national clean-sweep.

First on court, Pembroke will be looking to repeat last Sunday’s comprehensive success against Insta in which they produced a wonderful display of tight defence allied to a speedy counter-attacking.

A feature has been the spread of goalscorers, 16 different players weighing in with none scoring more than six. It’s a stat which makes it difficult for opponents to know where to defend according to Gillian Pinder.

“Sure, when you have so many people scoring goals, who do you pick up!” Pinder said. “It’s a great problem to have. We were never reliant on one or two individuals to make sure we get the win!”

For Catholic Institute, it has already been a groundbreaking season and they would dearly love to bring a first senior title back to Rosbrien.

“Our club has been to two Irish Senior Cup finals in the past [in 1979 and 1984] and yet to win any,” said captain Róisín Upton. “I don’t think the idea we are in Europe has sunk in yet. When we reflect on the season, we will be delighted. A final of the Champions Trophy and a final of the cup, it is a fantastic achievement for our little club in Limerick.”

In the men’s final, reigning champions Garvey are hoping to land a 25th title but they face a Monkstown side who pushed them to the limit last Saturday in the Champions Trophy semi-final.

Indeed, the Dubliners had one foot in the final with three minutes to go courtesy of Jeremy Duncan’s second half goal. But a stunning late salvo from Andy Williamson and Matthew Nelson with just seconds to go saw the Hillsborough side nab a 2-1 victory from the embers.

Matthew Nelson celebrates his winning goal against Monkstown Pic: Adrian Boehm

They followed up a day later with a shoot-out win over Banbridge in the final; having won the regular league season on goal difference from Three Rock Rovers, it shows how tight the margins are in the men’s top five but Garvey seemingly hold that vital mental edge in a clinch.

And they could conceivably win five titles if they win the Ulster Kirk Cup and the EuroHockey Club Challenge I in the Czech Republic in June.

“To win these two trophies and a massive test against Monkstown, to have that opportunity for the treble is fantastic,” said Daniel Nelson in the wake of the Champions Trophy.

“An Ulster Cup final and a European trip after that! Everyone thinks our season is almost done but we still have a month to go!”

Monkstown, meanwhile, are looking to score their first trophy since 2016 and fifth Senior Cup overall. Their opponent that day? Lisnagarvey with Jonny Bruton striking in the last 90 seconds to earn a shoot-out in which the sky-blues prevailed.

They have eight of that panel still around but Guy Sarratt was unavailable last weekend, their top scorer a big miss from play and corners.

Saturday 30th April 2022
Men
Irish Senior Cup Final: Monkstown v Lisnagarvey, Belfield, 3.45pm

Women
Irish Senior Cup Final: Pembroke Wanderers v Catholic Institute, Belfield, 1.30pm

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Pegasus end in eighth at EHL FINALS with Three Rock sixth in EHL CUP

Pegasus finished their maiden Euro Hockey League campaign on an upbeat note despite back-to-back defeats as Katie McKee scored a first Irish goal in the elite competition in the dying moments against England’s Surbiton.

They fell 2-1 in that one, ending up in a share of seventh place, the predicted outcome as the tournament’s lowest seeds but coach Craig McGrugan was left with plenty to take from the weekend in Amsterdam.

On Friday, they were put to the sword by Den Bosch, the greatest club side ever assembled with 16 European titles in the past 20 years with Frédérique Matla scoring four times in a 9-0 result.
A day later, Pegasus were well in the contest against English eight in-a-row champions Surbiton with the sides going in at 0-0 at half-time in their classification match.

Both Taite Doherty and Katie McKee went close off the back of some lovely stickwork from Lucy McKee and they were defensively sound with Shirley McCay and Megan Todd holding the fort.

The Londoners, though, took the initiative with two goals in a three minute period in the third quarter with Meg Dowthwaite poking home from close range and Sarah Evans scoring an innovative penalty corner.

Late on, Katie McKee scored an absolute peach of a goal to get one back and it gave a positive note for the tournament’s lowest ranked side who qualified all the way back in 2019.

Since then, with two Covid-abandoned seasons, the side has had a massive injection of young players with four teenagers running out in front of the big Wagener Stadium house.

“Very tough weekend,” said McGrugan reflecting on the games. “They don’t come any tougher than Den Bosch – that goes without saying. It was quite an experience for most of the girls; we had 11 or 12 in the group who hadn’t played European club hockey before so a great experience for them, the younger players and the future of our club. It was very difficult to stick with them.

“Today, I think Surbiton played better than they did against Gantoise [in the quarter-final] and stretched us a bit but we stuck at it and it was nice to finally to get a goal on the scoreboard. A tough weekend but a great experience.”

McGrugan will quickly get to see how much the games stand to his side. They are back in action in the EY Champions Trophy quarter-finals against UCD on Wednesday night. A win would qualify them for the semi-finals which will be next Saturday at Banbridge.

“It’s now important the girls recover. They have another big game on Wednesday night against UCD who we know very well, another good side who play nice hockey. It will be tough but this is what it is all about.”

Dromore became the first girls team to take part in EHL U14 competition and acquitted themselves impressively in their three encounters.

They started off against Spain’s Junior FC with Lara Wilson on the mark in a 3-1 defeat before putting it up to Belgium’s Waterloo Ducks (0-3) and closing out the campaign against Dutch giants Den Bosch (0-4).

The side was cheered on by a big travelling contingent having originally qualified for the event which was due to be played in 2020. It featured national champions from the top six nations of the EuroHockey ranking list.

On the men’s side, Three Rock Rovers finished in sixth place at the EHL Ranking Cup in Terrassa. They came unstuck against HC Rotterdam 6-0 in the first game but bounced back to beat Austria’s Post SV.

Ben Johnson got a hat trick in the 5-2 win, starting the scoring in the fourth minute while his side struck four more in the third quarter with Ross Canning, Johnson and Peter Blakeney all adding to the tally in quick succession.

For Blakeney, it was his first EHL goal since October 2008, the longest gap between goals by a player in the EHL’s history.

They fell a day later 7-1 to Hampstead & Westminster with Blakeney scoring his second of the weekend but they were never in the contest. It means a sixth place finish,

Elun Hack, Three Rock Rovers Head coach summed up the weekend: “We are disappointed with the performance today, I don’t think we gave a good account of ourselves, but it is a young side and we wanted to kind of manage ourselves ahead of the Irish playoffs next weekend.

Three Rock Rovers celebrate against Post SV. Pic: Stanislas Brochier/World Sport Pics

“I think they did give a good account of themselves against Rotterdam, despite of the score. In phases we were good, but against good sides, you get punished for errors.”

On lessons for their important games next weekend he added: “We played here at a much higher intensity than we would on some weekends at home, so I’m hoping that we can bring that to next weekend. Of course, we are facing quality sides, so we will need to be at our best.”

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Pegasus and Three Rock face double Dutch challenge in Europe

Pegasus and Three Rock Rovers are going double Dutch on Friday in their opening Euro Hockey League matches this weekend, facing what look like the toughest possible draws first up.

For Pegasus, they are in Amsterdam for the top tier EHL FINALS in a knock-out eight-team competition. In the strange Covid world, the Belfast side qualified for the competition as Ireland’s last formal champion, dating back to 2019’s EY Champions Trophy.

It means the side that qualified for the competition has undergone a number of changes in personnel and has also attempted to peak for the tournament a couple of times only for the postponement notices to go up.

“It seems like a lifetime ago we qualified for the EHL so finally getting to play is really exciting and I know the entire squad can’t wait to play against some of the best club teams out there,” she said.

“It has been strange to try and prepare now more than once but we are just relieved to be able to participate, finally. It has its positives and negatives being postponed for so long; we now have players who no longer play or have had children since we were due to play who will miss out, but we have also got the chance to develop some of our younger teammates.”

In the KO8, they are up against Den Bosch who are – without question – the greatest club side Europe has ever seen. They are the reigning EHL champions and have won 16 of the last 20 top tier Euro competitions, including a run of 12 successive victories between 2000 and 2011.

To that end, Maguire knows it will be a rare battle: “Yes, we certainly realise Den Bosch is the toughest opponent given their incredible record. We are not naive to the fact that it will be the toughest game we will have ever played in a Pegasus shirt, but it is such an opportunity to play against the best there is, and anything we take from this game is bonus.”

But what better arena to prepare for a huge run-in to the domestic season as they will return for an EY Champions Trophy quarter-final against UCD next Wednesday.

“We finished third in the league which, at the start of the season, we might have been happy with, but seeing how close the season finished we feel we could have pushed that bit further.

Pegasus’s Ruth Maguire on the attack against Muckross. Pic: Adrian Boehm

“We still have at least another three games to play after the tournament, so it is hard to have the focus for EHL and for the ‘business end of the season’ but our approach is simple- take one game at a time.”

How they fare on Friday will determine what their classification matches series looks like over the weekend.

For Three Rock, they are in their second EHL competition of the season, taking on the EHL Cup in Terrassa, Spain having played in the Ranking Cup last October as well.

Coach Elun Hack says his side “obviously made excellent progress” since then. There, they were undone by HC Minsk and Hampstead & Westminster with a new look team but Rovers have gone on to have a productive domestic season, winning the Leinster Mills Cup and only missing out on the EYHL regular season title on goal difference.

“We were a new team, thrown together last minute, but to have ended our regular season level on points with a really well established team like Garvey, shows in itself the progress that has been made.

“The plan now is keep building on the squad as we go, and hopefully do well in EHL, not only results wise as the opposition are some of the best in Europe, but well in terms of hitting our own goals and objectives, and get some good momentum going into the important playoff weekend.”

They are close to full strength but will miss Luke Adams for the weekend. Their KO8 tie is against HC Rotterdam who feature the EHL’s all-time highest goalscorer Jeroen Hertzberger along with Olympians Justen Blok and speedster Thijs van Dam.

Rotterdam, however, have been slightly off-kilter this season and sit ninth in the Dutch league which maybe offers some opportunity.

Three Rock Rovers with their Mills Cup trophy in March. Pic: Adrian Boehm

“Rotterdam, or any Dutch team is always going to be a challenge,” Hack added. “The level that these teams play at week in and week out, is much higher than we are used to or exposed to, so they will always have the upper hand.

“The talent in their squad and ability of their star players, will always pose a massive challenge. They are struggling, and that does mean some light at the end of the tunnel for us, but sometimes a weekend like EHL, can be the spark that they need.

“We will naturally give it our best shot, we are representing both TRR and Ireland, and want to give the best account of both that we possibly can, and miracles do happen; you just never know when and where.

“If we give our best, and play at a 9 or 10 out of 10, then who knows… but it will certainly be a really good challenge. It’s a great opportunity for our lads to test themselves against some of the best players in Europe.”

Like Pegasus, a win on Friday would put them into the top four playoffs while a loss lead into the fifth to eighth playoffs.

Friday, April 15th (times Irish)
Men
EHL Cup, KO8: Three Rock Rovers v HC Rotterdam, Club Egara, 1.15pm

Women
ABN AMRO EHL FINALS KO8: Pegasus v Den Bosch, Wagener Stadium, 10.30am

Saturday, April 16th – Monday, April 18th
Classification matches – to be confirmed

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