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Three Rock win back men’s National Indoor title

Men’s National Indoor Trophy final
Three Rock Rovers 5 (J Hosking 2, B Ryder J Walker, J Althusmann) Railway Union 3 (J Pillow, B Parsons, K Carroll)
Three Rock Rovers won the men’s National Indoor Trophy title for the fifth time in six attempts as Jody Hosking’s late double and a last minute Ben Whelan stroke save proved the difference.

That save came with the game poised at 4-3 for Rovers with Railway seaching for an equaliser but the goalkeeper got a strong glove to Roland Schneider’s effort to keep the narrow. And in the final three seconds, Hosking finished off the win with left-board flick into an unguarded net to land the spoils.

Early on, Railway had the edge in a cagey first quarter with Jake Pillow scoring the only goal, ghosting around the back and finding a great finish from the right of the D.

Rovers fought back in Q2 with Ben Ryder levelling the game when he dragged into the goal from Ali Haughton’s pass and James Walker put his side in front, stepping in front of his marker to finish off a classy move via Jonas Althusmann and Eckart Geyer in the right corner.

Althusmann made it 3-1 at half-time with a spectacular flick from a corner rebound but Railway got back on track in Q3 with Brendan Parsons producing a direct corner goal from the top of the D.

And it was level at 3-3 when Carroll did likewise to set up a cracking finish to the contest. Rovers ran up a couple of corners in the closing minutes and from the last of them, Hosking whipped in a powerful shot for 4-3.

Ben Ryder in action for Three Rock against Cookstown. Picture Max Fulham (click image for more pics)

Railway stormed back, Eoin MacArthur’s shot hitting a body on the line but Whelan stood tall for his key intervention before Hosking added that extra gloss to the scoreline. 

In the semi-finals, Three Rock had a comfortable passage through to the final with hat tricks for Ross Canning, Hosking and Althusmann in a 9-3 win over Cookstown. Railway were taken to the wire by Banbridge who cut the gap to 4-3 and won a string of late corners but the Dubliners held on for a final berth.

Three Rock Rovers: S Davey, E Geyer, B Ryder, R Canning, J Hosking, J Althusmann

Subs: B Whelan, J Walker, J Pabsch, D Shirley, A Haughton

Railway Union: S O’Keeffe, K Carroll, M Fulham, J Pillow, R Abbott, E MacArthur

Subs: F Keaveney, R Schneider, B Parsons, R Forrest, D Curley, J McKeever

 

Semi-finals: Three Rock Rovers 9 (R Canning 3, J Hosking 3, J Athusmann 3) Cookstown 3 (C Anderson, J Haycock, B Nelson); Banbridge 3 (J McKee 2, A Tinney)  Railway Union 4 (K Carroll 2, B Parsons, E MacArthur)

Third place playoff: Cookstown 3 (C Anderson, J Haycock, B Nelson) Banbridge 2 (J McKee, N Glassey)

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Railway retain women’s National Indoor Trophy crown

Women’s National Indoor Trophy final
Railway Union 7 (S Patton 2, L Lloyd 2, M Carey, O Fox, O Patton) Ards 3 (A Desneaux 2, A Benson)
Railway Union won the women’s National Indoor Trophy for the third successive edition as their international stars proved too hot to handle for Ards at Gormanston Park.

They were out of the blocks quickly with Orla Fox producing some very smart individual skills to go around two tackles, zig-zagging in before whipping her shot.

Ards forced a couple of good stops form Mary-Kate Tierney in the Railway goal soon after while Caroline Adams cleaned a Sarah Patton shot off the line in a lively, end-to-end spell.

Patton did double the lead in the second quarter, finishing off an excellent move via Fox and Kate McKenna and they held that 2-0 advantage into half-time with Jenny Long’s corner effort disallowed after a post-hooter discussion.

Ards fought back in the second half with Amy Benson surging through the middle to cut the gap in half. 

But some quickfire work from Railway soon had the game spinning their way. Michelle Carey’s driving run ended with her rounding the goalkeeper and popping in for 3-1. Next time, she laid off a pass to her right out of traffic to Lily Lloyd who scored.

Railway Union’s Michelle Carey on the attack. Picture: Max Fulham (click image for more from the day)

Holly Jenkinson set the fifth in motion, passing to Patton who squared to Lloyd to tap in her second. Andrea Desneaux pulled one back from a corner but both Orla and Sarah Patton scored for Railway to make it 7-2. 

Desneaux got another corner late on but Railway were well clear to continue their run as national champions.

Earlier in the day, Ards made it through to the final in dramatic style as they edged out Muckross 2-0 in a shoot-out after normal time had ended 3-3 with Desneaux grabbing a late equaliser.

Railway had a more comfortable passage to the final with a 10-3 win over Galway. Muckross took third place with a 7-4 win over Galway.

Ards: N McKnight, K Kimber, A Desneaux, N Grundie, A Benson, C Adams

Subs: E Robinson, B Kirk, F Brown

Railway Union: M-K Tierney, H Jenkinson, O Fox, O Patton, L Lloyd, S Patton

Subs: K McKenna, K Lloyd, M Carey A Long, J Long, H de Burgh White

 

Women’s National Indoor Trophy results

Semi-finals: Ards 3 (A Benson, K Kimber, A Desneaux) Muckross 3 (J Balcerzak 2, S Barnwell), Ards win shoot-out 2-0; Railway Union 10 (S Patton 3, L Lloyd 2, K Lloyd, H Jenkinson, H de Burgh Whyte, O Fox, K McKenna) Galway 3 (R Dillon, E Carey, A Manley)

Third place playoff: Muckross 7 (J Balcerzak 2, S Barnwell 2, E Kiely 2, C Montino Mena) Galway 4 (F Kelly 2, E Carey, A Manley)

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Pembroke in seventh heaven with key women’s EYHL victory

Women’s EY Hockey League – day 11 round-up

Catholic Institute 3 (R Upton, H Kelly, E Ryan) Old Alex 1 (D Duke)

Catholic Institute maintained their place in second with another significant win in their pursuit of an EY Champions Trophy place as they saw off Old Alex who started the day in third.

Alex did start in roaring fashion, forcing a goal line save from Roisin Upton while Deirdre Duke also drew a good stop from former Old Alex keeper Pamela Smithwick, keeping it 0-0 in Q1.

Q2 began with Upton going to the sin-bin on a green card but immediately on her return, she ran straight into the circle, met Naomi Carroll’s pass, stopped and slotted into the top left corner.

The Dubliners were level within two minutes with a quick free finding Duke in a good shooting position and she found the bottom corner. Parity, though, only lasted just over a minute as Hannah Kelly slapped in from the second phase of a corner to make it 2-1, a lead they held until half-time.

Eimear Ryan had to save another off the Insta line and a couple of Alex corners in another strong start to a period from the visitors but the Limerick side started to get more on the ball with Carroll to the fore. 

And the third goal arrived from an impressive move, Christine O’Shea finding Aoife Hickey who sent the ball square to Ryan who pulled on a first time rocket, 3-1. The visitors attacked in waves in the fourth quarter but that momentum was slowed when Lena Tice was shown a yellow card and Insta stayed clear for another important win.

Loreto 1 (S O’Brien) Pembroke 2 (A Naughton, L McGuire)

Pembroke overcame a tough hurdle to land their seventh win in succession in the women’s EY Hockey League to maintain their five-point lead at the top.

Loreto had beaten Pembroke 6-1 in the Jacqui Potter Cup just a few weeks ago and they took confidence into the early stages with Hannah Matthews’ corner shot and Yasmin Pratt going close.

They took the lead when Siofra O’Brien burst through the centre of the circle and turned the ball home with an upright reverse-stick shot, Pembroke’s calls for an earlier foot falling on deaf ears.

In response, Pembroke earned four corners but could not find a way past Liz Murphy until the 30th minute. Tori Wensley had two bites from the right of the D, her first shot coming back her way and her second landing at Aisling Naughton on the back post for a simple finish.

Pembroke’s Aisling Naughton celebrates with Rachel O’Brien and Martha McCready. Pic: Adrian Boehm

Six minutes into the second half, Pembroke took the lead from another corner, Leah McGuire taking her time before smashing home as Loreto’s corner defence only went halfway to shut down the shot.  

Loreto fought back, creating a string of chances in the aftermath with Matthews slapping a shot inches wide; O’Brien took in a loose overhead on the edge of the circle but could not get a clean shot off while Lisa Mulcahy also went close.

Pembroke steadied, though, and they were the side who went closest to adding the scoring in the final quarter, Sinead Loughran inches from a spectacular third as she slid full length to deflect the ball onto the bar.

Railway Union 3 (S Rooney, S Hawkshaw, Z Delany) Cork Harlequins 0

Railway Union moved into the top four with a healthy win over Cork Harlequins at Park Avenue. They started well, dominating the first quarter and going two goals up. 

The first was a break instigated by Zara Delany who passed to Sarah Rooney – making her EYHL debut for Railway along with sister Hannah – who slotted home. The second came from a corner; Holly Jenkinson’s sweep was saved by Lorna Bateman in the Quins goal but Railway captain Sarah Hawkshaw made no mistake with the rebound. 

While the hosts dominated possession in the 2nd quarter they failed to finish the moves, with the Cork visitors defending well and making a few forays forward.

The third quarter continued in similar vein with Railway getting their third goal, Zara Delany poking the ball in after a good cross in by Hawkshaw. Bateman in the Quins goal made a number of good saves from sisters Kate and Lily Lloyd to keep the score at three. 

The final quarter was a more even affair with Cliodhna Sargeant and Yvonne O’Byrne pushing forward for Cork Harlequins while Beth-Anne O’Farrell and Ruby Walsh were showing good skills up front. However, neither team could find the net and the score remained 3-0.

Belfast Harlequins 0 Pegasus 3 (S McCay, A Speers, T Doherty)

Pegasus won the Ulster derby to kickstart their new year push for EY Hockey League laurels, getting the best of Belfast Harlequins 3-0 at a blustery Deramore Park. Shirley McCay and Alex Speers brought their wealth of experience to bear, netting their first two goals before Taite Doherty completed the scoring.

It was a really exciting encounter with end to end hockey although Harlequins will rue not having at least one goal from good pressure and two penalty corners in the first quarter.  The second quarter saw Pegasus pressurise more consistently which brought some great goalkeeping from Suzie Taylor and an eventual corner which led to a stroke from a foot on the goal line. McCay  powered the ball high just out of the keeper’s reach to leave Pegasus 1-0 up at half time.

Railway Union’s Kate Lloyd crosses. Pic: Max Fulham

It was more of the same in the second half with both teams hitting the attacking circle. Pegasus’ Alex Speers had a simple tap-in from some clever work along the back line by Lucy McKee. 

Quins had their chances to bring one back and set up an exciting finish and even after Pegasus found the net again through Taite Doherty, Harlequins forced a corner and some strong circle play but were ultimately frustrated not to convert from their chances. Therein lies the difference but definitely an entertaining game and a good example of top level hockey.

UCD 3 (K Egan 2, S McAuley) Muckross 1 (K Fitzgerald)

The league’s top scorers UCD came back from a goal down to defeat Muckross and move into the last of the playoff places after their 10th match of the season. Katie Fitzgerald put the visitors into the lead just before the end of the first quarter.

But Katherine Egan celebrated her international call up with an equaliser in the second quarter and it was 2-1 by half-time courtesy of Sarah McAuley. Egan settled the tie in the 50th minute with her second of the game.

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EYHL returns as playoff chase heats in earnest

The EY Hockey League returns on Saturday, kickstarting the final chase for places at the EY Champions Trophy which will take place at Banbridge in April.

Pembroke’s women and Three Rock Rovers in the men’s competition had the edge over the Christmas break but it is all to play for as the games come thick and fast in the coming weeks.

In the women’s league, Pembroke have been the season’s sensation, building a five-point lead. The Ballsbridge club have never reached the playoffs before but they look the clear favourites now to land the regular season title and take one of the EY Champions Trophy semi-final spots on offer.

Coach Gavin Groves has been growing his panel year on year and the latest additions have been hugely influential. Irish international Ellen Curran has added an extra level of dynamism to the midfield since her move from UCD while Isy Delamer’s arrival from Trinity complements their defensive options.

At the back, they have been outstanding with goalkeeper Emma Buckley conceding just five times in 10 outings while Leah McGuire, MIllie O’Donnell and Amy-Kate Trevor have ensured no side has an easy ride against them,

Further up the field, the gameplan is all about pace with Sinead Loughran, Aisling Naughton and Sinead Loughran scaring the life out of their opponents with Orla Macken pulling the strings. Gillian Pinder oozes class in a well-rounded team and their run of six successive wins has seen them emerge from the pack.

Their first assignment sees them face a Loreto side who they beat well in the EYHL earlier this season but, in Leinster’s Jacqui Potter Cup, turned the tables in January with a 6-1 success.

For Loreto, four of their panel have been called into the Irish setup and it shows they will be more than dangerous in the second half of the season with a number of established stars back in the fold.

Catholic Institute jumped into second place in the table in January when they won well against Railway Union in a back match and if they can match that when they face third place Old Alex, they will put themselves in prime position for a playoff run.

Alex have endured a number of injuries and absences but still find themselves in the top three with Deirdre Duke, Lena Tice and Nikki Evans having limited availability initially but should play a fuller role in the new year. Goalkeeper Holly Micklem has impressed to get a call into Sean Dancer’s national panel.

Alex are level on 18 points with Pegasus – the Champions Trophy holders – who were the pace-setters until that Pembroke setback but look like they will still have plenty of say in the season’s shake-up with Shirley McCay and Alex Speers being huge influences.

They will be favourites when they meet eighth placed Belfast Harlequins although the Deramore Park club are significantly bolstered by the return of Katie Larmour to the club following the completion of her spell at Rutgers University. On the downside, up and coming player Imogen Graham is out for the timebeing following a knee injury.

There looks to be a major scrap for the top six places which will bring a playoff spot in the new format this term. Loreto overcame a mixed start to rise to fifth, level with Railway Union. 

UCD are just outside the playoff places in seventh after a tough run of form without the injured Olympian Hannah McLoughlin who remains the competition’s top scorer despite missing the last few rounds. She has been back in the fold in the Leinster cup and will be a key figure against Muckross on Saturday. 

Railway Union, meanwhile, welcome Cork Harlequins who have seen Cliodhna Sargent come back into their panel to try and help them rise off the foot of the table.

TRR’s Ben Johnson shoots under pressure from Banbridge’s Sam Farson. Pic: Max Fulham

The men’s competition has already been a rollercoaster with the lead changing hands on an almost weekly basis in the past month with Glenanne, Lisnagarvey and Three Rock all taking turns at the top.

After 10 rounds, the three sides are covered by just two points with Rovers something of a surprise package despite winning the last three EY Champions Trophy crowns.

That is because many of their stars are now playing professionally in Europe with a new breed making their mark. They go to Banbridge with former captain Harry Morris available having only played once before Christmas due to a work break in the US but Ali Empey has moved the other way across the Atlantic for an Erasmus stint.

For Bann, Peter Brown returns from injury having missed November and December with Josh Moffett also available after hamstring problems.

Ulster U-18 players Tommy Dobson and Matthew Stevenson moved to Bann from Portadown just before Christmas and will push hard for EYHL squad places.

Elsewhere, it is derby days all round. Lisnagarvey meet Annadale at Comber Road. For Garvey, they had their own run of six wins in succession which saw them hit top spot before falling 4-3 to Monkstown and drawing 2-2 with Banbridge slowed their progress.

Ben Nelson has been the fulcrum of their attack from play while James Lorimer’s corner expertise has been a vital feature. James Milliken has excelled between the posts.

Annadale are seventh following a productive first half of the season. They landed their first win in several years in the top tier when they beat UCD 4-0 and backed that up with a 4-0 victory against Pembroke. 

Michael and Callum Robson’s return from Germany and Tim Cross’s move from the Dutch Hoofdklasse where he played with Tilburg has been crucial for them. Twice this campaign, they have managed to come back from three goals down to secure points.

Glenanne had made the early running with five successive wins to start the season with ace marksman Shane O’Donoghue leading the way. He has 15 goals to his name already.

They face a tricky tie against YMCA who knocked them out of the Leinster Senior Mills Cup and are buoyed by African Cup of Nations winner Paebo Lembethe in their line-up.

YMCA are just inside the playoff places thanks to an amazing closing salvo to the pre-Christmas schedule. They came back from 2-0 down to beat Pembroke 3-2 for a second successive win.

Monkstown, in fifth, are something of an enigma. Their performances have managed to knock Three Rock, Glenanne and Lisnagarvey off top at different stages of the campaign, picking up seven points out of nine against the top three.

But they have only picked up nine points from their other 21 available to stymie a push for the very top of the table. Their next assignment is against a Pembroke side who sit in ninth place and in the relegation places, one point below Corinthian.

The reds, meanwhile, are in eighth place and while they were disappointed to draw 4-4 last week against Annadale from a 4-1 lead, it did end a run of five defeats in a row. 

They face bottom side UCD who have just one point so far. It has been a steep learning curve for them following a late turnover of players during the summer and while they have been competitive, they only have a draw with YMCA on their record while the departure of Sam Walker on Erasmus also makes things tricky. Kevin O’Dea, though, has been a star man for the Belfielders.

Elsewhere, Sunday sees four more inteprovincial matches going to Grange Road with Munster facing Ulster and Leinster playing Leinster South in both Under-16 and 18 girls competitions.

NUIG meet Avoca in the women’s Irish Hockey Trophy, a tie postponed from before Christmas.

 

Saturday 5th February 2022

Men 

EYHL Division 1: Banbridge v Three Rock Rovers, Havelock Park, 4.15pm; Lisnagarvey v Annadale, Comber Road, 3pm; Monkstown v Pembroke Wanderers, Rathdown, 2.15pm; UCD v Corinthian, Belfield, 2.50pm; YMCA v Glenanne, Wesley College, 2.15pm

Women 

EYHL Division 1: Belfast Harlequins v Pegasus, Deramore Park, 2.30pm; Catholic Institute v Old Alexandra, Rosbrien, 1pm; Loreto v Pembroke Wanderers, Beaufort, 1pm; Railway Union v Cork Harlequins, Park Avenue, 1.30pm; UCD v Muckross, Belfield, 1pm

Irish Hockey Trophy: NUIG v Avoca, Dangan, 1.50pm

Sunday 6th February 2022

Women 

Irish Under 16/18/21 Inter Provincials 

U16 Interpros: Munster v Ulster, Grange Road, 2.45pm; Leinster v Leinster South, Grange Road, 5pm

U18 Interpros: Munster v Ulster, Grange Road, 4.45pm; Leinster v Leinster South, Grange Road, 3pm

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National Indoor champions to be crowned on Sunday

The National Indoor Trophy champions will be decided on Sunday evening with four men’s and four women’s clubs vying for glory at Gormanston Park

The series starts on Sunday morning with the men’s semi-finals between Three Rock Rovers against Cookstown at 9.45am with Banbridge up against Railway Union at 10.45am. The winners will advance to the final at 3.45pm with the third place playoff on at 2pm.

The women’s semis follow on court with Muckross up against Ards (11.45am) and Railway facing Galway (12.45pm) with the prize a 5pm final with the third place match at 2.45pm.

For the men’s competition, Three Rock and Banbridge qualified as the Leinster and Ulster champions, respectively, with their opponents reaching the final four as runners-up.

Rovers were 8-3 victors over Railway Union having won all their group phases and advanced to the Leinster final with an 8-2 success over Monkstown.

In the final, it was a tight affair in the first half with Railway keeping pace in the first half with the tie 3-3 before netting five goals in succession with a hat trick from Jody Hosking.

They also feature Irish international Ross Canning while with Club an der Alster outfielder Jonas Althusmann an influential guest star.

For Railway, Stephen O’Keeffe is the outstanding Irish goalkeeper in this format, starring in the series against Scotland after Christmas while they have a wealth of experience to call on from Kenny Carroll, Brendan Parsons and Rob Abbott.

In Ulster, Banbridge took their regional crown last Sunday, winning three out of their four games in a three-team group and drawing the other against runners-up Cookstown in their final game.

The Bann line-up features outdoor international Jonny McKee who may have picked up a few tips during his time in Germany with Luke Roleston donning the pads, Sam Farson, Luke Witherow and Andrew Tinney helping power their success last weekend.

Cookstown were second in Ulster and bring with them two newly capped Irish internationals to their line-up, Jack Haycock and Mark Crooks, who will be looking to bring that know-how to bear. Their guest stars are Daniel Nelson and David Rae.

In the women’s competition, Galway were the first side to qualify for the finals weekend when they prevailed in the Tighe Cup in Connacht, winning the final five-team tournament.

Crucially, they prevailed in the final against Greenfields with Fiona Kelly’s hat trick underpinning a 5-3 success, allowing captain Elaine Carey to lift the cup. They are now looking to win the national title for the second time in their history having succeeded in 2008.

Their opponents at the reigning champions Railway who won in 2019 and 2020 and have backed that up with a Leinster victory last weekend with a dramatic 6-5 win over Muckross.

Hannah de Burgh Whyte was the game-breaker, scoring a corner in the last two minutes, crowning a big closing salvo after Muckross had led 5-4. Holly Jenkinson captains the side with fellow indoor internationals Sarah and Orla Patton and Lily Lloyd giving them plenty of options.

Muckross have internationals of their own with Irish stars Sophie Barnwell and Becky McMullen joined by Julia Balcerzak who played for Poland against Ireland in January. 

Ards – national champions from 2012 to 2018 – won the Ulster title from a three-team competition. On the opening day, they ran up 15 goals in wins over Queen’s and Coleraine and followed up last weekend with a 4-4 draw against Queen’s before getting the best of Coleraine 7-2 in the repeat fixtures.

Andrea Desneaux weighed in with eight goals with Frankie Brown nabbing seven across that series.

The semi-finals and finals will be streamed live on the Hockey Ireland Youtube channel.

 

National Indoor Trophy – Sunday 6th February 2022 (all at Gormanston Park)

Men’s semi-finals: Three Rock Rovers v Cookstown, 9.45am; Banbridge v Railway Union, 10.45am

3rd place playoff: 2pm

Final: 3.45pm

 

Women’s semi-finals: Muckross v Ards, 11.45am; Railway Union v Galway, 12.45pm

3rd place playoff: 2.45pm

Final: 5pm

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Leinster win boys triple header in Interpro series

Leinster’s male teams did a triple at Grange Road over Munster in the latest round of interprovincial fixtures in this year’s new-format.

At Under-16 level, Leinster held on for a 3-2 win having earlier led 3-0. Oscar Pasley nudged in from close range after Liam Richardson’s initial shot was half-stopped.

Harry St Leger slapped in from the second phase of a corner and the third came when Peter Montgomery’s upright reverse was turned in by Zach Silverman.

Munster fought back in the closing stages with captain Rob Olden and Sean Curtin firing home corners in the last 11 minutes and put the pressure on but could not find an equaliser.

At Under-18 level, Leinster were 4-1 winners. Sam Maxwell slid home on the backhand from Mark Smyth’s baseline run and pull-back; Smyth produced a brilliant finish for the second and Conor Walsh made it 3-0 with a touch to Andrew Crowe’s shot at goal having been fed by Rex Dunlop.

Ed Collins for Leinster and Harry Jackson for Munster traded further goals as Leinster won well.

The Under-21 tie, meanwhile, was settled in dramatic style by Isaac Johnson who got a crucial touch from Harry Lynch’s corner sweep in the closing seconds.

It earned a 2-1 win for the blues after they had trailed. Jack O’Meara’s corner in the first half put the southern province ahead and they held that advantage until the last 15 minutes. Lynch was the catalyst for the comeback, dragging in the leveller before assisting the winner.

Ulster and Munster’s next Under-21 fixture was initially due to played next Sunday but will be played alongside the Under-18 and 16 games between the provinces on February 27.

Men’s Interprovincial Championship
Under-16: Leinster 3 (O Pasley, H St Leger, Z Silverman) Munster 2 (R Olden, S Curtin)
Under-18: Leinster 4 (S Maxwell, E Collins, M Smyth, C Walsh) Munster 1 (H Jackson)
Under-21: Leinster 2 (H Lynch, I Johnson) Munster 1 (J O’Meara)

Sunday, February 6 fixture
Under-21: Ulster v Munster, Grange Road, 3pm

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Pegasus through to final four as Trinity, Corinthian, C of I and Lurgan land first EYHL2 wins

Pegasus advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s Irish Senior Cup with a dominant performance against Muckross at Grange Road, prevailing 6-1 in the end.

After an early disallowed effort and some good Aoife Glennon stops, Alex Speers guided home from a Shirley McCay corner slap for the opening goal and she added another from play soon after.

Leah Paul scored an open play cracker to make it 3-0 at the end of the first quarter and the advantage was stretched out to 4-0 at half-time.

Becky McMullen got a classy deflection to reduce the deficit in the second half but Pegasus kept plugging away with Lucy McKee ending up with a couple with Niamh McIvor also on the scoresheet.

In EYHL Division 2, Lurgan defied a string a of Covid cases during the week to pick up their first win in Pool 2, beating Queen’s 3-1 to jump into second place in the group.

Jo-Anne Reid was the star netting a double which sees Lurgan add to their two draws.

The win sees them leap-frog Queen’s who also fell behind Cork C of I courtesy of the Garryduff side’s 5-2 success against NUIG. The Cork side were up and running via Clara O’Sullivan’s first quarter goal and this was augmented by another for Anna Collins, set up by Ciara Sexton.

Ailbhe Folan got one back from a corner but Julie Coyne responded in kind from a set piece for a 3-1 half-time lead.

NUIG missed a stroke to cut the gap again and C of I took advantage of the let-off when O’Sullivan got her second. Sexton made it 5-1 before Folan completed the scoring with a super goal from Folan following a solo run.

In Pool 1, Trinity and Corinthian picked up their first wins of the campaign to bolster their chances of reaching the playoff places.

For Corinthian, they won 5-1 away to UCC to move into second place in the group, pulling away in the second half after a very tight first half.

Lauren McGrane put Corinthian 1-0 up in the first 10 minutes but a brilliant run from Caoimhe Perdue from halfway ended with a classy shot from the top of the D for 1-1.

Reds skipper Amber Kinlan, however, restored the UCC lead going into the first break and it remained 2-1 through to half-time. Jessica McGrane put daylight between the sides in the 48th minute from a corner move, a switch right which led to a deflection in.

Both Lauren and Jessica McGrane added their second goals of the game to complete the scoring in the closing quarter.

The healthy win has Corinthian up to second place in the group and within range of leaders Ards if they can win their game in hand.

Trinity are also up to seven points but with a game extra played as corner goals either side of half-time helped them to a 2-0 win over Galway. Valerie Hajek was on the mark before half-time and it was 2-0 via Amy Buttimer.

The next series in EYHL2 will take place on February 12 when the second tier competition reaches its halfway stage.

Women
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Muckross 1 (R McMullen) Pegasus 6 (A Speers 2, L McKee 2, L Paul, N McIvor)

EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Galway 0 Trinity 2 (V Hajek, A Buttimer); UCC 1 (C Perdue) Corinthian 5 (L McGrane 2, J McGrane 2, A Kinlan)
Pool 2: Cork C of I 5 (C O’Sullivan 2, J Coyne, A Collins, C Sexton) NUIG 2 (A Folan 2); Queens University 1 (E Getty) Lurgan 3 (J Reid 2, C McBride)

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Banbridge’s Havelock Park the host venue for EY Champions Trophy

Banbridge’s Havelock Park has been confirmed as the venue for the EY Champions Trophy, the marquee club event of the 2021/22 Hockey Ireland club season.  

The event will take place on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24, 2022, bringing together the top four men’s and women’s club sides from around the island to crown the national champions. 

The club and the venue has played host to a string of memorable events, including the most recent edition of the EY Champions Trophy in 2019 as well as the FIH World Series Finals in the same year. Havelock Park was also the venue for the first – and only to date – visit of the Euro Hockey League to Ireland in 2016.

Frank O’Keeffe, Managing Partner, EY Ireland said: “This has been an incredibly exciting league so far and all the more precious given the challenges presented by ongoing pandemic.

“We are very much looking forward to the event and seeing which of the league’s high performing teams will ultimately come together to vie for the EYHL Champions Trophy. I’m delighted EY’s sponsorship of the league continues and this event will certainly be an excellent opportunity to celebrate the fantastic talent, teamwork and leadership displayed throughout the league.”

The host club’s president Mark Evans added: “Banbridge are delighted to once again have to opportunity to host the EY Champions Trophy weekend at Havelock Park,”

“Following the enforced cancellation of the event these past two seasons due to Covid-19, we are looking forward to showcasing the best of club hockey in Ireland over the weekend of April 23 and 24, 2022. 

“As a club we pride ourselves in our hosting capabilities and will work closely with Hockey Ireland to ensure that the standards we have set are matched and hopefully surpassed this time round.” 

Welcoming the agreement, Hockey Ireland CEO Jerome Pels added: “We are delighted to confirm Banbridge as the host club for the 2021/22 EY Champions Trophy. 

“With their army of enthusiastic volunteers, the club and the town will once again provide a perfect showcase for our players and our sport along with a top fan experience.”  

The line-up of competitors for the EY Champions Trophy will be confirmed following the conclusion of the regular season of the EY Hockey League (EYHL) and the subsequent quarter-finals which are scheduled to take place on April 9, 2022. 

Next Saturday sees Corinthian meet Annadale in a back-match from before Christmas. The EY Hockey League returns in full for the new year on February 5th with a full schedule of matches on the agenda.

** To keep up to date with the EYHL, go to: https://irelandhockey.sportlomo.com/competitions-2/eyhl/

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Leinster land U-20 intepro crown as U-18 and 16 competitions hit high notes

Leinster took the Under-21 interprovincial title with a 5-2 victory over Connacht at Grange Road following a cracking contest with all the goals coming in a wild second half.

It was a scarcely predictable final scoreline after a scoreless first half in which the western province enjoyed plenty of the game.

But Leinster struck first in the 44th minute and followed up with two more in a blistering four minute spell to transform the look of the game. Lauren Johnston set them on their way, swooping to push in the first on her forehand to pop home and she added the second with a backhand flip after Orna Bools’ right-wing burst.

Zoe Watterson rebounded for the third in the 49th minute as Leinster suddenly were out of sight. Bools added a fourth with an audacious upright backhand shot but Connacht had plenty of fire and they got on the board with Fiona Kelly’s powerful hit.

Blues’ captain Bools swept in a corner switch for 5-1 before Jenny Buttimer completed the scoring with eight minutes to go.

In the Under-18 competition, Ulster dropped their first point of the competition thus far but the shoot-out bonus against Leinster is enough to put them into the final of the competition where they will meet Munster.

Leinster carried the lead into the half-time break with Alex Gallagher’s penalty corner goal putting them 1-0 up but Ulster replied in with Gabriella Scott getting the vital equaliser.

They went on to win the shoot-out 3-1 and now move up to eight points in the group alongside Munster who they meet in their last group game on February 6.

For Leinster, it was their first point of the series; they will meet Leinster South in their last group game, also on February 6.

Leinster South got their first win of the competition with a 1-0 win over Connacht at Wilson’s Hospital, Eva Sterritt striking from a corner.

At Under-16 level, who reaches the final is very much up for grabs with four teams still in the mix. Leinster are best placed after they picked up a shoot-out bonus against Ulster to continue their unbeaten run to date.

Ulster and Leinster both held the lead in a lively first half with Isobel Field putting Leinster 1-0 up before Annie Cunningham and Grace Cowden turned things around, 2-1 to the northern province. Field’s second of the day, though, came in the 40th minute saw Leinster earn a draw and they followed on win the shoot-out 2-1.

Leinster lead the way on eight on eight points with three sides on five points going into the final round of fixtures on February 11.

Ulster are one of them while Leinster South remain unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw against Connacht. Emily Quinn put the western province into the lead at half-time; Emer Sweetnam equalised in the 43rd minute and her side got the bonus 4-3 in the shoot-out.

Women

Interprovincial series

Under-16: Leinster South 1 (E Sweetnam) Connacht 1 (E Quinn), Leinster South won shoot-out 4-3; Ulster 2 (A Cunningham, G Cowden) Leinster 2 (I Field 2), Leinster won shoot-out 2-1

Under-18: Leinster South 1 (E Sterritt) Connacht 0; Ulster 1 (G Scott) Leinster 1 (A Gallagher), Ulster won shoot-out 3-1

Under-21 final: Leinster 5 (L Johnston 2, O Bools 2, Z Watterson) Connacht 2 (F Kelly, J Buttimer)

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Ulster impress on bumper day of interprovincial action

Seven interpro matches were played out across three venues – Cookstown, Rosbrien and Grange Road – as the new format of underage interprovincial championships enjoyed its busiest day of action to date.

In the Under-16 girls competition, Ulster and Leinster South played out a highly competitive battle at Grange Road. Scarlett Taylor scored a thumping penalty corner shot to put Ulster ahead in the third quarter before Molly Finley equalised for 1-1 at the final whistle.

South earned a bonus point when they won the shoot-out; it adds to their opening day draw with Munster while Ulster remain unbeaten in normal time following a success against Connacht last time out.

Munster were too strong for Connacht with a 6-0 success with Anna Campbell scoring twice. Ulster and Leinster lead the way with two wins out of two thus far.

At Under-18 girls level, Ulster came from a goal down to beat Leinster South and make it two wins from two. Isobel Collins’ superb pick-up and strike put South in front at half-time but Ulster made their move in Q3 with Emma Uprichard and Gabriella Scott netting and Darcy McGall put them out of sight to make it two from two.

Munster were 3-0 winners against Connacht. Rachel O’Shea grabbed an early goal at Rosbrien; Katie Moore put more distance between the sides and Sarah Fitzgerald completed the scoring.

It continues their strong record in the competition, adding to an earlier win over Leinster and a bonus point draw against Leinster South.

Fiona Kelly’s fourth quarter goal saw Connacht win 1-0 over Munster in the Under-21 championship to finish second overall in this three-team competition. Leinster had won against both of the other sides earlier in the season.

On the boys side, Ulster made it two big wins from two in the Under-16s with a 4-1 win at Cookstown against Leinster to back up November’s success against Munster.

The northern province are also two from two in the Under-18 boys competition courtesy of a 5-1 success against Leinster in the second game of the day at the Co Tyrone venue.

The competition continues with the return fixtures starting on January 30 with Munster against Leinster.

Men
Under-16: Leinster 1 (Hugo Faulkner) Ulster 4 (George Palmer, Robbie Brown, Lukas Moles, Tom Archbold)
Under-18: Leinster 1 (Mark Smyth) Ulster 5 (Daniel Murray 2, Ben Pollock, Ewan Cruickshank, Louis Rowe)

Women
Under-16: Connacht 0 Munster 6 (Anna Campbell 2, Caoimhe Gaffney, Maya Dullea, Miah Bourke, Aoife Kavanagh); Ulster 1 (Scarlett Taylor) Leinster South 1 (Molly Finley), Leinster South win shoot-out
Under-18: Connacht 0 Munster 3 (Rachel O’Shea, Katie Moore, Sarah Fitzgerald); Ulster 3 (Emma Uprichard, Gabriella Scott, Darcy McGall) Leinster South 1 (Isobel Collins)
Under-21: Connacht 1 (Fiona Kelly) Munster 0

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