Ulster's Claire McMahon and Patrick Brown, last night took the highest individual awards in Irish Hockey for their performance and contribution at an impressive ESB Irish Hockey Awards ceremony hosted by legendary broadcaster Micheal O Muircheartaigh.Ex-International and Pegasus marksman, Claire McMahon, was declared the ESB Women's Player of the Year for her consistently strong club performance throughout the season, while Brown, the recently retired Irish captain, claimed the Men’s Player of the Year Award for the first time.
Ulster player and new cap, Stephanie Quinn, was named the ESB U18 player of the year while teenage sensation Stuart Loughrey won the U18’s male category for his performancea in both the Irish Senior Cup and recent club championships.
Pembroke Wanderers was awarded Club of the Year title for the second consecutive year with its senior teams competing in Europe .
Connacht’s
Richie Malone was awarded Coach of the Year. He coached Connacht’s U16 team to win the Interprovincials for the first time and also coached Galway to the Pool stages of the ESB Club Championships and AIL play offs.Tom Goode took the title of Umpire of the Year.
Monkstown Hockey Club’s longstanding coach, Trevor Watkins, was awarded Development coach of the year award, while Botanic was declared Emerging club of the year. Limerick Hockey Club was declared Youth Club of the Year.
Munster & Bandon’s Mary Walsh was awarded Volunteer of the Year while long-serving IHA chairman, John Dennis of Munster he received the President's Award for his outstanding services to Irish hockey.
The event, held at the Ballsbridge Court Hotel, was well attended, excellently presented and raucously supported for which Katie Roche deserves special praise.
2 comments:
The credibility of these awards leaves a lot to be desired.... For the last 3 to 4 years the wrong nominations and hence winners have been awarded. Explain how Glenanne in 2007, and Three Rock and Hermes in 2008 have not been nominated as club of the year. How can their coaches not be nominated ??
Perhaps the real hockey players should get together and present the "real" awards.
I must agree with Fergus. The IHA awards very rarely go to the correct people or clubs. The short lists always seem to exclude the most obvious candidates and clubs. IHA awards are a good idea but the selection procedure needs to improve dramatically.
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