U-18s primed for Euros

Following a pair of successful series last weekend, Ireland’s U-18 boys and girls travel to Vienna and Nievelles respectively for their EuroHockey Youth Nations events which get underway on Monday.

Mary Logue has endured no late scares and so travels with the same panel that was unbeaten in their three matches with Scotland last week. The panel draws heavily from Kate Russell champions Colaiste Iognaid with four of Connacht’s quintet in the squad part of that breakthrough team.

The side is packed with Leinster league division one talent, too, with All-Ireland champions with Loreto Hannah Matthews and Ali Meeke lining up alongside the Hermes quartet of Chloe Watkins, Niamh Atcheler, Gillian Pinder and Deirdre Duke.

The impressive regular Pembroke left-back Orla Fox completes the Leinster participation as Logue’s fourth-ranked charges take on England, Belgium and France in the group stages of the A division.

On the boy’s side, Davy Carson has lost his fitness battle after sustaining a similar hand injury that afflicted Cian Speers. Carson is replaced in the squad by Fingal’s Andrew Shekleton who made full use of his opportunity with Andy Smyth’s side to zing in two reverses in two games.

His partnership with Kyle Good and the prolific Shane O’Donoghue looked to be bearing fruit last weekend against Scotland – an A ranked side this year – if Ireland are to gain promotion back to the top tier.

For Andy Smyth, there is the rare situation of his side going into the tournament as one of the fancied though the build-up has been slightly hampered by the cancelation of a recent series of warm-up games with England due to exam pressures. Austria, Switzerland and Ukraine await in the group.

Ireland U-18 Boys: Alistair Thom (GK, Cookstown/Cookstown HS), Stephen West (GK, Three Rock Rovers/St Andrews), Phillip Brown (Banbridge/Banbridge Academy), Scott Forbes (Banbridge/Banbridge Academy), Stephen Cole (Monkstown/St Andrews), Karl Lynch (Cork C of I/Bandon GS), Stephen Hunter (Lisnagarvey/Wallace HS), Stuart Loughrey (capt, Pembroke Wanderers/St Andrews), Peter MacDonnell (Lisnagarvey/Wallace HS), Peter Purcell (Annadale/Sullivan Upper), Mark Crooks (Cookstown/Cookstown HS), Ian Sloan (Cookstown/Cookstown HS), Kyle Good (Three Rock Rovers/Wesley College), Stephen Dowds (Banbridge/Banbridge Academy), Shane O’Donoghue (Glennane/High School), Jonathan Ames (Cookstown/Cookstown HS), Stuart O’Grady (Cork C of I/Ashton), Andrew Shekleton (Dundalk GS/Fingal)

Ireland U-18 Girls: Sammy Jo Greer (GK) (Coleraine/Ballymoney), Emilie Molloy (GK) (Colaiste Iognaid/Galway), Niamh Atcheler (St Andrews/Hermes), Natalie Barr (Lurgan/Lurgan), Naomi Carroll (St Patricks Comprehensive/Catholic Institute), Katie Codyre (Colaiste Iognaid/Greenfields), Deirdre Duke (Alexandra College/Hermes), Brenda Flannery (Captain) (Colaiste Iognaid/Greenfields), Orla Fox (Mount Sackville/Pembroke Wanderers), Sarah Greene (Loreto Foxrock/Hermes), Hannah Matthews (Loreto Beaufort/Loreto), Ali Meeke (High School/Loreto ), Anna Mae Morton (Royal School Armagh/Armagh), Dora Gorman (Taylors Hill/Greenfields), Gillian Pinder (St Andrews and Hermes), Vanessa Surgeoner (Ballyclare/Randalstown), Lynsey Trainor (Colaiste Iognaid/Galway), Chloe Watkins (St Andrews/Hermes)

U-18 Boys: EuroHockey Youth Nations Trophy (July 6-11; Vienna , Austria)
Monday, July 6 (2pm GMT) Ireland v Ukraine

Tuesday, July 7 (2pm, GMT) Ireland v Austria
Wednesday, July 8 (4pm, GMT) Ireland v Switzerland
Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July 11 - Classification and finals

U-18 Girls: EuroHockey Youth Nations Championship (July 6-11, Nievelles, Belgium)
Monday, July 6 (3.30pm GMT) Ireland v Belgium
Tuesday, July 7 (3.30pm GMT) Ireland v France
Wednesday, July 8 (5.30pm GMT) Ireland v England
Friday, July 10 & Saturday, July – Classification & Finals