News in brief: McGrath to coach Navan

* Navan have appointed Steven McGrath as their head coach for the upcoming division two campaign. McGrath brings with him a wealth of coaching experience with numerous clubs including Three Rock and Railway Union as well as being involved in the set-up of North Wicklow hockey club and is a regular Sportways’ coach.

* Sixteen men’s teams and ten women’s teams have confirmed they will compete in the revamped National Indoor Trophy for the 2009/10 season.

On the men’s side Annadale, Galway, Suttonians, Monkstown, UCD, YMCA, Belfast Harlequins, Dublin University, Clontarf, Pembroke Wanderers, Railway Union, Avoca, Three Rock Rovers, Corinthian and two Glenanne sides take part.

In the women’s section, Bray, Hermes, Old Alex, Pembroke Wanderers, Loreto, Corinthian, UCD, Glenanne and Railway Union bid to oust Galway. Details of the qualification rounds will be released by the end of August, including dates, locations and format.

* Fingal ladies, who play and train in the ALSAA sports complex beside Dublin Airport, have a coaching position available for their first eleven, currently playing in Division 3 of the Leinster League for the coming season.

An attractive package is available for the right candidate. Please forward all inquiries to Ita McMahon on itamcmahon@gmail.com.

*Ireland’s U-16 boys and girls will compete in Barcelona, it was announced this week, in the EuroHockey U-16 Youth Nations Championships 2010.

The boys have been drawn in a group with the Netherlands, Russia and Austria while the girls are pitted against Spain, Russia and Ukraine. The tournaments will be played on July 12-17, 2009.

* Lisnagarvey have announced Drew Campbell (pictured, second from left) as their new head coach. Speaking of his new post, he said: “This is a great opportunity for me as the club enters a new chapter and I am very excited by the prospect of the role. I have worked with several of the current squad at Ulster & Irish level and it will be great to team up with them again and help them develop further”.

Campbell has previously coached at Ulster U-16, Irish U-16 level while he was also the Irish ladies assistant coach as well being a past coach at the club at Garvey’s youth section and men’s second eleven.

* Railway Union first team skipper Isobel Joyce and twin sister Cecelia starred as Ireland claimed the senior women’s European Championships at the Hills on Wednesday. Cecelia hit 35 off 47 balls to guide Ireland to a ten-wicket win over the Netherlands in the final, in response to the Dutch total of just 68.

Ireland aim to finish summer on a high

Ireland hope to complete an uplifting international summer with EuroHockey Nation’s Trophy gold when they face Russia on Saturday evening in Wrexham.

Paul Revington’s first eight months in charge have already yielded silverware in the form of the Glyndwr Cup and the Celtic Cup as well as coming within 17 seconds of the Champion’s Challenge II.

But with promotion to the A division assured and the pressure that brings relieved, a gold medal would be the perfect tonic ahead of November’s World Cup qualifiers as well as earn vital world ranking points.

Russia, however, has been the stand-out side in the tournament to date with the barrelling Alexey Sergeev driving home seven goals in just four performances.

They overturned a one goal deficit in the latter stages of Tuesday’s pool game against Ireland – souring John Jermyn’s 100th cap.

Speaking ahead of the game, Revington is keen to have the psychological boon of another tournament win, especially after the Champion’s Challenge title slipped through their fingers.

“We are delighted to be in the final of this tournament; we want to make sure though we are winning the majority of finals we are in, tomorrow is important for us we want to make it two out of three."

“Tomorrow we will need to take the chances that we didn't take against Poland at the Champ’s Challenge, it is a match we are looking forward to."

The nasty head wound sustained by Geoff McCabe in the semi-final against Wales required glueing rather than stitching and so he is available for inclusion in the 16 players for the game while Iain Walker has rejoined the squad after attending a funeral in Dublin.

Elsewhere, Ireland will have another high quality test series in September as world number ten side Argentina announced their intentions yesterday to visit Ireland for a second successive year.

Tomorrow's fixture:
EuroHockey Nation's Trophy final: (5pm) Ireland vs Russia

EuroHockey Nations: Ireland 1 Wales 0

Ireland 1 (Stephen Butler) Wales 0
Stephen Butler’s 21st minute drag-flick secured Ireland’s passage through to the final of the EuroHockey Nation’s Trophy with a coveted promotion place to the A division thrown in for good measure.

The goal was the cherry on top for the combative midfielder who – along with Tim Lewis – produced a monumental performance in a tough, physical game which was high on nervous tension and low on clear-cut opportunities.

Relishing the challenge, he showed he was very much in the mood right from the off as Ireland won a series of free-ins around the edge of the circle. But Wales, buoyed by a decent home crowd, created the first real attack of danger in the seventh minute when Andy Cornick burst into the circle but David Harte, in his role of sweeper inside the D, smothered the danger.

In truth, it was a nervy opening from both sides with a couple of slips not helping to settle the game. Wales did get the game’s first corner from Ben Croxall’s first involvement of the game. Sprung from the bench he bounced away from two tackles, eventually drawing a foul.

But corner expert Rick Gay was to have a major off day and was denied easily the towering Harte with his first effort and a follow-up corner was equally well dealt with.

Mitch Darling’s reverse whizzed across the face of goal while John Jermyn scuffed an effort wide in response. His niggle with Huw Jones earned both green, a significant moment as Jones picked up yellow within six minutes for another niggly infringement.


Before that, though, Wales had their best effort of the game denied by Croxall’s back as a goal-bound effort hit him just two yards from the line.

With right-midfielder Jones now in the bin, Ireland stepped up well and Johnny Jackson used the space to ghost forward from left-back. Little room existed but Jackson produced two audacious pieces of three-dimensional skill to burn two defenders and wound up winning Ireland’s only corner of the game.

Jackson (pictured, right, being fouled for the corner) proved an unlikely gamebreaker, showing some devastating touches in an offensive mode to be Ireland’s most dangerous attacker on the day.

Butler nailed his 76th international goal – repeating his semi-final heroics from Rome back in 2005 when the Glenanne man also got the goals that ensure A division status – from that set-piece.

Thereafter, chances were exceptionally scarce; Nick Rees’ clip-shot the only chance of note before half-time.

And openings became even rarer after the break. Geoff McCabe picked up a nasty gash to his head in a clash with Cornick while Ireland’s defence managed to keep Wales clear of the circle with Lewis, backed up by Joe Brennan allowing nothing to penetrate their 25.

Nonetheless a reassuring second goal looked even harder to come by. Jermyn flashed one over the bar but a single-goal lead is always likely to draw late pressure. Croxall’s deflection was well blocked by Harte just after the hour mark and when Ronan Gormley was sin-binned for taking the ball over his shoulder – harsh considering several other similar indiscretions did not even yield a reprimand other than a free hit –the pressure really mounted.

Wales’ inability to create chances from play saw them fumble but eventually they drew a corner with 111 seconds left. Gay got his geometry all wrong, however, ballooning over the bar to hand Ireland the final place.

Afterwards, Paul Revington was delighted to have secured A division status and reach a second ranking tournament final within a month.

“Obviously we are delighted to be in the final. There was always a risk with the Champions Challenge II and this tournament being so close together that we would peak for one and not the other.

"We have managed to reach the final of both these major tournaments and hopefully we will go one better this time [in Saturday’s final].

“This group can be very proud, the last six weeks has physically been a huge ask. This was a super team effort and both the management team and I are very proud of the team today.”

Russia 4 (Alexey Sergeev 2, Alexander Zhirkov, Alexander Korolev) Czech Republic 1 (Tomas Prochazka)
A first half triple set Russia on their way to the final, disposing of the Czech Republic 4-1 in the final reckoning.

Alexander Zhirkov set the ball rolling in the 12th minute from a penalty corner before tournament top-scorer Alexey Sergeev got the first of his brace from his side’s fourth penalty corner – won brilliantly by Alexandre Platonov.

Alexander Korolev made it 3-0 before the break with an absolute beauty from play, finishing off a zippy right-wing move.

The Czechs fought back gamely after the break, winning four corners but only had Tomas Prochazka’s drag-flick for their efforts.

And their fightback was ended when Prochazka conceded a penalty stroke in the 58th minute as the goal beckoned for Alexey Mamoshkin. Sergeev rolled in the flick – his seventh goal of the tournament – to rubber-stamp the result before late Czech shenanigans saw Ondrej Vudmaska and Martin Lehovec sit-out the closing stages.

* For more of Fidopics photos from today's action, click here for Ireland vs Wales and here for Russia vs Czech Republic.

EuroHockey Nation's: Relegation pool round-up

Relegation Pool: Scotland 5 (Mark Ralph 2, Kenny Bain 2, Stephen Dick) Italy 3 (Daniele Malta, William Cottam, Massimo Lanzano)
Scotland assured their place in the 2011 EuroHockey Nation’s Trophy with their 5-3 win over Italy, bouncing back from their controversial draw on Tuesday night against the Czech Republic.

In a whirlwind start, Mark Ralph netted a fifth minute penalty corner and Kenny Bain extended the lead by the 11th minute, deflecting in Niall Stott’s shot from two yards out.

Italy, despite their defensive woes, however, have shown quite an eye for goal and got back into the game from their first attack of the game when Daniele Malta robbed Graham Dunlop on the penalty spot and banged in a close-range reverse.

Ralph reasserted the two goal lead before the break from a corner but William Cottam pounced on a bouncing in the 43rd minute for 2-3.

Stephen Dick and Massimo Lanzano – his sixth of the tournament - exchanged goals to nudge the scoreboard up to 3-4 with five minutes remaining but Bain’s stylish reverse-stick effort killed the game with two minutes left.

It leaves Scotland on the precipice of taking the fifth World Cup Qualifying place.

Belarus 1 (Ivan Kisliavich) Switzerland 0
Belarus picked up their first win of the tournament to keep alive their chances of taking the last available World Cup qualifier place, beating Switzerland 1-0. The loss confines the Swiss to the third tier of European hockey in 2011.

Ivan Kisliavich scored the only goal of the game in the 40th minute with a well-placed drag-flick - taking a hefty blow in the process from the first runner.

In a free-flowing first half, both sides had chances as the Swiss dominated territory but looked vulnerable on the counter-attack. Jurka Rickli smashed a volley into Siarhei Lihor from point-blank range while Kisliavich’s auto-pass and solo snuck just wide of the post.

But he was not to be denied soon after the turnaround and his defence held on for the remaining half hour to set up an intriguing final day.

A win for Belarus over Scotland equals a WCQ place; a loss means Italy can force them into a relegation place on goal difference.

* For more pictures from Belarus vs Switzerland, click here

Ireland to play Wales in semi-final

Wales won their penalty stroke competition against the Czech Republic this morning 4-1 meaning they will play Ireland in Thursday's semi-final.

Rhys Joyce, Ben Croxall, James Hughes and Rufus McNaught-Barrington while Daniel Piterak ballooned the Czechs video gantry and Stepan Bernatek limply rolled their second effort wide.

Ireland will play Wales at 3pm tomorrow with the Czech Republic up against Russia at 5.30pm in the tournament's semi-finals. The Irish have beaten Wales in their last three international encounters - twice in Wrexham in June's Glyndwr Cup and once at the recent Celtic Cup.

Late last night, Scotland's appeal from the match against the Czechs that "the ball had entered the goal but exited through a hole in the net" was dismissed on the basis of tournament regulation 14.4.

It states "No protest may be made to or considered by the Tournament Director from a decision of an umpire or video umpire during a match". Scotland are now consigned to the relegation pool.

Thursday's fixtures:

Relegation pool: (1oam) Italy vs Scotland; (12.30pm) Belarus vs Switzerland

Semi-finals: (3pm) Ireland vs Wales; (5.30pm) Czech Republic vs Russia

Ireland semi-final opponent to be confirmed on strokes

Ireland's EuroHockey Nation's Trophy semi-final opponents will be decided via penalty strokes at 9.30am on Wednesday, August 5 after Wales and the Czech Republic tied at the top of Pool B on points, goal difference, goals scored, goals conceded and games won.

The situation arose after the Czechs came from 2-0 down against Scotland in a controversial fixture. The Scots appealed a decision midway through the second half where they believed Niall Stott's shot went through the goal's netting.

Umpire Requena deemed the ball wide and the technical delegate backed up that decision at a post-match appeal. It meant the final 2-2 score stood, keeping the stalemate between the host nation and the Czechs in tact.

Ireland will definitely play their semi-final at 3pm on Thursday.

* Keep an eye on http://euronations2009.blogspot.com/ for details on the strokes...

EuroHockey Nation's Trophy: Ireland 1 Russia 2

Pool A: Ireland 1 (Eugene Magee) Russia 2 (Nikolay Yankun, Alexander Korolev)

Ireland hit the self-destruct button to gift Russia top spot in Pool A and leave themselves at the mercy of a potentially tougher assignment in Thursday's semi-finals.

There were plenty of milestones acheived in what was Ireland's 700th international fixture - the first also taking place in North Wales in nearby Rhyl back in January 1895.

John Jermyn earned his 100th cap while Geoff McCabe reached his half-century to add to Tim Lewis' 50 and Stephen Butler's record-breaking cap against Italy.

But they will have little to look back on this one with any major fondness as they lost their discipline against a dogged Russia side who top Pool A with a 100pc record.

The Irish go through to the semi-finals with them by virtue of their wins over Belarus and Italy last weekend but will need to up their game significantly.

After a turgid first half, Eugene Magee gave Ireland the lead midway through the second period, squeezing the ball home after Stephen Butler found Mitch Darling in space from a quick self-pass.

But the Russians were level within three minutes as the defence imploded. An innocuous free was conceded by David Hobbs but Conor Harte’s protestations compounded the issue as umpire Hindle upgraded to a penalty corner.

Nikolay Yankun accepted the gift to emphatically fire into the roof of the net.

Snap shots from McCabe and Magee were dealt with ease by Roman Rogov before Ireland’s second major moment of indiscipline saw Peter Caruth yellow-carded for scything down Alexander Korolev’s fast break.

With Ireland down to ten men, Russia picked off two more penalty corners, bringing their total to eight for the day, and Korolev did the damage, albeit with a bobbling shot David Harte should have down much better with.

Nonetheless, Ireland still progress to the last four stage of the competition on Thursday afternoon.

* For more of Fidopics photos from Ireland vs Russia, click here

EuroHockey Nations: Day four round-up

Pool A: Italy 5 (Massimo Lanzano 3, Agustin Nunez, Federico Ardito) Belarus 5 (Ivan Kisliavich, Ihar Zyshchyk 2, Ihar Litouchanka, Aliaksandr Hancharou)
Belarus and Italy will each take a point with them into the relegation pool after they played out an incredible 5-5 draw.

After 15 chanceless minutes, one could scarcely have predicted the goalfest that was to ensue. But once Ivan Kisliavich scored from a 17th minute penalty corner, the floodgates opened irreparably.

Federico Ardito’s beautiful, baseline reverse and Massimo Lanzano’s first of three set-piece goals of the game swapped the lead around. But Vitali Zyshchyk’s simple tap-in on the stroke of half-time left the game level at 2-2.

And Belarus retook the lead in the 38th minute when Ihar Zyshchyk was the only player to take up a well-played advantage, snapping up a loose ball with a full length dive.

Lanzano’s stroke put Italy back on terms before Ihar Litouchanka banged in a superb auto-pass and reverse. Reduced to 10 men, Italy managed to the tie the game up for a fourth time from Agustin Nunez’ improvised corner. Lanzano dragged home for 5-4 with 17 minutes left.

And the Italians seemed to have weathered the storm - even with Michele Cirina spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin - but, restored to the full complement, Aliaksandr Hancharou snuck in three minutes from time for 5-5.

Pool B: Switzerland 1 (Andrin Rickli) Wales 1 (Rhys Joyce)
The Welsh crowd was left with their fingernails gnashed to the bone but ultimately toasted a semi-final place at the North Wales stadium as Rhys Joyce’s 63rd minute penalty stroke ensured a 1-1 draw against a gutsy Swiss rear-guard effort.

But Switzerland hit the front when Andrin Rickli - a thorn throughout as the high front-man - got on the end of a goal-mouth scramble in the 21st minute from one of just a handful of Swiss circle penetrations.

Five yellow cards were meted out as Wales dominated, Rick Gay hitting the inside of the post, but the leveller which would guarantee passage into the semi-finals proved elusive until the 63rd minute.

Andy Cornick outfoxed the outstanding Patrick Egloff to draw a penalty stroke and Joyce held his nerve to make it 1-1. A couple of edgey moments in defence ensued - even with Switzerland down to nine men - especially from a 70th minute corner - but progression achieved nonetheless.

Scotland 2 (Kenny Bain, Mark Ralph) Czech Republic 2 (Jakub Kyndal 2)
Drama reigned in the final pool game as the Czech Republic came from 2-0 down to draw with Scotland and take the point they required to advance to the semi-finals.

But that tells only half the story. The Scots though they had a third goal in the 54th minute when Niall Stott hit a vicious shot from the top of the circle.

He celebrated as if he had scored but umpire Requena signalled for a free out, stating the ball had gone wide.

The Czechs promptly went the length of the pitch with Jakub Kyndal finishing off the move to level the game at 2-2.

The Czechs duly repelled wave after wave of Scottish attack to secure the precious point they needed.

Where they finish in the group, though, remains up in the air as they finish dead-level on points, goal difference, goals scored and goals conceded with Wales. A penalty stroke competition will decide who takes top spot on Wednesday morning.

The issue could be further complicated, however, pending a Scottish appeal over Stott’s controversial shot.

Earlier in the game, Scotland built up a 2-0 lead via Kenny Bain’s superb aerial and Mark Ralph’s drag-flick in the first half.

They had plenty of chances to lengthen the lead but were stung ten minutes into the second half when Kyndal got his first of the day.

Pool B standings: 1= Wales 5pts (+2) 1= Czech Republic 5pts (+2) 3. Scotland 4pts (+2) 4. Switzerland 1pt (-6)

* For more of Fidopics photos from the day's action, click here for Belarus vs Italy and here for Switzerland vs Wales. For a couple of The Hook's own pics of Scotland vs Czech Republic, click here.

152 'just a number' - Butler

In a tournament that will mark a series of personal milestones, Stephen Butler is keen to downplay the most outstanding of individual landmarks to achieve on a national level.

Butler’s 152nd appearance in the green yesterday in the 10-2 win against Italy in the EuroHockey Nation's Trophy saw him surpass the great Paddy Brown as Ireland’s most capped player, adding to the record Irish goal's tally he already holds.

But the Glenanne man downplayed its significance, saying team challenges are featuring far more prominently in his mind.

“We’re trying to emphasise the importance of the team and not just individuals. I really respect that. The ‘team’ is perhaps, something we might have missed in the past but it’s working well for us now so there wasn’t a big deal made of [becoming the record cap-holder].

“There are always big occasions but my 100th cap wasn’t a really big deal for me [an off-season test match against China]. Even with 152, it is just a number. I want to get to a World Cup, I want to get to a major. That’s the most important thing.”

Butler was handed an unexpected debut in the last millennium by John Clarke. He had played a handful times with the Irish panel in 1998 but was well into a summer break when Gal Goulet picked up an injury. Within three days of receiving the call, the midfielder made his first appearance against Japan at UCD in a 3-2 win.

Since then, the level of international commitment required has gone through the roof.

“From when I started to now, the professionalism that has come into the game between all the teams has is massive.

“In my first year, I earned four caps. Now, we’re getting up to 20 or even 30 caps in a year. it’s a huge difference. The training that we’re putting in and the hours, there’s no comparison.”

And for players of his vintage, juggling full-time careers with that increased commitment has been particularly tough but he still feels there is a need for old heads around the squad.

“It’s easier for the students and I think the game will push younger as time goes on. It’s important for us to try and keep as many people in the game as long as we can because we need that experience because when players drop out like last year, it takes a lot to rebuild it.”

Whatever the pressures, Butler is keen to prolong his career as far as he can in pursuit of adding an appearance at a ‘major’ to his CV - something he believes Ireland are in a better position than ever before.

“Absolutely, we’ve a great structure in place and some really good young players coming through. A good base of senior players and a leadership group, all happy with Revs [Paul Revington], Arul [Anthoni] and Ned [Craig Fulton].To be honest, its all in place.

"I think yesterday [against Italy] is a good example of how we stepped up . In the huddle at half-time we were 4-1 up. We were saying ‘now’s the time to drive it home’. To actually turn it into a 10-2 game was a tough task so hopefully we’re showing the difference.”

* For an excellent rundown on Stephen Butler's international career, go to the Glenanne website

EuroHockey Nations: Day Three round-up

Pool A: Russia 6 (Alexandre Platonov 2, Alexey Sergeev 2, Alexander Korolev, Alexander Likov) Belarus 1 (Ivan Ilyuschts)
Russia confirmed their place in the semi-finals with as they hit near neighbours Belarus for six, joining Ireland in the last four of the EuroHockey Nation’s Trophy with a one series of pool games to go.

After a cagey opening, Alexander Korolev’s direct short corner hit clipped the top of Siarhei Lihor’s pads en route to the net.

Alexander Likov doubled up with a spectacular upright volley to turn the screw and, with the Belarussian squad wilting after the break, Russia ran riot.

Alexandre Platonov tapped in twice – the first from Korolev’s reverse-stick cross, the second finishing off Alexey Mamoskhkin’s pull-back.

And Alexey Sergeev netted his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament in the closing ten minutes to briefly move Russia exactly level with Ireland on points, goals scored and goals conceded.

But Ivan Ilyuschyts’ 70th minute consolation goal broke that tie with a tidy punch-shot over Roman Rogov.

Pool A standings: 1. Ireland 6pts (+9) 2. Russia 6pts (+8) 3. Belarus 0pts (-7) 4. Italy 0pts (-10)

Pool B: Scotland 4 (Graham Moodie, Chris Nelson, Niall Stott, Kenneth Bain) Switzerland 0Scotland bounced back from their defeat to Wales to bounce straight back into contention in Pool B with a comfortable 4-0 win over Switzerland.

All the goals came in a high octane first half with chances flashing by at either end. Ali McGregor needed to be alert to deny flying winger Andrin Rickli in the fifth minute.

But once Stephen Dick clicked into gear, Scotland began to soar. He won the game’s first corner in the seventh minute, giving Graham Moodie the chance to score his first goal of the tournament.

Christopher Nelson made it 2-0 soon after with a superb strike, controlling the ball on the slide before steadying himself to pummel across Patrick Egloff from the right wing and into the corner.

Egloff easily saved Ralph’s 12th minute penalty stroke after Nelson was floored but the third goal came was not long in coming – Niall Stott applying a beautiful upright reverse to Kenny Bain’s steal on the 25.

The Swiss were not without chances of their own but McGregor dealt with two Ulli Bergmann drag-flicks while Dick blocked a third corner in quick succession.

And Bain punished them with a fourth goal in the 30th minute, driving through the heart of the Swiss back four bouncing the ball and defenders as he went before deftly clipping over Egloff.

Pool B: 1. Wales 4pts (+2) 2. Czech Republic 4pts (+2) 3. Scotland 3pts (+2) 4. Switzerland 0pts (-6)

* For more pics from Russia vs Belarus, click here, and for Scotland vs Switzerland, click here

EuroHockey Nation's Trophy: Ireland 10 Italy 2

Ireland 10 (John Jermyn 4, Eugene Magee 2, Mitch Darling, Peter Caruth, Stephen Butler, Timmy Cockram) Italy 2 (Massimo Lanzano, Agustin Nunez)

Ireland all but ensured their place in the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Nation's Trophy with an awesome ten-goal performance against hapless Italy. John Jermyn netted four while Stephen Butler scored on the day he broke the Irish caps record.

Paul Revington is likely to reflect on two soft goals conceded in his post-match debrief but Ireland were in rude form going forward, benefiting from a more than welcoming Italy who opened up gaps all over the pitch.

A switch to more overheads drew immediate dividends as Andrea Vargiu struggled under a bouncing ball, conceding a corner inside a minute which John Jermyn duly dispatched.

Massimo Lanzano - Italy's one bright spark - got a corner of his own for 1-1 in the eighth minute but when Eugene Magee mopped up off Alberto Marchi's pads from David Hobbs' cross, the Italians visibly lost heart.

Timmy Cockram finished off a superb counter-attack - initiated by Tim Lewis' brilliant circle interception. Peter Caruth, in tandem with Mitch Darling, superbly won Ireland's second corner on the stroke of half-time for Jermyn to make it 4-1.

The C of I man completed his hat-trick two minutes after break from play, banging in from the right-edge of the circle; Alan Sothern bagged the assist.

Agustin Nunez did pull one back, picking up on Conor Harte's miscontrol but it was a short-lived rising. Darling cracked in a half-volley before Jermyn whacked in a rebound from his own drag-flick.

Butler made it 8-2 in the 65th minute from Ireland's sixth corner - dragging low. Tim Lewis was the intended target but the Pembroke man was the first to admit the goalkeeper, rather than his stick, got a slight deflection on the ball.

Caruth scored the goal of the game for number nine, an audacious piece of skill to round Marchi before Magee stole and shot to put the score into double digits for the first time since Ireland beat the Czech Republic in 2007.

Pool A Standings: 1. Ireland 6pts (+8) 2. Russia 3pts (+3) 3. Belarus 0pts (-1) 4. Italy 0pts (-10)

Monday fixture (11am): Belarus vs Russia

* For more of Fidopics from the Ireland vs Italy game, click here

EuroHockey Nation's Trophy: Day two round-up

Pool B: Wales 1 (Ben Croxall) Czech Republic 1 (Tomas Prochazka)

Wales were denied a second straight win by the towering Czech Republic goalkeeper Filip Neusser who pulled off a series of top drawer saves in a direct duel with Saturday’s hero Rick Gay.

Neusser blocked out six drag-flicks - five from Gay’s stick and one from Rufus McNaught-Barrington - while a seventh effort on goal was batted off the line by Tomas Prochazka late on to ensure the draw which leaves both side on four points.

Prochazka slung in the Czech’s first corner of the day in the 14th minute for 1-0. Wales responded well, the lead lasting four minutes before Ben Croxall drew Neusser from his goal before applying a sublime reverse chip over the keeper. Nip and tuck, throughout, Wales had slightly the better territorially but were unable nick the win.

* For more of Fidopics photos from the game, click here...

EuroHockey Nations Trophy: Day One round-up

* Ireland vs Belarus match report can be found here. Live updates can be found here throughout each game. Photos from the day can be found here in the EuroHockey Nation panel

Pool A: Russia 6 (Alexey Sergeev 3, Alexander Korolev 2, Alexander Likov) Italy 3 (William Cottam, Agustin Nunez, Daniele Malta)
A second-half Alexey Sergeev hat-trick underpinned Russia’s thrilling 6-3 win over Italy to join Ireland at the top of Pool A after the first series of games.

They cut loose after the turnaround after an evenly balanced first half ended 1-1. Alexander Korolev got the Russians off to a dream start with a cracking aerial in the fourth minute.

But Italy got back on terms inside 90 seconds with an equally brilliant goal. Agustin Nunez latched onto a 70-metre overhead before firing a perfect cross for Southgate’s William Cottam to slide in and deflect over Roman Rogov.

Russia edged the rest of the half but had to wait to the second period to retake the lead. Sergeev began his personal tally in the 40th minute with a neatly worked corner move. And he made it 3-1 four minutes later from the penalty spot after Dimitry Volkov’s stick was checked.

Nunez pulled one back from Italy’s second penalty corner with a tracer-bullet to the bottom right corner but the two-goal advantage was restored in the 61st minute with another innovative Russian corner move, Korolev deflecting high into the net.

Sergeev scrambled in to complete his hat-trick before Alexander Likov made it a half-dozen, profiting from delightfully selfless work from skipper Alexandre Plantonov.

Daniele Malta bashed in a consolation goal for Italy with the last touch of the game.

Pool A standings (points/goal difference): 1. Russia 3pts (+3) 2. Ireland 3pts (+1) 3. Belarus opts (-1) 4. Italy 0pts (-1)

Pool B: Czech Republic 3 (Martin Babicky 2, Jakub Kyndal) Switzerland 1 (Ulli Bergmann)

The Czech Republic got Pool B under way with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland, recovering from a 21st minute deficit to ease home in the final reckoning.

The Swiss star man Ulli Bergmann broke the deadlock, shooting low from his side’s penalty corner.

But rapid fire strikes from Martin Babicky and Jakub Kyndal - both with major elements of fortune on their side - turned the game on its head, making it 2-1 at half-time.

Babicky guided in the third with eight minutes to go before Fabian Wullschegler missed a penalty stroke for the Swiss in the closing stages. Glenanne-bound midfielder Filip Jaros, meanwhile, is unable to play for the Czech in this tournament due to illness.

Wales 4 (Rhys Joyce 2, Rick Gay 2) Scotland 2 (Fergus Dunn 2)

Wales produced a rousing second half performance to win the Celtic battle against Scotland 4-2 and take the early initiative in Pool B.

Rick Gay’s drag-flick double and a brace from Rhys Joyce did the damage for the home nation as they survived 15 minutes worth of sin-binnings and seven penalty corners for a famous win.

Indeed, they soaked up huge pressure but, ultimately, their greater proficiency in either circle saw Wales home.

Fergus Dunn had given the Scots the lead inside 34 seconds but Joyce levelled by half-time and Gay’s pair made it 3-1 by the 49th minute.

Dunn got one back with nine minutes left but, despite a numerical disadvantage, Wales earned a stroke late on to make the game safe.

Standings: 1. Wales 3pts (+2) 2. Czech Republic 3pts (+2) 3. Scotland 0pts (-2) 4. Switzerland 0pts (-2)

EuroHockey Nation's Trophy: Ireland 2 Belarus 1

Ireland 2 (John Jermyn, Alan Sothern) Belarus 1 (Ivan Kisialevich)
It was hardly a thing of beauty but Ireland got their EuroHockey Nation's Trophy campaign off to a winning start with a laboured 2-1 win over Belarus in Wrexham this morning.

The Belarussians - with one online bookmaker offering 12/1 for them to win the game - took advantage of a sluggish start, dominating the opening 18 minutes, taking the lead from their second corner through Ivan Kisliavich.

Ireland had offered little prior to that point but the goal awoke them from their daze and within four minutes the lead had swapped hands.

John Jermyn saw his first corner deflected over by a diving Siarhei Lihor's stick but a second effort within 30 seconds levelled the game at 1-1. Alan Sothern created and scored the next corner in the 23rd minute and that was the end of the day's scoring.

Thereafter, Belarus did not have a shot in anger as Ireland grew more composed. Numerous scoring opportunities came and went in the second half as Belarus - with only 13 outfield players in their squad tired badly, making errors passing the ball out of defence.

Eugene Magee was denied by a fast out-rushing Lihor early in the second half with a superb Yauhen Cherapanau tackle preventing the follow-up. More cohesive attacks drew clear shooting opportunities. Timmy Cockram cracked the side-board; Jermyn's shot was deflected wide by Cherepanau while Mitch Darling's reverse-stick cross just evaded the sliding Alan Giles.

Bealrus' play became more aimless with a series of overheads going into play. It invited Ireland forward and their best move saw David Hobbs, Darling and Cockram exchange neat passes in the circle with Giles' touch going under Lihor but was cleared to safety by a covering defender six minutes from time.

Jermyn's half-hit shot was taken out of the goal by Aliaksandr Radzivinovich and while an assuring two-goal lead never came, Belarus played half-court all the way to the final whistle, meaning an equaliser was scarcely on the cards.

Ireland: D Harte, R Gormley (capt), T Lewis, J Brennan, J Jackson, S Butler, D Hobbs, J Jermyn, A Sothern, E Magee, T Cockram Subs: G McCabe, M Darling, A Giles, C Harte, G Shaw

* For photos from today's game taken by Fidopics, click here

Ireland to cope with favourites tag

Ireland’s go into this week’s EuroHockey Nation’s Trophy in Wrexham with expectation rather than hope as they aim to regain A division status from this summer’s key international tournament.

Three targets are rolled into one event as Paul Revington’s side will be gunning not only for the Trophy but the promotion that comes with reaching the final and a place in a World Cup qualifier - set for November - for the top-five entrants.

His side are included in a group which holds the slight banana-skins of Belarus, Italy and Russia but Ireland - ranked at least five places higher than any of the other competing nations - will expect to prevail.

But, given that many of his panel play for the most successful club teams in Ireland, Revington does not believe the side will be unduly burdened by any weight of expectation on their shoulders.

Asked how his side will respond to the tag of favourites, he said: “There should be a couple of sides that people will expect to be in the top three or four at the end but we have to be in that group. That’s just reality and the guys understand that. I don’t think it’s a problem.

“With their clubs, they’re used to when they play in club competitions having to produce and to perform so they should be able to deal with it.

“The nature of players we’re dealing with, there’s a lot of fresh players who are playing a main role in the team for the first time. They want to win games and to perform and do well for each other and Irish hockey. They’re not carrying any old baggage. That’s probably why the spirit and the excitement in the camp is high.”

Of the Champion’s Challenge II squad, Mikey Watt (broken thumb) and Andy McConnell (exams) are unavailable but Revington does not feel their absence will cause undue problems for the panel.

“The majority of the side is still playing so they’re as excited as they were before the Champ’s Challenge. They understand the importance of the event. The last couple of days we’ve had in Cork have been good, they’ve been lively so I’m pretty happy at the moment.”

The campaign starts on Saturday morning against Belarus for whom the main threat comes from Aliaksandr Radzivinovich whose monster overheads and drag-flicks for Stroitel Brest caught the eye in the EuroHockey Club Trophy in April.

He fired in two corner strikes past David Harte that day but Ireland should be well-equipped to deal with the Belarussians physical game.

Italy follow up on Sunday with rising star Daniele Cioli - who plied his trade with DSD Dussledorf in the EHL this season - leading the line.

Plenty of video analysis, meanwhile, will be available on third opponents Russia who ended sixth at the recent Champion’s Challenge II. Alexey Mayorov - who could yet join Phelie Maguire at KHC Leuven - is one to watch as one of the top scorers from play at the Junior World Cup.

However, Ireland should have - even without Watt - enough strike power of their own to cause damage, especially if a high corner count is obtained.

And Revington believes if his side sticks to their own task then the side should prevail. “We have a fair idea of what we’re expecting. There’s one or two decent players on every international side and we need to make sure we’re prepared properly for that. But we’ve to rely on our own ability and the way we play to produce.”