Irish clubs remain in European second-tier

Ireland will not receive a place in the enlarged EuroHockey Club Champion's Cup, announced on Friday afternoon, meaning Loreto and UCD will take on the second and third tier of European competition in 2009/10.

With a view to building toward a women's EuroHockey League, the EHF has increased the entries from eight to 12 teams in the Club Champion's Cup with the Cup Winner's Cup discontinued.

For 2009/10, clubs will be split into five divisions with, based on European club results over the past three years, with Europe's top four clubs receiving two entries to the top competition and the remaining four places going to the continent's fifth to eighth ranked teams.

As such, with Ireland currently rated the twelfth best performing country at club level, Loreto will play in the EuroHockey Club Champion's Trophy with UCD in the third-tier Challenge I event in much the same structure as previous years.

The top teams will play in a condensed version of the men's EHL, beginning with four groups of three next April 2, 2010. The KO8 round will be played on April 5 and the subsequent finals weekend dates will be confirmed at a later date.

* For more information on the new competition structure, click here (needs Adobe Acrobat)

Fitzgerald, Robinson, Doherty and Giles set for Irish debuts

Paul Revington has announced an experimental line-up for the upcoming Celtic Cup in Scotland later this month with David Fitzgerald, Brian Doherty, David Robinson and Alan Giles all set to make their senior international debuts.

With the Champion's Challenge and European's on the horizon, the Irish manager has named eight uncapped players in his panel of 18 with Johnny Jackson (pictured) the only outfielder remaining from last week's trip to Wales. Nine of the panel are still U-21.

Revington explains his reasoning for the young panel: “The Celtic Cup is placed too close to the Champions Challenge II, which carries major FIH and European ranking significance and as such we have taken the decision to rest several key senior players.

“This squad has several members who have been called up from the ‘A’ side as they move into their final phase of development. The Celtic Cup offers them the opportunity to showcase their qualities on the international stage as they endeavour to secure a place in the full senior squad.”

IHA high performance director, Dave Passmore, adds “It is great to see so many new caps, several who have been working with the ‘A’ set up for some time and others who are new into the system. This demonstrates the strength of the system and it is a credit to the clubs for their development.”

In addition to the quartet of Leinster debutants Paul Gleghorne, Andrew Herbert, Bruce McCandless and Chris Cargo get their first call-up.

Ireland men's squad:

Iain Walker (GK, YMCA), David Fitzgerald (GK, Monkstown), John Jackson (Capt, Loughborough), Brian Doherty (Corinthian), Adam Pritchard (Cork C of I), Paul Gleghorne (Loughborough), Keith Black (Cookstown), Simon Todd (Mossley), David Ames (Cookstown), David Robinson (YMCA), Alan Giles (vice-captain, Pembroke Wanderers), Michael Maguire (Three Rock Rovers), Andrew Herbert (Cork C of I), Peter Blakeney (Three Rock Rovers), Peter Caruth (Annadale), Gareth Watkins (Monkstown), Bruce McCandless (Banbridge), Chris Cargo (Reading)

Match Schedule
Friday, June 26: (2pm) Ireland v France; (6pm) Scotland v Wales

Saturday, June 27: (12pm) Ireland v Wales; (4pm) Scotland v France

Sunday, June 28: (12pm) France v Wales; (4pm) Scotland v Ireland

For more info, click here.

Cronje takes Corinthian reins

In the wake of John McInroy's move to UCD, Corinthian have moved quickly to confirm Olympian Andrew Cronje (pictured) as their new head coach for the 2009/10 season.

Cronje was a key component in the club's rise to an IHL placing and the Mills Cup since arriving mid-season and will now become player-coach with Peter Darley staying on as his assistant. Charlie Lyons, fitness coach Marc Smith and physical therapist Mike Carswell complete the club's management ticket.

Commenting on Cronje’s appointment, Darley said, “it’s fantastic to have someone of Andrew’s calibre taking charge of such an exciting season. While we are sorry to see John leave, he goes with our best wishes for the future and he leaves behind a squad of players that have benefited from his hard work and infectious enthusiasm. We’re all really looking forward to the IHL and to the further developments in the squad that Andrew will bring as coach.”

Corinthian club president, Sean Murtagh, added “The next season promises to be an exciting one for Corinthian. We are fortunate to have a rich vein of talent coming through our junior ranks. The integration of these players into our senior set up will be vital to the future success of Corinthians in competing at Irish Hockey League level. Andrew’s leadership, coaching and playing experiences will be crucial in achieving this.”

McInroy makes UCD switch

John McInroy has been confirmed today as UCD’s player-coach for the 2009/10 coming season, making the switch after a successful season with Corinthian, winning the Mills Cup and obtaining an IHL place.

McInroy’s move comes as the men’s club look to emulate the achievements of the UCD women’s setup with UCD Director of Sport Brian Mullins saying of McInroy’s appointment: “We are delighted John has come on board. He brings with him first hand experience of University hockey transformation following his involvement with University of Cape Town and their rise to the South African national club championship in 2003.

“That particular team produced seven senior international players and we see this as being a target for UCD Sport. We are excited about the next phase for UCD Hockey.”

The former Pembroke man will take up an MBA in the UCD-affiliated Smurfit Business School and said of the move: “This was simply an opportunity I could not pass. I believe UCD can become one of the most powerful clubs on this island. The lifestyle of a student-athlete is conducive to developing international sportsmen and truly close-knit teams.

“UCD will become an obvious choice for students wishing to achieve high education standards while also developing themselves as elite level hockey players.”

Elsewhere on the coaching merry-go-round, Gerry Wheeler moves back into the Fingal hot-seat with Johnny Harte moving back to Bray’s ladies.

Former Fingal skipper Brian Scully (pictured, right), meanwhile, has taken up the Weston ladies coaching role and has joined the men’s division two club as a player. Paul Kennedy – last year’s coach at Weston – has returned to St James’ Gate.

O'Brien brothers star for Irish cricket team

Railway Union's Niall and Kevin O'Brien (pictured) starred with the bat this afternoon as they repeated their heroic exploits from the 2007 World Cup to see Ireland's cricketers through to the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup.

Kevin - who captained Railway's division one hockey side for the first half of the 2008/09 season - hit a heroic 39 off 17 balls as Ireland overhauled Bangladesh's total of 137 for a six-wicket win. Earlier, Niall clubbed 40 off 25 balls to set Ireland up for the win.

Five Leinster players in Irish U-16 squad

Five Leinster players have been named in Una McCarthy's 21-player panel for the upcoming England tests which run from June 26 to 28. Martha Hume-Barber, Juliette King-Hall, Lisa McCarthy, Emily Beatty (pictured) and Aisling Naughton all get the call for the three-match series.

McCarthy will use this panel as a developmental group with the 2010 Europeans in mind, saying: “As this is a non-European competition year for U-16’s and very much about developing players, 21 have been selected with the intention of giving these young players experience of participating in a series of highly competitive matches.

"Having played Belgium at Easter, the majority of that squad remain but a number of new younger players have been added in the hope of building on the progress made over those three matches.”

Ireland U-16 squad: Vikki Hynes (GK) (Salerno/Knocknacarra), Martha Hume-Barber (GK, High School/Corinthian), Lucy Camlin(GK, Ballyclare High/Ballyclare), Freddie Timmons (Taylors Hill/Galway), Amy Kate Trevor (Scoil Mhuire/Cork C of I), Juliette King Hall (Newpark Comp/Hermes), Louise Murray (Lurgan College/Lurgan), Gemma Frazer (Omagh High/Omagh), Roisin Upton (Cresent Comp/Catholic Inst), Amy Cooke (Ballyclare HS/Ballyclare), Leah Ewart (Royal Sch Armagh/Armagh), Kerri Mc Donald (Banbridge Academy/Dromore), Lisa Mc Carthy (Mount Anville/Railway Union), Katie Morris (Strathearn Sch/Belfast Victorians), Rebecca Barry (Laurel Hill Colaiste/Catholic Inst), Joanne Orr (Royal Sch Armagh/Armagh), Lucy McKee (Banbridge Academy/Armagh), Emily Beatty (Alexandra College/Old Alex), Aisling Naughton (Mount Anville/Corinthian), Elaine Carey (Jesuits, Galway/Galway), Chloe Brown (Nendrum College/North Down)

Match Schedule:

Friday, June 26 (8pm): Ireland v England, Pembroke Wanderers

Saturday, June 27 (4pm): Ireland v England, UCD

Sunday, June 28 (9.30am): Ireland v England, UCD

Ireland claim Glendwyr Cup

A second win in two days over Wales saw Ireland pick up the Glendwyr Cup for their troubles in Wrexham but more importantly for Paul Revington's side they were more effective in front of goal, racking up a 3-1 win.

Once again, they dominated possession in the early phases, taking the lead through John Jermyn's drag-flick. Stephen Butler nailed a corner of his own to make it 2-0 by the interval before David Hobbs supplied an outstanding solo effort to complete the scoring.

The C of I man (pictured) bamboozled two defenders before reversing low into the backboard in the 52nd minute. Wales got a consolation goal in the 64th minute from a penalty stroke converted by Rick Gay.

Speaking afterwards, Revington was happier with his side's efforts though plenty of room for improvement exists. “This was an improved performance from the team in terms of possession, penetration and defensive pressure. The team has still a bit to go to turn today's possession and penetration into more goal scoring opportunities”

Cockram fires Irish winner

Timmy Cockram's (pictured) 50th minute goal was enough to give Ireland a 1-0 win over Wales in Wrexham this afternoon in terrbile conditions in a scrappy and bitty game.

The Garvey man netted from a corner switch while David Harte pulled off a series in the closing phases to ensure the clean-sheet and the win.

Afterwards, Paul Revington was pleased with his sides first half performance, saying: “The team did well to get themselves into the game early on and create a foundation to play off. They enjoyed a great phase midway through the first half as they created quality turnovers and counter-attacks. They were disappointed not to capitalise in this period”.

Fingal ladies search for new coach

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.

Cookstown to turn sod on water-based pitch

Cookstown will turn the sod on June 15 on their brand new water-based hockey pitch in Coolnafranky, bringing to fruition four years of work behind the scenes.

The £900k project will be the first FIH accredited water-based pitch west of the River Bann in Ulster and will be installed in addition to the club’s current sand-filled pitch.

The project received support from the Sport Northern Ireland Building Sport Programme (£660k) and from Cookstown District Council (£90k). The project will commence next week and it is expected to be complete by October 2009.

The club hopes the grounds will subsequently be considered to host Senior Internationals, along with local cup finals/semi-finals within Ulster Hockey.

Project-manager Stephen Cuddy, said of the project: “This is a very exciting project for the club, we have simply outgrown our current facilities and we made the decision four years ago that if we were going to develop a second pitch it would have to be a water-based.

“At the moment our first eleven have to travel to Belfast every week to gain exposure on the specialist surface. I am excited about having a state of the art facility that the club can be very proud of.”

* Pictured at the launch are (front row) Irish internationals Colin Donaldson, David Ames and Keith Black with (back row) the club's Gareth Cuddy, Alan Ferguson, Stephen Cuddy and Michael Haycock.

Premier League undergoes massive revamp

Alexandra College's quest to retain the Leinster schoolgirl's Premier League looks set to become even tougher than their hard-fought victory last December as the 2009/10 competition takes in an enlarged format.

The league increases in entries from 16 to 18 with Sutton Park and Mount Temple stepping up from Senior One.

The league will now consist of two groups of nine - as opposed to the four groups of four format used in recent years - with schools playing the other sides in their group once. The top two in each pool's final standings then advance to the semi-final stages.

The groups are seeded with the quarter-finalists from last year in the first pot and the remaining eight schools in a second pot. Four teams from both pots were drawn into Group A with the remainder of schools placed into Group B.

There was a subsequent draw for groups between Sutton and Mount Temple to complete the draw. Seeding for the following season will be decided by league placings, adding an extra competitive edge to latter-season games.

The Hook will aim to provide a weekly update from each of the nine rounds of matches with the help of the school's coaches and team managers.

2009/10 Pools

Group A: Wesley College, Mount Sackville, Muckross Park, St Andrew's, Loreto Bray, Loreto Dalkey, Rathdown, Our Lady's Terenure, Mount Temple

Group B: Loreto Beaufort, Mount Anville, Alexandra College, Loreto Foxrock, High School, Holy Child Killiney, King's Hospital, St Gerards, Sutton Park

Coaching news and positions

* Former Irish international Linda Caulfield and IHA Hall of Famer Johnny Cole are among a high quality line-up of coaches for the two 'Genesis Talent Coaching Clinics' running later this month. The clinics are designed for proficient hockey players, aged between 16 and 19, with spaces limited to 20 players to ensure a coach to player ration of 1:5.

For goalkeepers, the clinics will run on June 22 and 23 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at UCD with Stephen O'Keefe, Jane Coyne and Eimear Fitzsimons among the coaches. For outfielders, June 24 and 25 are the dates with the clinics beginning at 6pm until 8.30pm. The clinics cost €10. For more information, contact coaching@iol.ie or call Hilary on 086 840 9698.

* Suttonians currently have coaching positions available for the upcoming 2009/10 season for their men's, ladies and colt sections. An attractive package and support is available for the right candidates. All enquires to Darrell Reamsbottom (087-2523214) or suttonians@gmail.com

* Lisnagarvey are currently looking for a men’s 1st XI coach/player-coach for the 2009/2010 season to further develop the first team squad. The main duties will be to prepare the men's firsts for the Ulster Premiership and Irish Hockey League, with possibly further scope within the club.

This position may be a full-time or a part-time post, at the discretion of the club. Candidates would have minimum level 2 coaching qualification (or equivalent) and have experience of coaching/playing hockey at a senior level. For more information, contact lisnagarveycoachingpost@hotmail.co.uk

Muller names squad for Champion's Challenge

Gene Muller today announced his squad to compete in the inaugural Champions Challenge II in Kazan from June 21-27.

The 18-player panel features 13 of the players who lined out against Germany in May. The three who do not travel to Russia are Louisa Healy, Rachel Mulligan and Ciara O’Brien while Lizzie Colvin, Megan Frazer, Mary Goode, Shirley McCay and Alex Speers all come back into the fold.

Ireland, as world number 15, are the second highest ranked side in the competition behind India and feature in a group with Malaysia (24th), Russia (23rd) and the Ukraine (18th) in Pool B. Pool A consists of Belarus (26th), Canada (19th), India (14th) and Belgium (20th).

The group travel out to Kazan on June 17 where they take in a holding camp for three days before getting into action on June 21 against the hosts.

Speaking about the event, Muller believes his charges will be trying hard to impress with the main focus of the year – the Europeans – on the horizon.

“The champions challenge II tournament will provide us with some much needed tournament experience. The tournament is open with many teams of similar ranking all wanting to progress up the world rankings.

“Critically the tournament comes at an ideal time in our preparation for the European Championships. I expect us to play well as the players have worked hard this year.”

Squad:
Lauren Barr (Ballymoney), Emma Clarke (Ulster Elks), Bridget Cleland (Ballymoney), Lizzie Colvin (Loreto), Eimear Cregan (Capt, Cork Harlequins), Roisin Flinn (UCD), Megan Frazer (Ballymoney), Mary Goode (GK, Bray), Emma Gray (GK, Hermes), Michelle Harvey (Pegasus), Lisa Jacob (UCD), Shirley McCay (Ulster Elks), Cathy McKean (Loreto), Alex Speers (Pegasus), Niamh Small (Loreto), Emma Smyth (Railway Union), Emma Stewart (Armagh), Nikki Symmons (Loreto)

Staff:Gene Muller; Sally Ann Fanagan; Denis Prichard; Karen Coughlin; Rudi Wortmann; Ian McKeown

Match Schedule (times given as GMT)
Sunday, June 21: Ireland v Russia, 3pm
Monday, June 22: Ireland v Ukraine, 1pm
Wednesday, June 24: Ireland v Malaysia, 7am
Friday, June 26 & Saturday, June 27: Classification/Finals

Maguire to play with Leuven

Phelie Maguire will clock up a fifth club in four different countries next season as he agreed a two-year deal yesterday to play with Belgian runners-up and EHL semi-finalists KHC Leuven.

Maguire has previously had stints in Australia with Fremantle and in Holland with HGC as well as playing senior hockey for both Three Rock Rovers and Dublin University.

He impressed Leuven coach Norbert Nederlof during the first group stage of the 2008/09 EHL when the Dutchman - who has conducted numerous coaching seminars in Ireland - saw Maguire up close during Rovers' famous 1-1 draw with Leuven.

The Irish international midfielder has been living and working Belgium for the majority of this season in Brussels before taking part in a volunteer programme in Palestine.

He becomes the first Three Rock player to confirm a move to a European club though Mitch Darling is currently in talks with a couple of Dutch and Belgian clubs with a view to a move to the continent in the coming year.

Hermes stunned by Italians

Hermes were shocked by Italian side Mori Villafranca 2-0 in the final of the EuroHockey Club Champion’s Trophy in Wettingen yesterday, as they let slip a series of decent early chances.

It meant there was no fairytale ending for coach Colin Stewart who stepped down after the tournament following an incredible run of nine trophies in his four-year tenure.

Anna O’Flanagan twice went close in the opening stages while Jenny Burke drew an immaculate save from goalkeeper Eliza Gazzini.

But Hermes were stung when Elena Apelganets buried the Italians only corner of the game two minutes before the break. Hermes, for their part, did not score from their eight corners as they bossed the play.

With Sinead McDonnell in the sin-bin - for using her back-stick whilst attempting a tackle on the ground - Villafranca got a crucial second in the 56th minute to settle matters, Anna Tagliaschi applying the final touch to a goal-mouth scramble.

Hermes' efforts became for desperate as they rallied late on in the sweltering heat, especially with the Italians were reduced to nine players for the last five minutes but to no avail.

The result means Ireland miss out on promotion to the Champion’s Cup level of competition, meaning IHL winners Loreto will preside in the Trophy again in 2010.

Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Irish internationals Hannah Bowe - brother of Irish rugby star Tommy - and Emer Harte (pictured in action against Den Bosch) who were part of England’s Slough who were relegated from the Champion’s Cup due to a 4-3 loss to Ukraine’s Dinamo Sumchanka.

In men's European competition, Bloemendaal emerged victorious after an incredible EHL final, just getting the better of holders Uhlenhorst 5-4. The combination work of the world's two best players Jamie Dwyer and Teun de Nooijer was a sight to behold in the first half, building up a 4-0, then 5-1 lead.

The German side bounced back with a stunning fightback but Bloemendaal held on to take the title for the first time. Meanwhile, KHC Leuven, conquerors of Three Rock, lost 3-2 to Uhlenhorst in the semi-final. For highlights of some of the best hockey you will see, go to http://www.ehlhockey.tv/.