A different ball game

Ireland’s U18 girls will be keen for success in other arenas to rub off when they get their Four Nations campaign underway at Garryduff in Cork tomorrow (6pm).

New hockey photography website launched

Irish hockey’s top photographers have joined forces to launch a new one-stop shop for players, parents and fans to purchase top-class pictures, in association with The Hook and Southern Fried.

Centralisation gets green light

THE Irish Hockey Association yesterday gave the green light to controversial plans to centralise the women’s senior hockey team in Dublin for 10 months. The IHA board has given their approval to a Central Preparation Programme (CPP), which the national body say will “facilitate a core, intensive preparation program” in a bid to qualify for the Olympics in London in 2012.

Late flurry ensures unbeaten summer

A spectacular last-ditch comeback ensured Ireland saved their three-game series against France with a 3-3 draw at Coolafranky last night.

Muller upbeat despite series whitewash

Gene Muller believes Ireland are on an upward trajectory, despite finishing a punishing series of six matches in 10 days with a 4-1 loss to Australia at Belfield on Saturday.

Composed Irish debut from McCarthy

Ireland senior women’s coach Gene Muller praised the efforts of Cork Harlequins defender Sinead McCarthy (above) as she impressed on her international debut against Australia at UCD yesterday, which resulted in a 1-0 loss for the hosts. Meanwhile, there were mixed fortunes for the Irish U18 sides in their three-game series against Belgium.

Seventh heaven for classy Ireland

Ireland’s senior teams endured wildly contrasting fortunes yesterday, as the men routed hosts France 7-0 to retain the Celtic Cup at Le Touquet, while the women were humbled 6-0 by India at the Four Nations in Germany. The U18 boys, however, completed a three-game series whitewash of Scotland in which Nick Burns (above) starred.

New-look Irish too strong for Scots

Timmy Cockram’s (above) late strike secured a 3-1 Celtic Cup win for Ireland over hosts France, while the Irish women went down 4-0 to Australia at the Four Nations in Germany and the U18 boys thumped Scotland 5-1.

Munster trio Olympic-bound

Rebecca Barry (above), Roisin Upton and Antonia McGrath are the three Munster girls included in an all-new Ireland U17 girls team, which will compete at the World Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August, while the Ireland A squads for the Junior Celtic Cup have also been confirmed.

Classy Cregan a model of consistency

Like all accidental sporting heroes, Eimear Cregan could have chosen a very different path, had fate not played its part. As she stands on the cusp of becoming Ireland’s most capped player of all time, this week she recalled her humble beginnings in hockey.

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