2009/10 Women’s Season Preview

ASHTON
Last Season: 7th
Coach: George Treacy
Captain: Cliodhna Murphy
Players In: Ciara O’Connell, Emily Alice Daly (UCC)
Players Out: None
First three games: UCC (a), Catholic Institute (h), C of I (h)
It’s out with the old and in with the new on the Blackrock Road this term, as Ashton’s squad has undergone some serious surgery during the close season.
Karen [...]

2009/10 Men’s Season Preview

BANDON
Last Season: 4th
Coach: Ger Burns
Captain: Andrew Kingston
Players In: Paul O’Leary (C of I)
Players Out: Clinton Sweetnam (C of I)
First three games: Quins A (a), UCC (h), C of I B (a)
Bandon will bring their usual mix of starry-eyed youngsters and wise old heads to the table this season, and a club that relishes [...]

Survival the primary target for Irish

Having watched their male counterparts blaze a trail of glory for the majority of the summer, Ireland’s senior women have a chance to keep the good vibes coming as they begin their EuroHockey Nations Championship campaign in Amsterdam tomorrow.
While the men have been cleaning up in second-tier competitions – winning three and losing the final [...]

Likely lads and lasses

With Irish coaches Gene Muller and Paul Revington holed up in the Garryduff stand for much of last weekend, the senior interprovincials offered them a chance to run the rule over all of the best athletes at their disposal at one venue.
While the likes of Leinster pivots Stephen Butler and Nikki Symmons, tournament top [...]

The mid-term report card

With hockey taking a backseat to the seasonal festivities for a few more days at least, Southern Fried takes a break from the Roses and the turkey sandwiches to take the pulse of the season so far and hand out some mid-season gongs
The Having Trouble Carving the Turkey Award: The loss of Gash brothers Richie [...]

Opinion divided on fixtures proposal

Players and officials in Munster hockey are on a collision course over a proposal aimed at increasing the profile of hockey in the province.
The Munster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association (MBIHA) will tomorrow night examine a proposal to impose a mandatory rule that Division One fixtures must be played on Saturdays between 12.30pm and [...]

Big match focus – UCC vs Cork C of I

UCC won’t have much time to lick their wounds after Tuesday’s gut-wrenching intervarsity defeat to UCD, as they go straight back into Munster league action with a crucial early-season six-pointer against Cork Church of Ireland at Garryduff on Saturday morning (10am).
While leagues are, of course, never won before Christmas, if College have genuine aspirations of breaking [...]

Game-by-game guide to the IHL

Men’s Pool A
Instonians vs Cookstown (Shaw’s Bridge, Saturday, 5.30pm)
Inst remedied a wretched start to the season in Ulster with a 4-1 win over Mossley last weekend, but whether they have shaken off the shock of losing 5-0 to Lisnagarvey a fortnight ago remains to be seen. Their talismanic drag-flicker Mark Gleghorne is still recovering from shoulder surgery, [...]

Who is the next in line?

While it’s been less than 24 hours since Dave Passmore vacated the Irish men’s coaching hotseat, attention has already turned to the issue of who will succeed him.
The IHA’s closing date for applications is September 30, meaning we won’t know the new coach’s identity until October at the earliest. Undeterred, Southern Fried indulges in some [...]

Good foundations will help keep the house in order

It may have been on the cards for some time, but now that Belvedere have held their hands up and admitted they can’t continue in Division One, inevitable questions are being raised about the future of men’s hockey in Munster.
Southern Fried doesn’t have all the answers to such questions, but it’s as good a time [...]