irish hockey league
Old Boys comeback gives Quins IHL lifeline
Cork Harlequins were thrown an Irish Hockey League lifeline in the unlikeliest of circumstances as Instonians came from two goals down to defeat Pembroke Wanderers 3-2 in their re-arranged Pool A tie at Shaw’s Bridge on Sunday. Having lost to Pembroke and Glenanne in their opening games, Quins knew a win for the Dubliners today [...]
Institute and UCC hunt ISC spots
Two of the quarter-finals of the Irish Trophy are down for decision for this weekend, with UCC and Catholic Institute travelling to NICS and Suttonians respectively in rescheduled games that fell victim to the weather before Christmas. Neither side has had an easy time of it recently; College have shipped 15 goals in their last two games, [...]
Rovers rocked by two defeats while Lynch lifts Garvey
Having lost just once in top-level competition the previous 14 months, national champions Three Rock Rovers spectacularly crashed to two shock defeats this weekend. Mick McGuinness fired drag-flicks in the fifth and 69th minutes to give Fingal a famous 2-0 victory in yesterday’s refixed Irish Hockey League clash, a result which leaves Pool B wide [...]
Annadale bemoan IHL replay decision
Northern powerhouses Annadale have hit out at the Irish Hockey League (IHL) committee’s decision to replay the Belfast club’s abandoned tie with Cookstown in its entirety. The ‘Dale were 4-1 up at Coolnafranky last Saturday when the game was abandoned in the third quarter due to the dangerous underfoot conditions caused by sub-zero temperatures at [...]
Draws made for European championships
Ireland’s men will take on Belarus, Russia and Italy as they attempt to bounce back to the top tier of European hockey at the first attempt at the EuroHockey Nations Trophy in Wrexham, Wales next August. Despite boasting the best defensive record at last year’s Nations Championships, a shock 1-0 defeat to France saw them [...]
Butler denies bad blood after testy clash
Stephen Butler insists there is no bad blood between his Glenanne outfit and Cork Harlequins, despite the sides adding another bad-tempered chapter to an ongoing rivalry on Saturday. A late purple patch saw Glens pick up a bonus point with a 4-1 win at Harlequin Park that leaves Quins’ hopes of making the last four [...]
Quins and Glens set for another battle royale
Cork Harlequins resume an often-fractious recent rivalry with Glenanne tomorrow when the Dubliners visit Harlequin Park for a vital Irish Hockey League Pool A encounter. Clashes between these two in recent seasons have yielded plenty of entertainment, with 13 goals coming in their past two meetings. But there’s unlikely to be a shortage of needle [...]
Mixed fortunes for Cork sides in IHL openers
Pembroke Wanderers were given a stern test by Cork Harlequins in the opening round of the Irish Hockey League at Serpentine Avenue yesterday, but Alan Sothern’s second-half strike gave the hosts a 2-1 win and all three points. Quins faced down two of their former stars in twins Conor and David Harte, while former president [...]
Let them entertain you
Entertain, entertain, entertain. The inaugural Irish Hockey League (IHL), which gets underway tomorrow, has a multitude of objectives, but top umpire Ray O’Connor’s emphatic description summarises it best. More than anything else, Irish hockey’s movers and shakers are striving to make the new competition, which pits the country’s top club sides against each other in [...]
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 [...]
