Bateman and Egner scoop national gongs

Cork Harlequins, Railway Union and the Watkins family were the big winners at Saturday night’s Irish Hockey Awards, held at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin. Quins were double winners on the night, with veteran former Irish international Karen Bateman rewarded for her role in helping her side to a maiden Irish Hockey League final with the ESB Women’s Club Player of the Year prize. Bateman also played a central role as Hharlequins claimed a Munster league and cup double and is the only player to have been involved in all 15 of their successive league titles won since 1996.

David Egner was also praised for his tireless contribution to youth coaching in Munster, notably with the province’s U18 girls, in taking the U18 Coach of the Year award. Brother and sister Gareth and Chloe Watkins — of Monkstown and Hermes, respectively — followed in the footsteps of Gordon and Trevor Watkins as family members to earn the coveted awards, taking the Men’s Club Player and ESB U18 Female Player of the Year awards, respectively. Railway Union ladies, meanwhile, capped their treble-winning season with the Club of the Year crown while Mick McKinnon took the Coach of the Year crown, having led his side to a treble of Leinster league, Irish Indoor Trophy and Irish Hockey League. Glenanne’s Shane O’Donoghue was the recipient of the Boys U18 Player of the Year after becoming the club’s first team top scorer from play this term, netting 18 times in total. Kieran Bolger was rewarded for an excellent season with the whistle to take Umpire of the Year while Graham Shaw was presented with his 150th cap — earned in Argentina in the World Cup Qualifiers. The senior player of the year sections, nominated by the Irish senior international panels, saw Mikey Watt and Bridget Cleland named by their peers as the top performers in the past 12 months. The event was attended by 400 people in attendance, including former world super-bantamweight champion boxer Bernard Dunne, Sports Minister Mary Hanafin, and compered by RTÉ’s Darragh Maloney. For the full set of Tristan Seaton-Stedham’s pictures from the awards, click here.