O’Byrne among eight new Irish call-ups

Cork Harlequins’ defensive totem Yvonne O’Byrne is among eight uncapped players who have been given a chance to fight their way into the Irish squad for this summer’s European championships. Having taken in the Irish Hockey League, coach Darren Smith has freshened up his panel with many new faces among the 43 names. O’Byrne, who lined out for Ireland A last summer, joins Railway Union duo Kate Lloyd and Kate Dillon, Vanessa Surgeoner (Pegasus), Chloe Brown (Ards), Emily Beatty (UCD), Erika Hinkson (Old Alex) and Aisling Campion (Loreto) in the extended panel for a two-day training session in Dublin on May 25 and 26. Ireland are without former vice-captain Emma Clarke due to her upcoming marriage but three American-based players — Megan Frazer, Deirdre Duke and Gillian Pinder — have returned from their studies in the USA to join up with the squad.

Pegasus midfielder Kate McConnell has received a call from the wilderness having not played for Ireland since August 2010; her club-mate Stephanie Quinn, who was similarly parachuted back into an Irish squad last summer after a four-year absence, also makes the cut again here. Goalkeeper Sammy-Jo Greer (Ballymoney) has a chance to build on the single cap she earned in a challenge game against Wales last year. Smith has kept all of the 18 who failed to progress from the World League 2 in Spain in February involved once more. UCD have the strongest representation with over a quarter of the panel – 11 in total – playing with the Belfielders while ISC and IHL winners Railway Union have six. Other Munster-based players aside from O’Byrne include regulars Cliodhna Sargent and Miriam Crowley – who returns after missing World League 2 due to her dentistry exams – and Naomi Carroll, who made an impressive scoring start to her international career against Wales last summer. “The camp will be an opportunity to get together a group of players who have performed well over 2012/2013 and see where they are at,” said Smith. “The focus will be on selecting a squad for the European Championships and ultimately the Rio Olympics in 3 years’ time. “We have looked at players who are not only performing now but also have the potential to be Irish international players in the future.” Elsewhere, Andrew Meredith looks set to hand international debuts to Lisnagarvey duo James Lorimer and Daniel Buser having named a 20-man Irish squad for three tests against Olympic champions Germany later this month. Other notable inclusions for the games in Heilbronn and Mannheim on May 16-18 are Monkstown midfielder Stephen Cole and Banbridge netbuster Stephen Dowds. Cole helped Monkstown to do an Irish Senior Cup and Irish Hockey League double while Dowds hit nine goals in seven games during Bann’s run to the IHL final. Cole’s Monkstown team-mate Davy Carson, scorer of the winner in the IHL final, is named as a reserve alongside Krefeld’s Jason Lynch. Banbridge’s 19-year-old sensation Peter Brown is also a surprise exclusion having impressed during the World League 2 in India and been named the IHL’s player of the tournament, but he may be exam-tied.

Meredith noted that such commitments rendered many players unavailable without listing them, but believes both squad and management are “extremely excited” to begin their build-up to June’s World League 3 in Rotterdam, which doubles as a World Cup qualifier. Ireland senior women’s training squad: G O’Flanagan (GK, Railway Union), E Gray (GK, Hermes), S-J Greer (GK, Ballymoney), P Smithwick (GK, Old Alex), K Dillon (Railway Union), A Campion (Loreto), N Atcheler (UCD), B Flannery (UCD), N Gray (UCD), S Greene (UCD), S McCarthy (Hermes), A O’Flynn (Hermes), Y O’Byrne (Cork Harlequins), C Sargent (Cork Harlequins), L Colvin (Loreto), L Ewart (UCD), M Harvey (UCD), M Harvey (Pegasus), S Quinn (Pegasus), K McConnell (Pegasus), E Hinkson (Old Alex), S McCay (Old Alex), E Smyth (Railway Union), N Daly (Loreto), A Meeke (Loreto), N Symmons (Loreto), M Frazer (Ballymoney), G Pinder (Hermes), A Speers (Railway Union), E Beatty (UCD), C Watkins (UCD), L Jacob (Hermes), Z Delany (Railway Union), K Lloyd (Railway Union), N Small (Loreto), D Duke (UCD), N Evans (UCD), K Mullan (UCD), A O’Flanagan (UCD), C Brown (Ards), V Surgeoner (Pegasus), N Carroll (Catholic Institute), M Crowley (UCC), A Connery (Corinthian). Ireland senior men’s squad for three-test series v Germany: J Bell (Lisnagarvey), J Bruton (YMCA), D Buser (Lisnagarvey), C Cargo (Reading), P Caruth (Braxgata, Belgium), S Cole (Monkstown), T Cockram (Lisnagarvey), S Dowds (Banbridge), D Fitgzerald (GK, Monkstown), R Gormley (Krefeld, Germany), C Harte (SCHC, Holland), D Harte (GK, Kampong, Holland), J Jackson (Braxgata), J Lorimer (Lisnagarvey), E Magee (Krefeld), P Maguire (THC Hurley, Holland), A McConnell (THC Hurley), S O’Donoghue (UCD), A Sothern (Pembroke Wanderers), M Watt (SCHC). Reserves: D Carson (Monkstown), J Lynch (Krefeld).