U21 interpros head up a busy weekend

Teenage starlet Shane O’Donoghue is one of many Irish internationals facing a busy Easter weekend of hockey across two different countries, as the U21 interpros, EuroHockey League last 16 and an international series in Germany test the country’s top players. UCD hitman O’Donoghue will play two rounds of the U21 tournament at Garryduff in Cork for Leinster before jetting to Mannheimer for three back-to-back matches for an experimental Ireland side against their German hosts. The games see Ireland begin life after the Olympic qualification near miss, and serve as the start of a warm-up programme for the summer, which sees  Lisnagarvey play host to the senior men’s and women’s Celtic Cup in late June and early July.

It’s also a potentially busy few days for Chris Cargo, David Ames and Ronan Gormley, who are all in Rotterdam today for the KO16 round of the EHL. Ames’ Beeston meet Gormley’s Club de Campo in the competition early this  morning, meaning at least one will be required for the KO8 round on Sunday when the Irish side is convening across the German border. Cargo’s Reading are in action in the KO16 tomorrow evening and progression against Club an der Alster would more than likely rule him out of the first game of the Irish series, the EHL quarter-final clashing directly. The return of the U21 interpros after a season’s hiatus reflects the Irish Hockey Association’s decision to field a national side at the grade this summer for the first time since 2004. Graham Shaw’s Ireland U18 boys — featuring Munster men Scott Sullivan (Bandon) and Gary Wilkinson (Cork C of I) will step into the men’s tournament to make it a quadrangular event like the women’s, given Connacht do not field a men’s side at this level. Munster’s men are back-boned by  UCC’s  Irish Hockey Trophy-winning side last weekend, including captain Adam O’Callaghan, while Dublin-based trio Karl Lynch (Pembroke), Nick Burns and Ben Dobson (both UCD) bring Leinster league experience. Hopes of home glory on the women’s side have been boosted by the return of captain Olivia Roycroft (UCC) from a broken collarbone, while potential stars have returned from foreign fields to don the red of Munster, namely former Ireland U18 pair Rebecca Barry (America) and Nicola Laarhoven (Holland). There’s also sure to be some extra bite in the Munster-Leinster clashes for two players in particular; UCC’s Colin Manning and Aine Curran are both Kilkenny natives but like the Connery sisters before them, will line out for Munster against their native province. Leinster are the defending champions in both competitions, dating back to their victories at the 2010 vintage in Dublin.   Men’s U21 Interprovincials, Garryduff, Cork Tomorrow: Leinster v Ireland U18, 10am; Munster v Ulster, 2pm; Sunday: Ulster v Ireland U18, 10am; Munster v Leinster, 12pm. Monday: Ulster v Leinster (11.30pm); Munster v Ireland U18, 1.30pm. MUNSTER U21:  B Corcoran (GK), A O’Callaghan (capt), A Power, C Manning, S O’Grady, F O’Leary, P Catchpole, C Kavanagh (UCC), R Lynch, A Daunt, R Sweetnam, J Phillips (GK), P Daunt (Cork C of I), K Lynch (Pembroke), N Burns, B Dobson (UCD), A Scannell (Bandon). LEINSTER U21: S West (GK, TRR); C Quinn, P Byrne, S O’Donoghue, R Burke, L Chadwick, R Anderson, D Watkins (UCD); R Sykes, S Cole, F Ryan (Monkstown); J Tobin (YMCA); S McKeever (Fingal); D Carson (Corinthian); P English (Railway Union); S Ludgate (Clontarf); S Roberts, S Nolan (Trinity). ULSTER U21: A Thom (GK), R Miller, M Crooks (Cookstown), M Bell, P Brown, S Dowds, S Forbes, O Magee (Banbridge), N Gilmore, J Wright (Portadown), S Hunter (Loughborough Students), A McCann (Lisnagarvey), M Murphy (Durham Uni), P Purcell (capt), A Williamson (Annadale), J Robinson (Mossley). IRELAND U18: A Allen (Friends School/Lisnagarvey), M Allister (Sullivan/Annadale), P Brown (Banbridge Academy/Banbridge), C Roberts (Sullivan/Annadale), L Cole (St Andrews/Monkstown), B Cosgrove (Banbridge Academy/Banbridge), J Duncan (Kilkenny College/Railway Union), S Gallagher (GK, Newpark/Avoca), J Hool (GK, RBAI/Mossley), R Nair (St Andrew’s/Railway Union), M Robson (Sullivan/Annadale), M Rollins (Cookstown HS/Cookstown), K Shimmins (Wesley College/Pembroke Wanderers), S Sullivan (Bandon Grammar/Bandon), J Sutton (Wesley College/Corinthian), G Wilkinson (Ashton/Cork C of I), M Loughrey (St Andrew’s/Pembroke Wanderers). Women’s U21 Interpros, Garryduff, Cork Tomorrow: Leinster v Connacht, 12pm; Munster v Ulster, 4pm; Sunday: Ulster v Connacht, 2pm; Munster v Leinster, 4pm; Monday: Ulster v Leinster, 9.30pm; Munster v Connacht (3.30pm). MUNSTER U21: C Hayes (GK, Bandon); R Barry, K Campbell, N Carroll, R Upton (Catholic Institute), O Cotter, Y O’Byrne (Cork Harlequins), J Coyne, O Roycroft (capt), A Curran, N Kerr, K Murphy, E O’Leary, S Peters (GK), A-K Trevor (UCC), E Reidy (Cork C of I), R Shanahan (NUIG), N Laarhoven (Almeerse). LEINSTER U21:  N O’Connor (Genesis); G Pinder (Hermes); H Matthews, A Meeke, S McGirr, H Mulcahy (Loreto); E Hinkson (Old Alex); S Conway, A O’Grady (Pembroke); O Fox, R Barnett (Railway Union); E Horan, V Taaffe (Trinity); S Greene, N Gray, C Hill, D Duke, N Atcheler (UCD). ULSTER U21: SJ Greer (GK, Leeds), N McKnight (Ards), N Barr, S McClure, L Murray, K Scott  (Lurgan), C Warnock, K McDonald (Armagh), S Rose (Nottingham Uni), J Alison, J Orr (QUB), L Ewart (UCD), K Lammey, D Axon (Ulster Elks), H Dawson (Belfast Harlequins), E Reid (Randalstown). CONNACHT U21: E Molloy (GK), H Jenkinson, R Butler, R McInerney, A Rossiter, A O’Connor, O Callanan, N Whelan (NUIG), N Cooke (GK), T Melvin, F Timmins, L Fahy, E Carey, R Bradley, D Hatton (Galway), B Flannery (capt), J McMickan (UCD), K Codyre (Hermes). IRELAND senior men’s squad v Germany, Mannherimer, April 8-11:  D Ames (Beeston), J Bell (Lisnagarvey), J Bruton (YMCA), C Cargo (Reading), D Carlisle (Banbridge), K Carroll (Railway Union), P Caruth (Annadale), T Cockram (Lisnagarvey), D Cole (Monkstown), B Doherty (Beerschot), DFitzgerald (GK, Monkstown), P Gleghorne (Instonians), R Gormley (Club De Campo), I Hughes (GK, Cookstown), J Jackson (Braxgata), J Lynch (unattached), P Maguire (Hurley), B McCandless (Banbridge), S O’Donoghue (UCD), I Sloan (Cookstown). Schedule: Monday: Ireland versus Germany (senior), 3pm; Tuesday: Ireland versus Germany (U21), 3pm;  Wednesday: Ireland versus Germany (senior), 2pm.