Lynch back among Irish elite

Jason Lynch has been given a renewed vote of confidence by national coach Paul Revington after he was named in a 24-man core Irish squad in the run-up to March’s Olympic qualifiers. Revington named the 18 players he brought to the summer’s European championships plus five more who were in the reserve panel – Gareth Watkins, Stuart Loughrey, Iain Walker, Peter Blakeney and Bruce McCandless. Cork man Lynch, formerly of C of I and Lisnagarvey but now playing with Racing Brussels in Belgium, makes up the 24, essentially replacing Phelie Maguire, who is named in the peripheral squad but is off to India to compete in the fledgling World Series Hockey.

Four more Munster men are named in the 22-strong peripheral squad; C of I’s Clinton Sweetnam and Billy Lynch, plus YMCA hitman Jonny Bruton were there or thereabouts in any case. David Hobbs’ inclusion suggests Revington suggests the cap centurion still has a role to play, but there is no place for Bandon’s Alistair Smith, who had been involved at A level against Egypt during the summer. Despite a return to goalscoring form with Pembroke since returning to Ireland, Alan Sothern must make do with a peripheral squad spot while the most eye-catching inclusion is that of David Cole, who is still eligible for the national U18 side. Revington will base his squad out of Ireland from January 16-29 and February 4-12 to avail of warm weather training, the details of which are not yet confirmed, and will also have the benefit of hosting a number of international games in the run up to the Dublin Olympic Qualifiers. He said “We enter another exciting period as an Ireland squad on the back of the hard work put in by everyone over the course of the past 18 months. “While we are identifying a core and narrowed squad for the coming months, the panel of players in the peripheral squad will still indicate the value we place on building and growing an enlarged Ireland squad as we prepare to tackle the new challenges together in 2012. “The core squad is by no means a ‘closed squad’ and as per previous years there is always scope for players to push their way into selection contention. The period December 2011 to March 2012 will be filled with training and game opportunities for the squad as we prepare to tackle the Olympic qualifier on home soil together.” Tickets for the OQT will go on sale online on hockey.ie this week, while the IHA are also seeking expressions of interest from volunteers to help out at the tournament. IRELAND senior men’s squads for Olympic qualifer training CORE: D Ames (Beeston), P Blakeney (Three Rock Rovers), J Brennan (Glenanne), C Cargo (Reading), P Caruth (Annadale), T Cockram (Lisnagarvey), M Darling (SCHC), D Fitzgerald (GK, Monkstown), P Gleghorne (Instonians), R Gormley (Club de Campo), C Harte (SCHC), D Harte (GK, SCHC), J Jackson (Braxgata), J Jermyn (Cork C of I), S Loughrey (Loughborough Students), J Lynch (Racing Brussels), E Magee (KHC Dragons), G McCabe (Santander), B McCandless (Banbridge), A McConnell (Hurley), I Sloan (Cookstown), I Walker (GK, YMCA), G Watkins (Monkstown), M Watt (Santander). PERIPHERAL: J Bell (Lisnagarvey), P Brown (Banbridge), J Bruton (YMCA), D Carlisle (Banridge), K Carroll (Railway Union), D Carson (Corinthian), D Cole (Monkstown), S Cole (Monkstown), B Doherty (Royal Beerschot), S Dowds (Banbridge), R Flannery (Pembroke Wanderers), D Hobbs (Cork C of I), I Hughes (GK, Cookstown), B Lynch (GK, Cork C of I), P MacDonnell (Lisnagarvey), M Maguire (Royal Uccle), P Maguire (Hurley), S O’Donoghue (UCD), A Sothern (Pembroke Wanderers), C Sweetnam (Cork C of I), R Sykes (Monkstown), S West (GK, Three Rock Rovers)