Smith gets Ireland’s call

Alastair Smith earned a welcome surprise yesterday when he was drafted into the Ireland senior squad for the first time, ahead of this week’s three-game series against Spain in Santander. The Bandon hitman has been on the fringes of the enlarged Irish setup in recent seasons, his involvement limited to a handful of Ireland A appearances.

But with Paul Revington last week deciding he would name his 18th squad members following last weekend’s training camp, Smith did enough to get the nod yesterday and he is now likely to earn his first international caps this week. A former Ireland U18 player, the 22-year-old Ballinascarthy man has missed out on top level club action due to Bandon’s failure to qualify for the Irish Hockey League, but was a key member of the Cork IT side which won the 2010 intervarsities for the first time in the college’s history. Outgoing coach Revington takes the senior side to Santander for a three-game series against Spain, and will bring a quartet of Cork men — Dutch-based twins Conor and David Harte, YMCA hitman Jonny Bruton and former Racing Brussels midfielder Jason Lynch. Revington will rely on Spainish-based Irish captain Ronan Gormley (Club de Campo) and striker Mikey Watt (Santander) for insider info on a side Ireland beat 3-2 to oust for a best-ever fifth-place finish at last summer’s European championships. Relative newcomers Philip Brown (Banbridge), Shane O’Donoghue (UCD) and Stephen Cole (Monkstown) will join up with Ireland A on Sunday after their time in Spain with the seniors. Meanwhile, Cork C of I pair Alex Burns (Midleton College) and Simon Wolfe (Ashton) could be forgiven for having things on their mind other than the Junior Certificate they are currently sitting, after both were named in the Ireland U16 squad for next month’s European championships. The power shift in women’s hockey from Cork to Limerick was given more credence yesterday when Catholic Institute saw three of their best and brightest named in the Ireland U16 girls squad for the same competition. The Rosbrien outfit’s trio of Clodagh Moloney (Crescent Comprehensive), Edel Nyland (Ursuline Convent Thurles) and Eimear Ryan (Laurel Hill Coláiste) are the only Munster-based players in the 18-strong panel, who will take on Italy, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic at the four-day tournament in Vienna in July. The squad is largely dominated by Leinster with nine from the eastern province involved, with Alexandra College the best represented school as Anna Roopnarinesingh, Amber Gleeson and Rachel Gray are all set to play key roles. Elsewhere, a raft of Munster men will get their first taste of senior international hockey when Ireland A take on England A next weekend in Dublin. Ireland U21 coach Brendon Carolan will take charge of the side and use the games to run the rule over some of his charges expected to be in contention for the U21 squad later this summer. Dublin-based Cork natives Nick Burns and Ben Dobson (UCD) and Karl Lynch (Pembroke Wanderers) are among them, and they are joined in the squad by provincial colleagues Clinton Sweetnam (Cork C of I) and Alistair Smith (Bandon).

C of I’s international centurion pair David Hobbs and John Jermyn are also involved, the latter included along with Bruce McCandless due to their unavailability for the senior side’s trip to Spain next week. Carolan has named extended panels for both games, which will be whittled down to 18 for each clash next week. Ireland senior men’s panel to play Spain in Santander (June 12-15): J Bell (Lisnagarvey), P Brown (Banbridge), J Bruton (YMCA), C Cargo (Reading), D Carlisle (Banbridge), K Carroll (Railway Union), D Carson (Corinthian), S Cole (Monkstown), D Fitzgerald (GK, Monkstown), R Gormley (Club de Campo, capt), C Harte (SCHC), D Harte (GK, SCHC), J Jackson (Braxgata), J Lynch (Cork C of I), E Magee (Dragons), S O’Donoghue (UCD), M Watt (Santander), AN Other (TBC). Ireland Senior, fixture schedule (Santander, Spanish time): Tuesday, June 12: Ireland vs Spain, 9.15pm Thursday, June 14: Ireland vs Spain, 1.45pm Friday, June, 15: Ireland vs Spain, 1.45pm Ireland A men’s panel to play England A in Dublin (June 16/17, squad of 18 for each game TBC): R Arneill (Lisnagarvey), M Bell (Banbridge), P Brown (Banbridge), S Brownlow (Glenanne), N Burns (UCD), D Buser (Lisnagarvey), S Cole (Monkstown), M Crooks (Cookstown), B Dobson (UCD), B Doherty (Beerschot), P English (Railway Union), D Hobbs (Cork C of I), I Hughes (GK, Cookstown), J Jermyn (Cork C of I), K Lynch (Pembroke Wanderers), P MacDonnell (Lisnagarvey), B McCandless (Banbridge), S O’Donoghue (UCD), K Shimmins (Pembroke Wanderers), S Sloan (Cookstown), A Smith (Bandon), T Smyth (Cookstown), C Sweetnam (Cork C of I), S West (GK, Three Rock Rovers). Ireland A, fixture schedule: Saturday, June 16: Ireland A vs England A, 4pm Saturday, June 17: Ireland A vs England A, 1pm Ireland U16 Boys squad for EuroHockey Youth Championships, Vienna, Austria (July 5-8): J Carr (GK, St Andrew’s/Monkstown), H Lavery (GK, Sandford Park/Pembroke), A Burns (Midleton College/Cork C of I), N Byrne (St Colmcille’s/Glenanne), J Henderson (Friends School/Lisnagarvey), J Henry (St Andrew’s/Monkstown), L Madeley (Wesley/Three Rock Rovers, capt), B McCrea (Wesley/Three Rock Rovers), J McKee (Banbridge Academy/Banbridge), P McKibbin (Regent House), D Nolan (St Andrew’s/Monkstown), G O’Brien (Sutton Park/Suttonians), R Poots (Regent House/North Down), J Ryan (Sutton Park/Suttonians), A Smyth (Drumragh College/Cookstown), M Sullivan (Friends School/Lisnagarvey), J Wilson (Wallace High/Lisnagarvey), S Wolfe (Ashton/Cork C of I).