Burns gives Ireland a share of the spoils

C of I’s Nick Burns got his second goal in a green shirt this week as Ireland’s U16 boys ended their three-match series with Belgium on a high by claiming a 2-2 draw. Shane Madeley set up Burns for the opener early on before getting one himself after Belgium had stuck in quick succession. But neither side could break the deadlock after half-time. In the girls U16 game, the Irish missed out on taking the overall series, going down 3-2. Belgium moved two goals clear before Leah Ewart pulled one back from a rebound.

The visitors restored their advantage a couple of minutes into the second half before Juliette King-Hall’s sublime pass set up Lucy McKee who slotted home from a narrow angle to tighten the game up. But Una McCarthy’s side could not find an equaliser. The series between Ireland A and Belgium U21 was shared after 10 goals couldn’t separate the sides in a 5-5 draw. Peter Caruth capped a good week in green with a hat-trick, with Bruce McCandless and Gareth Watkins claiming the others in a topsy-turvy game that saw seven goals banged in before the break, by which times the Irish led 4-3. Meanwhile, Eimear Cregan returns to skipper the Irish senior women’s side as they take on England later today (3pm) in the first of a two-game Easter test series. The Quins star forward has been troubled by a foot problem all season but has hit the ground running with three goals in as many games since her return to club action. Cregan’s international forward colleague Roisin Flinn will hit the 50-cap mark this weekend if she plays both games, while Armagh’s Rachel Mulligan is a late call-up to replace the injured Lisa Jacob. England bring a mix of youth and experience to the table for today’s clash, plus another on Easter Sunday at 11am. Teen star Charlotte Craddock, who has already starred for Great Britain on the Olympic stage, is set to make her England debut. In Slough’s Kate Walsh, Den Bosch’s Helen Richardson and Alex Danson of Klein in Switzerland, the visitors boast three players with the guts of 500 caps between them. Elsewhere, the Irish Hockey Association has confirmed that the rescheduled men’s U21 interprovincial tournament will take place over a single day on Sunday at Grange Road. The auto-pass rule will be used, but games will be just 30 minutes each way. The women’s tournament is expected to remain in a two-day format. Men’s U21 Interpros, Grange Road, Dublin, Sunday Leinster vs Munster (10.30am); Ulster vs Munster (1.45pm); Ulster vs Leinster (5pm).