HOCKEY: IRELAND’S WORLD CUP HEROINES FOCUSING ON CLUB SUCCESS AS LEAGUE SEASON GETS UNDER WAY...
FOLLOWING the euphoria of Ireland women’s incredible World Cup journey, many of the players who returned from London wearing silver medals will be in action this weekend as the new EY Irish Hockey League season kicks off.
The last time the Irish girls played in a competitive match, it was in front of a 10,500 capacity crowd at the Lee Valley complex last month when there was to be no fairytale ending to the adventure as the invincibles from the Netherlands won the final 6-0.
Attendances this weekend will be numbered in hundreds rather than thousands but that won’t diminish the enthusiasm of the players, who are returning to club hockey, or the spectators who turn up to welcome back the World Cup heroines.
Around a third of the squad will continue to play on the continent or have since joined the exodus by moving abroad, among them three from last term’s regulation season champions UCD who meet Pegasus in Saturday’s top tie at Upper Malone.
Ireland captain Katie Mullan has been making quite an impact with German champions Club an der Alster, the Coleraine woman having bagged four goals in eight starts for the Hamburg outfit.
Deirdre Duke has joined Düsseldorf while Lena Tice is another absentee after moving to play in New Zealand although she will return to UCD after Christmas, so Pegasus will fancy their chances of getting their campaign off to a winning start as they bid to avenge last season’s Irish Cup final defeat.
Third in the regular season last time around, before losing out on penalties to Cork Harlequins in the play-off semi-finals, Pegasus can boast Ireland’s mostcapped sportswoman in Shirley McCay, who made her 257 th Irish appearance in London.
They have also recruited international midfielder Kerri McDonald from Ards, which will compensate for the loss of Katie McKee to university in England.
Greg Thompson steps up to the head coach role, having acted as assistant to Ali McNeill, now in charge of Mossley men.
Four of the World Cup stars, two from each side, will be on display at Deramore where Belfast Harlequins host Pembroke.
Lizzie Colvin and Zoe Wilson will line out for the hosts with Emily Beatty and Gillian Pinder included in the Dubliners’ squad.
Linzi Hamilton has joined Quins from Ards to bolster their
defence as a ready-made replacement for Claire Kilpatrick, who is expecting a baby.
Ards, who face newly-promoted Muckross in Dublin on Sunday, have lost more players than they have gained with the defection of McDonald and Hamilton plus the earlier loss of Chloe Brown to East Grinstead with Emily Matchett, returning from England, the only new recruit.
Saturday also sees the start of the inaugural second tier IHL competition with Ulster champions Lurgan facing Monkstown, Queen’s up against Greenfields and Dungannon travelling to Galway to take on NUIG while Ulster Premier League leaders Ballymoney entertain Mossley in what is the main league game.