Hockey Men's and women's round-up: Two of Ireland's European Nations Cup squad have announced their retirement from international hockey - Daphne Sixsmith of Hermes, who finishes her Irish career on 99 caps, and Cork Harlequins' Karen Bateman, who came out of retirement to play in Barcelona earlier this month.
Both players made their senior debuts against Scotland in 1995 but work commitments interrupted Bateman's career for two years, leaving her on a final caps' total of 51. Irish coach Riet Kuper had asked the forward to stay on until the Olympic Qualifier in New Zealand next March but as an employee of a small company in Cork she was simply unable to ask for another two months, at least, of "time off".
Sixsmith, a teacher at Kilkenny College, has been one of Ireland's most consistent and impressive performers over the past eight years, unflappable and composed in her centre-back role. She was usually described, loosely, as a "south-east" player, largely because Laois, Carlow and Kilkenny were all entitled to a "claim" - "when I lived in Laois I had a Carlow postal address and a Kilkenny phone number", as she once replied when asked "where exactly are you from?". A south-east player, then.
Fittingly, Bateman, whose husband Wesley was one of the goalkeepers in the Irish men's squad at the European finals, celebrated her 50th Irish cap with a "trademark" reverse stick goal, her last for Ireland, against France in Barcelona, in a win that guaranteed the team a top-six finish.
A skilful and whole-hearted player, she was passionate about playing for her country, despite the huge personal sacrifices she had to make to continue her international career.
Meanwhile, Irish coach Riet Kuper has invited up to 10 new players - mainly from the under-21 and under-18 squads - to attend the panel's next training weekend. None has, as yet, been officially added to the panel, Kuper just wants to take a "closer look" before deciding who is ready to compete for a place in the Olympic Qualifier squad.
As of now the line-up for that tournament is: Britain, South Korea, Germany, Spain, the United States, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Ukraine and Ireland - but if, as expected, South Africa win the All-Africa Games they will qualify automatically for Athens, with Russia taking their place in Auckland.
On the club front Corinthian dished out a less than warm Division One welcome to newly-promoted, and under-strength, Three Rock, beating them 9-0 at Whitechurch on Saturday in the opening day of the Penneys Leinster League season - Linda Campbell, Judy Muldowney and Anna Ancher scored two apiece.
A first-half hat-trick from Sarah Clarke helped Pembroke Wanderers to a blistering start against Genesis, with Viv Doran making it 4-0 by half-time (all four goals came from short corners). Genesis kept their hosts scoreless, though, in the second half. And Railway Union managed to keep Loreto goalless in the first half of their game at Beaufort, before debutantes Jessica Lynch and Niamh Keogh gave the Irish cup holders the points.
