HOCKEY:IRELAND GO into their final phase of top-end matches next week in Spain. Coach Paul Revington will bring a squad of 26 players to Valencia to embark on a five-match schedule against higher-ranked teams, Belgium and Spain. All the warm-up matches in preparation for next month's Olympic qualification tournament in Belfield have been against higher ranked sides.
The squad will spend 10 days in Valencia in what is by far the most intensive build-up to a tournament the team has ever engaged in. Ireland have played Holland and Britain, and now Spain and Belgium, in the hope the better rankings of those teams can improve the team prior to the Dublin tournament, which will involve sixth-ranked Korea and Malaysia at 13. Ireland are currently ranked at 16.
The games against the Dutch and also Britain came in the wake of the Champions Trophy before Christmas, when Ireland were just beginning their warm-up schedule for next month’s challenge. The team has three defeats and two draws and will be expected to be stronger now than in the first game against Holland in Alicante.
Spain’s world standing, never mind their ranking of five, is sky high, despite losing to Australia 1-0 in the Champions Trophy final in New Zealand. Holland won the bronze medal beating New Zealand 5-3 with Britain and Germany further down the standings.
The Ireland trip means Monkstown could be slightly vulnerable in their Leinster Senior League match in Rathdown as they face Three Rock Rovers without Gareth Watkins, Richard Sykes and David Fitzgerald, while Rovers are missing Valencia-bound Peter Blakeney and Stephen West.
IRELAND SQUAD: D Ames (Beeston); J Bell (Lisnagarvey); P Blakeney (Three Rock Rovers); C Cargo (Reading); P Caruth (Annadale); T Cockram (Lisnagarvey); M Darling (SCHC); B Doherty (Beerschot); D Fitzgerald (Monkstown); P Gleghorne (Instonians); C Harte (SCHC); D Harte (SCHC); J Jackson (Braxgata); S Loughrey (Loughborough Students); J Lynch (Royal Racing Club Brussels); E Magee (Dragons); P Maguire (Hurley); G McCabe (RS Tenis); B McCandless (Banbridge); A McConnell (Hurley); S O’Donoghue (UCD); I Sloan (Cookstown); R Sykes (Monkstown); G Watkins (Monkstown); M Watt (RS Tenis); S West (Three Rock Rovers).
IRELAND FIXTURES
Feb 6th: v Spain; Feb 8th: v Belgium; Feb 9th: v Belgium; Feb 12th: v Belgium; Feb 13th: v Spain.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday – Leinster Senior League, Division one: YMCA v Railway Union, Alexandra College Milltown, 1.15; Clontarf v UCD, Mountemple, 2.0; Monkstown v Three Rock Rovers, Rathdown, 3.0; Fingal v Glenanne, ALSAA, 1.30; Corinthians v Pembroke Wanderers, Whitechurch, 1.0. Division two: Portrane v Suttonians, Holy Faith Glasnevin, 1.30; Dublin University v Mullingar, Grange Road, 12.45; Rathgar v Weston, Rathgar, 2.0.
Sunday – Neville Davin Cup: Avoca v Dublin University, Newpark School, 3.0; Portrane v Mullingar, North Kildare, 1.0; Rathgar v Weston, Rathgar, 1.0.
