Men's Hockey/ European Championship Trophy: A win, a hat-trick and in the end seven goals. Few at the Tre Fontane stadium in the Lazio region of Rome could ignore the ability of this Irish team to find the net in their first game of the European Championship Trophy yesterday.

Justin Sherriff, not for the first time in his international career, was the Irish forward causing destruction around the Belarus goal mouth and he is the player who will strike terror into the opposition coaches in Ireland's two remaining pool A matches against Wales and Russia.

On the ball the Pembroke forward was frequently untouchable. One goal was flicked in from an impossibly narrow angle on four minutes following a second- minute strike from Mark Raphael. Another arrived after a short corner had broken down and with a pirouette and some breathless close control again sundered the defence on 33 minutes. His third, a waltzing run latterly across the pitch and a reverse drill for the coup de grace gave Sherriff his first hat-trick of the tournament as Ireland built themselves an enviable goal tally that could be critical at the classification stage of the tournament.

As Wales defeated Russia 4-2 in the first match, Ireland now occupy the top slot in their group after the first day.

The game looked as though it might be close on only one occasion in the first half. As Ireland shot to their 2-0 lead Belarus came back to 2-1 from a penalty following a crowded circle and some heavy sounds of kevlar sticks cracking against each other coupled with a shriek from the Belarus forward. Ireland were judged to have been the hackers and at that stage Belarus rallied and earned two more corners.

Only for some smart reactions from the vigilant Wesley Bateman in goal and David Smyth on the line, the Belarussians could have been 3-2 ahead.

That weathered, Ireland then took off. Sherriff just before and after the break stretched the lead to 4-1. Stephen Butler made it 5-1 from Ireland's sixth corner and Andy Barbour 6-1 when a long pass found him lurking behind the opposition defence. All he had to do was turn and beat the goalkeeper, which he did without fuss.

Yauhen Cherapandu then hit back twice for Belarus in a late sloppy phase from Ireland for 6-3 but Irish striker Mark Irwin had the final say with a 63-minute goal from play closing the game for a comfortable win.

"We kind of corrected things at half-time. But we all know we can play better than that," said coach Dave Passmore afterwards. "We all know that we cannot afford to play one bad game in this tournament. But today we were convinced we could get three points and keep a few things up our sleeves."

IRELAND: W Bateman, J Black, P Brown , D Smyth, S Butler, M Raphael, M Black, B Waring, J Sherriff, M Irwin, G Shaw. Rolling substitutes: G Elliott, D Hobbs, A Barbour, I Lewers.

Pool A: Ireland 7 (J Sherriff 3, S Butler, A Barbour, M Raphael, M Irwin) Belarus 3 (Y Cherapandu, I Pakhalchuk); Wales 4 (O Cooper 3, M Ruxton) Russia 2 (Y Safonov, D Azarov).