IT WAS an encouraging weekend for Irish hockey at Belfield with the Ireland Under 16 team winning the Alberto VO5 Home Countries Tournament and the Under 18's finishing runners up to defending champions England.

Victories over Scotland and Wales had already secured the Home Countries title for the Under 16s before they lost 3-2 to England in their final match yesterday. The Irish finished level on points with Wales, but their victory over the same opposition on Saturday deemed them outright winners of the tournament.

England were two goals up inside the first 10 minutes against the Irish, with strikes from Nadine Devereux and Laura Brown, but goals from Laurel Hill's Eimear Cregan in the 23rd and 50th minutes looked to have preserved the home team's unbeaten record. However, Louise Clements grabbed the winner for England with just five minutes to go, giving them their only win of the tournament.

Later in the afternoon, the Ireland Under 18 team needed to beat England to finish top of the table, but a 2-2 draw was enough for the defending champions to retain their title.

Irish captain Linda Caulfield gave her team the lead from a perfectly executed short corner in the 15th minute, but England equalised just three minutes later through Lisa Wooding and took the lead on the stroke of half time with an Elizabeth Aldous shot from the right.

With just eight minutes to go, Enniscorthy's Esme Murphy equalised for the Irish. Attempts after the match to identify the player whose excellent work on the right had set up Murphy's goal were met with a chorus of "ME" from a number of the players. Mention of a lie detector test silenced everyone except Stephanie Hall of Catholic Institute, the real creator of the goal, who was one of the many outstanding players on an impressive Irish Under 18 side.