WOMEN'S HOCKEY:THE LEINSTER League gets under way this weekend with Railway Union beginning their quest for three titles in a row at home to Bray.
Of added interest in the months ahead will be the effect of the Irish Hockey Association’s central preparation programme, with 24 players now committed to a full-time schedule with the international squad in Dublin.
Seventeen of the panel are with Leinster clubs, with five of them having moved to Dublin to be part of the programme: Munster’s Audrey O’Flynn (UCC to Hermes), Sinéad McCarthy (Cork Harlequins to Hermes), Julia O’Halloran (UCC to Railway Union) and Ulster’s Alex Speers (Railway) and Shirley McCay (Old Alexandra), both of whom were playing in Belgium last season.
Railway and Hermes have the highest representation in the squad with five players each, and while they will be available to their clubs for Irish Hockey League and Irish Senior Cup games, they will do their training with the Ireland panel and will miss one club weekend in every month.
What effect that will have on Railway and Hermes in particular remains to be seen. Loreto (Nicci Daly, Nikki Symmons and Niamh Small), UCD (Niamh Atcheler and Chloe Watkins) and Old Alexandra (McCay and Pam Smithwick) also have players involved in the programme.
Hermes will be coached this season by their former Ireland captain, Mary Logue, and as well as O’Flynn and McCarthy have added Lisa Jacob (who returns from UCD), Kerry McComish (UCD), Sinéad Connery (Church of Ireland), Eimear Horan (Ards) and Katie Codyre (Greenfields) to their ranks.
Orla Fox, meanwhile, has joined the recruits at Railway, arriving from Pembroke Wanderers, with Grace O’Flanagan returning from UCD to replace goalkeeper Helen Stevenson, who is unavailable this season.
Glenanne’s Graham Shaw has teamed up with Gareth Evans, the former Monkstown captain, to coach Loreto, with Evans taking charge on match days, while Shaw is on duty with Glenanne.
The club will be without Liz Colvin, who has moved to Holland for the year, while Clodagh Grealy takes over as manager after a superb playing career with the Irish Cup holders.
Shaw’s former Irish team-mate Justin Sherriff will coach Pembroke Wanderers, and his first game is against Hermes tomorrow.
FIXTURES
Leinster League: Division One – Saturday: Glenanne v Loreto, Tallaght, 11.45; Corinthian v Old Alexandra, Whitechurch Park, 1pm; Pembroke Wanderers v Hermes, Serpentine Avenue, 2.30; Railway Union v Bray, Park Avenue, 3pm.
