Online Journalist
Sep 18, 20194 min
Writes PRO Tom Cotter
Cork Harlequins men’s hockey team start their
new season this weekend against familiar foes they haven’t faced in some time.
Their
first team face Church of Ireland (COI) in a Munster league game for the first
time in years after seasons of contrasting fortunes.
Last
year Quins won three trophies, including Division 1 of the Munster league, going
through the league unbeaten and only losing one game during the season.
Church
of Ireland, who played at the highest level of club hockey in Ireland last year
in the EY Hockey League (EYHL), were unlucky to be relegated to the second
division, EYHL 2.
This
means they will play in the Munster league for the first time in many years
(the 2014/2015 season), alongside the EYHL 2, which is a shortened league that
runs in conjunction with provincial leagues.
Quins
and COI used to be the pre-eminent teams in Munster for much of the 1990s to
the early years of the 2010s, with their fixtures being the biggest derby in
Munster hockey.
Their
formerly fierce rivalry will be renewed this Saturday at Harlequin Park, Farmer’s Cross where both sides
will hope to get their league campaigns off to the best possible start at
2.30pm.
Cork
Harlequins will face their first ever EYHL 2 campaign, after being founder
members of the Irish Hockey League (now EYHL) back in the 2008/2009 season.
They
face tough opposition in Pool B of EYHL 2 in Dublin’s Clontarf, Tyrone’s Cookstown and county Down’s Kilkeel. All sides play
each home and away, with the top two playing off against the top two in Pool A
in semi-finals. The winners play a final and the winning team is promoted to
EYHL, making the task a difficult one for a Quins team with a lot of young
players.
The
runner up plays the ninth place finisher in EYHL to decide who will play in
EYHL in the following season.
Following
the Munster league game against Church of Ireland, as Quins face EYHL side
Corinthians in the first round of the Irish Senior Cup on 5 October. Quins are
the last men’s
team from Munster to win the Irish Senior Cup, a feat they achieved in 2012.
Coach
Stephen Dale is looking forward to
Saturday’s league opener. “I can’t wait to test ourselves against COI again.
They have been the top team in the province for years. They will be raging hot
favourites for Saturday and for the league but let’s see what happens.”
With
a squad that’s full of the young and not so young, Harlequins can’t be sure how
their first season in EYHL 2 will go.
For
the coach, he hopes to build on last year’s success and be competitive in EYHL
2. “Qualification for EYHL2 next year is through your league position this year
and unless we win EYHL 2 or win the playoff to qualify for EYHL, the Munster
league and finishing in the top two is our main priority. That guarantees Irish
league hockey next season.”
There
are three Dales involved in the Quins first team this year with Stephen’s sons Julian and Andrew part of the forward line. Julian is already a senior Irish
international but is it hard to coach your sons?
“No,
it’s not difficult coaching two of your sons. They are great lads and have the
team at heart. They are no different to any other players on the squad when it
comes to training and match days. I think it would be harder to coach a team if
your sons were playing against you,” he adds.
Harlequins’ centenary takes place in five years
with the club aiming to get their men’s side back amongst the elite of the
game in Ireland.
Elite Women
Their
women’s side, of
course, has been amongst the elite for years now, winning an Irish Senior Cup
last year, despite the absence of some key players for the final, including
Irish internationals Yvonne O’Byrne and Cliodhna Sargent.
They
have been stalwarts in the EYHL, usually close to the top four and consistently
among the best teams in the league despite the arduous travel involved.
They
start their league season in November in the EYHL against UCD, but their season
proper begins a few weeks earlier.
Their
defence of the Irish Senior Cup begins away against Pembroke Wanderers of
Dublin on 28 September. They will hope to win that and progress and keep the
cup in Farmer’s
Cross for as long as possible.
Their
dramatic win on penalties last May against Dublin’s Loreto was the first by a
Munster side since 2000 and only the second since the 1930s, highlighting just
what an achievement it was.
They
lost finals in 2017 and 2003 after taking that win in 2000.
The
win in May featured eight schoolgirls out of the 18 player squad, so the future
is bright. The team also has a number of current Irish internationals including
Yvonne O’Byrne who
won a silver medal in the World Cup in London in 2018.
The
club is keen to gain new members of all ages and levels so if anyone wants to
get involved, the training times for men are 7-8.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 8.30-10pm.
The
women train from 8.30-10pm on Tuesdays and from 7-8.30pm on Thursdays.
Cork Harlequins is located at Farmer’s Cross, Rathmacullig East
near Cork Airport. All new members are welcome.
Cork Harlequins’ men face Church of Ireland at 2.30pm on Saturday 21st September.
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