BOYS HOCKEY REPORT
06/07 SEASON.
Minor
boys 2004.
Once again we had a very busy
and enjoyable season. We were delighted to welcome George
Blackwell, a former pupil, onto the coaching staff. Both Shane
Hanna and Alan Whisker remained on in their respective roles from
the 05/06 season. We are very appreciative to all the coaching
staff, who give up of their time and energy throughout a very long
season…many thanks.
1st Year Boys.
A lively and enthusiastic bunch who were given a professional
grounding in the basic skills and rules of the game by George.
Their season kicked off with several blitzes and finished with
friendly matches. Definite improvement was apparent as the season
progressed. We have uncovered some fine talent for the future and
hope they will show the same commitment and spirit throughout
their school years. Well done to all concerned.
Minor Boys. A talented bunch steered by Shane Hanna.
They had a very successful season and played some fantastic
hockey. We have a lot of talent moving forward and hopefully this
group will remain together for the future. Total matches played 12
- 8 wins, 1 draw & 3 losses. Great credit must go to Shane who
persevered with them throughout the season. The highlights of the
season were winning three out of four matches while on tour in
Edinburgh and being extremely unlucky to lose (in the last minute)
to Bandon in the cup semi-final. All bodes well for the future.
Junior Boys. Alan
took control of this mixed gang. Unfortunately we did not have as
many matches, at this level, as we had hoped for. Nevertheless
they equipped themselves admirably and were overpowered by a
strong Bandon squad, in their cup semi final. Matches played six,
won three, drew one and lost two.
Senior Boys. All
in all a very mixed year with its highs and lows. Unfortunately we
started on a low, with our exit to Midleton in the All Ireland
qualifers. We then travelled to
Edinburgh
on tour in October and played beyond ourselves and won three of
our four matches. The rest of our season went well, with us
finally reaching the senior ‘B’ cup against Midleton. In a
hard fought game, we came through 5-2 winners and lifted the cup.
Well done to all concerned. We have some excellent talent coming
through and with an increased commitment to training, greater
successes lie ahead. Matches played twelve, won 8, drew 1, and
lost 3.
Representative honours
Well done to the following who
were selected to represent
Munster
as schools level: U18’s Eric Callender and Simon Brickenden.
Girls
Hockey
Friday
12th May 2007 was a landmark day for girls’ hockey in
Villiers. The Senior Girls XI took on a team made up of past
pupils……. and the old girls came out in force!
This fixture was remarkable for several reasons.
Traditionally, the boys have played a former pupils’ team as an
annual event. This has never happened for the girls.
Also remarkable was the depth of response from the ladies
who played school hockey over the years. Many who couldn’t make
the game sent messages of support and signals of interest in
future involvement. These messages came from places ranging from
Annacotty to
Australia
.
The third
remarkable aspect to this event was that it was not, in fact, a
“first”. A past-pupils match was played at the end of the
89/90 season resulting in a 1-1 draw. I mention this as a sad
reminder of how we can forget. We are poorly served by
record-keeping. In looking back over the years, it is natural that
season upon season of experience meld together. It is difficult to
separate the teams of years ago in one’s mind.
In initiating
the contact with past pupils to suggest this May fixture, our
expectation was that we would struggle to get sufficient numbers
for it to go ahead. However, we felt we would at least establish a
line of communication for future events. From the strength of
response we can only conclude that there is an identity with
schools hockey that time alone finds difficult to erase. The good
will and enthusiasm conveyed in the messages we received suggests
that, whether one continued to play after leaving school or not,
the game brought enjoyment and a camaraderie that has lasted well.
Teams:
School
– Ciara Danaher, Karen Gillespie, Angela Bird, Edel Martin,
Kristina Austin, Jana Castles, Sarah Ryan, Emma Doherty, Clare
Conboy Stephenson, Megan Reilly, Margeret Gleeson, Jennifer
Lyttle, Sarah Lane, Leanne Campbell, Clare Casey.
Past
– Aoife McGrath, Aideen McGrath, Nikki Sterritt, Katie
O’Sullivan, Pamela Nolan, Ciara Ryan, Erin Hartigan, Kathryn
Buggy, Kerry Molyneaux, Chloe Sexton, Aislinn Ryan, Aoife Ryan,
Maria Kelly, Jane Hedigan, Niamh English, Eavan English, Hilary
Liddy, Jacqui Collopy, Jennifer Dann.
