Sunday 29th January 2023, Ulster Under 16, Under 18 and Under 21 levels took on Munster in the final games of the Interpro Tournament in Abbotstown, Dublin.
The U16s took on a very strong Munster side to begin with, even with two Ulster goals, one from Captain Adam McKee and a second from Vice Captain Matthew Macareavey, the Munster side still managed to get 3 past the Ulstermen and seal the deal for the win on the day. Players, coaches and everyone involved throughout the U16 campaign should be very proud to finish a close second in the tournament overall. Head coach Jack Kyle said that, “We knew going into Sunday that we would be up against a well organised and well drilled team. I can’t fault our preparation and although we didn’t get the result we wanted, the boys were brilliant on the day, as they have been all season. Hopefully the result doesn’t affect the boys too much as they should use it as a learning experience to progress their Hockey careers. The coaching staff are extremely proud of what the boys achieved this season, and we look forward to seeing them play in the years to come.”
The U18 team managed to secure runners up in the tournament with a 3-1 win over Munster. Two goals were scored by Matthew McKee and another by James Evans, culminating in a great win for the U18 men and a result to be proud of in finishing 2nd in the tournament overall. Head Coach Stephen Cuddy had this to say, “It is always difficult to play matches when the destination of the trophy is already in the hands of another province. Patrick and I were pleased with how the boys approached the game, they played with good intensity. With the ball, it was probably as well as we have played across the four games, but we need to be more ruthless at taking chances. We would like to thank the lads who finished up their U18 involvement yesterday, we look forward to seeing your progress on the pathway. We now look forward to taking a developmental group to England in mid-February.”
In the final game of the day at Abbotstown, our U21 men were 2-1 victors over Munster to finish with 4 wins from 4, Matthew Aughey & Cody Large with the goals. A fantastic finish to their campaign, well done to all players and staff involved. A testament to the hard work and efforts that have been put in during the entirety of the tournament, and with a clean sheet nobody can argue that they are the well-deserved Under 21 Interpro Champions. A very proud Greg Allen, head coach says, “It was the cherry on top to win 4 out of 4 in the series. The lads deserved the win and have been great throughout. It is a big ask to win the U21 interpros with the competition involved, but to win 4 out of 4 is brilliant. Credit to the lads”
