2026 got off to a flying start with the Men’s Indoor Championships kicking off the year on Saturday morning.
Following week one in the competition, it is Lisnagarvey Hockey Club who lead the way with maximum points from their three games, five points ahead of Cookstown and Banbridge.
The day’s action got underway with a clash between the reigning champions, Cookstown and Belfast Harlequins, with the Mid-Ulster side cruising to a comfortable 6-0 win.
A Danny Kerr strike saw his side take the lead after just one minute of play before Luke Haycock and Greg Allen both got on the scoresheet to give their side a 3-0 lead at the half-time break.
In the second half, two Stewart Smyth penalty corners and a second of the game from Danny Kerr saw the side get their title defence off to a perfect start.
Their win was followed up by Lisnagarvey also winning 6-0, as they beat local rivals Banbridge in their opening clash.
Brothers Daniel and Ben Nelson got the side off to a flying start, both getting on the scoresheet within the first four minutes of the game before Andrew Edgar scored from a penalty corner for his first goal of the competition.
The Lisnagarvey man proved to be a constant threat from set-plays in the second half, netting three more goals for his side as they matched the benchmark set by Cookstown after the first round of games, winning 6-0.
As the competition continued, it was Lisnagarvey who emerged as the front-runners. Erroll Lutton’s side made it back-to-back wins as they beat Belfast Harlequins 6-3 with goals from Daniel Nelson. (2), Andrew Edgar (2), Ant Spence and Ben Nelson.
Meanwhile, an Adam McKee hat-trick helped Banbridge come from 4-1 down against Cookstown to earn a 5-5 draw as the reigning champions dropped points for the first time in the competition.
In the penultimate game of the day, the top two went head-to-head with Garvey coming out on top in a ten-goal thriller.
Ben, Matthew and Daniel Nelson all found themselves on the scoresheet in the opening five minutes of the clash to give their side a quickfire 3-0 lead, whilst Danny Kerr provided a lifeline for his side, netting twice to get them back into the tie.
However, further goals from both Ben (2) and Daniel saw the Hillsborough side bring their total to six to continue their perfect start to the competition despite late goals from Greg Allen and Ed Irwin.
The final game of week one saw Banbridge get their first win of the tournament as they beat Belfast Harlequins 6-1.
Goals from Daniel McKee, David Gallagher, Mark Cowan and Adam McKee gave the side a 4-0 lead at half-time before Gallagher and Adam Mckee both extended the lead to 6-0 midway through the second half.
A late Pierce Connolly strike proved to be a consolation effort for the Belfast side as Banbridge finished the day third in the group.