Peter Caruth has stepped down from the Ireland World Cup squad and international hockey temporarily to concentrate on his club duties as Annadale player-coach. But the 30-year-old 2016 Rio Olympian is determined to add to his 148 caps in the future, having made it clear he’s not ready to retire from international hockey just yet.
He said: “Not only do I want to make it to 150 but I want to bring up the double century of caps as well.”
On Saturday, Caruth’s club will be aiming to secure their second EYHL win when they take on Cookstown in a crucial game in Belfast. Both teams have one win a piece as they approach the Ulster derby, after Dale went down 2-1 to leaders Banbridge on Wednesday night. Johnny McKee got a late winner, with Frazer Mills also on target after Dale’s Ryan Burgess hit the opener as Bann moved four points clear at the summit.
Monkstown were too hot to handle for Cookstown last Saturday and ran out 6-1 winners against the Reds who were missing senior men Keith Black and Greg Allen from their line ups.
“After the 2-2 draw against Glenanne the week before I thought we were moving in the right direction,” said Cookstown defender Daniel Crooks. “We actually played some decent stuff in the first half against Monkstown, but then fell away significantly and made some silly errors in the second half. Monkstown made sure to punish those mistakes.
“We have the perfect chance to right those wrongs this week against Annadale but we can’t let our standards drop even an inch. It will cost us again. We’ll need to be at our very best to get anything out of this game.”
Lisnagarvey, meanwhile, will be hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s 4-1 defeat to Three Rock Rovers when they face newly-promoted YMCA in Dublin. Bann take on Monkstown at Havelock Park on Sunday in a game which is likely to attract a big crowd as the league leaders bid to consolidate their position at the top.
In a busy weekend, there are two Ulster sides in Irish Cup action with Mossley away to Clontarf and Kilkeel hosting Bandon. In the Ulster Premier League, title contenders Bangor and Instonians are both at home as they entertain Portadown and Antrim respectively with the latter two teams aiming to bounce back after midweek defeats.
Meanwhile, Serena Barr is the latest Ulster player to have been called up to the Ireland senior training panel which reassembled recently after the team’s silver medal heroics at the World Cup in London. The 23-year-old defender has been rewarded for some fine performances in the English Premier League with Nottingham side Beeston. Barr faces a busy time as she has also been included in the Ireland Under-23 squad, along with her twin sister Bethany (UCD) and fellow Ulster women, Alana Doyle (Ards), Ruth Maguire (Pegasus) and Jessica McMaster (Queen’s)
Dave Passmore’s side will travel to Barcelona for three internationals against Spain from October 29-November 1.
Barr, who spent three successful years playing for Liberty Flames while on a hockey scholarship in the United States, certainly feels at home with Beeston. The club includes three other Ulster players in Sophie McDowell, Jade Lamont, who have been called up to the Ireland U-21 development squad, and Lucy McKee. In addition, there is a familiar accent on the sidelines at Beeston as the club’s head coach is Lisburn man Colin Clarke, who is also in charge of Nottingham-Trent University where the local girls study.
“All the girls are doing really well and it’s great to see them getting recognition at international level,” said Clarke, who is a former Scottish international.
“I was formerly head coach to the England U-21s but now I liaise closely with Dave Passmore and Ireland.”
McKee, who played for Pegasus last season, says she is enjoying her hockey and life in Nottingham where she is studying fashion management. McKee, who played for Pegasus last season, says she is loving her hockey in Nottingham where she is studying fashion management. The 19-year-old said: “I am really enjoying it and the standard at Beeston is very high but I am relishing the challenge.”
“Like Pegasus, the quality at training and in matches is very good and it’s certainly nice to have the other Ulster accents around but everybody has been very welcoming.”
Five Ulster players have been included in the Irish Under-21 panel, with several doubling up for the U-23s. Meanwhile, Katie McKee’s former club will be aiming to make it four wins from four in the EY Irish Hockey League on Saturday when they travel to Dublin to face Railway Union. Pegasus have scored 11 goals in their three games to date, with former Ireland captain Alex Speers topping the charts after getting two more goals in last weekend’s 4-0 win over Ards.
In contrast, Ards have yet to score in their three matches to date and they face a tough test on Saturday as they prepare to take on Loreto, who won the Champions Trophy last season and have two wins from three so far.
Belfast Harlequins will be looking for an improved performance when they host Muckross at Deramore as they aim to bounce back from a disappointing home 3-0 defeat to their Cork namesakes. Quins coach Davy Frazer said: “It’s early days still but with four points out of a possible nine so far, we can’t afford too many more slip-ups if we are to challenge for the top-four which is our aim.”
In the Ulster Premier League, champions Lurgan are at home to Rainey while newly-promoted Lisnagarvey, who have made a great start, host Banbridge. In the other top flight games, Mossley entertain Queen’s and Ballymena take on a Randalstown side still smarting from a heavy loss to Garvey last weekend.
Irish women’s Under-21 squad for 2018/19: Michelle Barry (Cork Harlequins), Emma Buckley (GK, Racing Club de Bruxelles),
Michelle Carey (UCD), Niamh Carey (UCD), Ellen Curran (UCD), Isabel Delamer (Trinity), Alana Doyle (Ards), Katherine Egan (UCD), Amy Elliott (Railway Union/St Andrews), Laura Foley (Catholic Institute), Erin Getty (Queens), Christina Hamill (Loreto), Nina Heisterkamp (UCD), Hannah Humphries (GK, UCC), Mia Jennings (Loreto), Suzie Kelly (UCD), Jane Kilpatrick (Loughborough Uni), Erica Markey (Trinity), Hannah McLoughlin (UCD), Grace McLoughlin (Loreto), Jessica McMaster (Queens), Elizabeth Murphy (GK, Loreto), Siofra O’Brien (Loreto), Caoimhe Perdue (Cork Harlequins), Yasmin Pratt (Muckross), Abbie Russell (UCD), Caitlin Sherin (Loreto/Loreto Foxrock), Holly Taggart (Bristol Uni), Sarah Torrans (Loreto).
National Under-21 development squad: Jenny Clein (UCC), Katie Fearon (Railway Union), Niamh Gowing (Muckross), Gemma Ferguson (GK, Ulster Elks), Jade Lamont (GK, Beeston), Emily McStea (Queens), Sophie McDowell (Beeston), Emma Young (UCD)
Under-23 Squad for Barcelona (October 29 to November 1): Serena Barr (Beeston), Bethany Barr (UCD), Michelle Barry (Cork Harlequins), Emma Buckley (Racing Club de Bruxelles), Michelle Carey (UCD), Alana Doyle (Ards), Katherine Egan (UCD), Amy Elliott (Railway Union), Laura Foley (Catholic Institute), Christina Hamill (Loreto), Sarah Hawkshaw (Railway Union), Hannah Humphries (UCC), Mia Jennings (Loreto), Suzie Kelly (UCD), Ruth Maguire (Pegasus), Erica Markey (Trinity), Grace McLoughlin (Loreto), Hannah McLoughlin (UCD), Jess McMaster (Queens), Lizzie Murphy (Loreto), Caoimhe Perdue (Cork Harlequins), Yasmin Pratt (Muckross), Abbie Russell (UCD), Caitlin Sherin (Loreto).
Also played midweek: Ulster Premier: Antrim 1 (D Wilson) Kilkeel 7 ( G Russell 2, J Aiken, D Finlay, A Graham, E Agnew, M Henning); Inst 8 (Robinson 3 Kelso 2 Blair 2 Leckey) Portadown 2.
FIXTURES
Friday
Women – Ulster Premier League
20:00 Ulster Elks v Dungannon @ Uni. Of Ulster Jordanstown
Ulster Senior 1
19:30 Portadown v Coleraine @ Edenvilla
Saturday
Men – EY Hockey League – Round 5
14:30 Annadale v Cookstown @ Strathearn School
14:15 Glenanne v Three Rock Rovers @ St. Andrews College.
14:30 Pembroke Wanderers v Cork Church of Ireland.
15:00 YMCA v Lisnagarvey
Men – Irish Senior Cup – Round 2
14:00 Clontarf v Mossley @ Mount Temple
14:30 Kilkeel v Bandon @ Kilkeel High
Kilkenny v Dublin University @ Kilkenny College
Railway Union v Corinthian @ Railway Union HC.
Men – Irish Junior Cup – Round 1
Banbridge 2 v N.I. Civil Service 2 @ Havelock Park
13:00 Bangor 2 v Annadale 2 @ Bangor Aurora
Belfast Harlequins 2 v Cork Church of Ireland B @ Deramore Park
Cookstown 2 v South Antrim 2 @ Cookstown HC
Men – Ulster Premier League
14:30 Bangor v Portadown @ Bangor Aurora
13:00 N.I. Civil Service v Newry @ NICS
14:30 Raphoe v Belfast Harlequins @ Royal and Prior Sch.
14:30 South Antrim v North Down @ Friends
Men – Ulster Linden Cup (Pool A)
14:30 Parkview v Antrim @ Doagh
14:30 PSNI v Ballynahinch @ NICS,
Men – Ulster Linden Cup (Pool B)
13:00 Ballymena v Armagh @ Ballymena
Women – EY Hockey League – Round 4
14:30 Belfast Harlequins v Muckross @ Deramore Park
13:05 Cork Harlequins v Pembroke Wanderers @ Farmers Cross
14:50 Loreto v Ards @ Three Rock Rovers HC
14:00 Old Alexandra v University College Dublin @ Alexandra College
14:30 Railway Union v Pegasus @ Railway Union HC
Women – Irish Junior Cup – Round 1
Mossley 2 v Cork Harlequins 2 @ The Glade
14:00 University College Cork 2 v Pegasus 2 @ Mardyke
Women – Irish Hockey Challenge – Round 1
Botanic v Blackrock
Clonakilty v Clonmel
Cork Wanderers v Greenfields
Dromore v Athlone
Mullingar v Tipperary
N.I. Civil Service v Kilkenny
NUIG v Cookstown
Women – Ulster Premier League
14:30 Ballymena v Randalstown @ Ballymena
14:30 Lisnagarvey v Banbridge @ Lisnagarvey HC
14:30 Lurgan v Rainey @ Lurgan Junior H.S.
16:00 Mossley v Queens University @ Uni. of Ulster.
Women – Ulster Senior 1
13:00 Castle v CI @ Carrickfergus Amphitheatre
14:30 Omagh v Armagh @ Omagh High School
14:30 Priorians v North Down @ Foyle College
13:00 Raphoe v Club KV @ Royal and Prior Sch.
Sunday
Men – EY Hockey League
14:30 Banbridge v Monkstown
