Annadale Hockey Club

THE MATCH OF THE DAY

Our former Fixtures Secretary, Mark Kendall, whilst arranging last season's fixtures found time to arrange a rather special fixture for 3 July.

All at Annadale extend congratulations to Mark and Sarah on their marriage and best wishes for a long and happy future together.

Squigs selected to play for the Irish Senior Squad

Squigs, otherwise known as Jonny Quigley, has been selected to play for the Irish Senior Team this weekend, 4th - 6th July, in the Celtic Cup, taking place in Garryduff, Rochestown, Co. Cork. We wish Jonny and the rest of the guys a very successful tournament and hope they can win the Cup.

Commiserations to the Irish U21 boys who were just "pipped at the post" last weekend after a great campaign.

Mighty Mouse aka Powerhouse aka **** selected for Irish U21 Squad

The aforementioned player otherwise known as Peter Caruth has been selected to play in the Under 21 Squad this weekend (27th to 29th June) in Edinburgh in the Celtic Cup Tournament. Congratulations to Peter and we wish him a very enjoyable and successful tournament.

Galway off to Galway and back

Stephen Galway must be mad - or missing sport very badly. Along with two friends he has decided to go on a Cycle and Golf Tour of Ireland. Most people would choose I don't know, say a car, or some other means of transport for when the weather's that tad bit Irish for the summer - Stephen however has decided that they will cycle around Ireland going on a long haul playing 18 holes of golf - strewn across 18 golf courses throughout the land.

It's all in aid of The Breast Cancer Campaign and all donations can be given online (like PayPal, or buying at eBay or Amazon!) by going here: http://www.justgiving.com/tourofireland

More information on the tour can be found here - http://www.tourofireland.co.uk/ we wish Stephen, Neil and John the best of luck and we'll update you when they've all arrived at the finish line!

40 YEARS - CELEBRATING SUCCESS

In the 2008/09 season, the Club will be celebrating its 40 years of existence and planning is already underway for a series of events throughout the season to mark this milestone in our history.

The programme of events will cater for all age groups and tastes - and there might even be some hockey included!!! Details will be circulated when finalised.

It is important we make the most of this opportunity and if any club member feels they can assist in the organisation and running of events, please do not hesitate to step forward.

Congratulations Timmy!

Congratulations are in order for 5th XI legend Timmy Lowry who finally popped the question to his long term partner, Marie. No wedding info as of yet but everyone at Annadale wishes them the best of luck for their marriage.

Fancy playing hockey every Tuesday????

Are you a veteran i.e. over 35 and would you like to play hockey this summer? Belfast Harlequins are running matches every Tuesday at 7pm, cost £2, all you've got to do is just turn up and you will be guaranteed a match.

AGM Winners

At the AGM on Thursday 15th May, the following people were presented with cups.

1st XI Player of the Year - David Robb 2nd XI Player of the Year - Michael Purcell 3rd XI Player of the Year - Matthew Pratt

4th XI Player of the Year - William Edgar 5th XI Player of the Year - Ross Baxter 6th XI Player of the Year - David Caruth

Young Player of the Year - Peter Purcell Club Player of the Year - Alastair Timothy Personality of the Year - Lyn Lake

HGC through to EHL Final

Congratulations to Iain Lewers and his HGC teamamtes, who have made it to the Euro Hockey League Final, having beaten Dutch rivals HC Rotterdam 7-4 in a stunning game on Rotterdams home turf. The final is to be played at 13.30 GMT on Sunday 11th May, the opposition being Uhlenhorster HC of Germany, and due to be shown on one of the Eurosport channels. Everyone at Annadale will be fully behind HGC in their pursuit of lifting the silverware.

DON\'T FORGET THE AGM

Just to remind everyone, our AGM takes place this Thursday 15th May at 7.30pm in Lough Moss. Please make an effort to come along, the meeting never lasts any longer than an hour and a half, and cups will be presented to team players of the year, young player of the year, club player of the year and personality of the year.

McNamee Cup

The annual hockey match between Annadale Hockey Club and Wellington College took place last night (8th May) at the school. After a very entertaining match, Annadale retained the McNamee Cup.

SETANTA SPORTS TROPHY

Setanta Sports Trophy

11th - 15th June 2008

UCD Belfield

Book your tickets on line now and receive an early bird discount www.hockey.ie/setanta

WOMEN MEN

Ireland Ireland

South Africa Pakistan

Germany Canada

Gt. Britain Gt. Britain

4th XI get promoted

Congratulations to Annadale's 4th XI who deservedly gained promotion into Junior League 2 after a very successful season, under the captaincy of Alastair Timothy. Well done to all the players who contributed to this success.

U15 Cup Final

The U15 Cup final will be played this Sunday 27th April at 4pm at Mossley Hockey Club. Please come along and support our U15s and see the players of the future.

Mens Hockey Veterans League/Competition

Belfast Harlequins Mens Hockey Club are proposing to run an over 35s/veterans hockey league/competition over 4 weeks in June, each Tuesday evening. Games would last either 15 or 20 minutes each way. If any of you are interested, please contact Lyn Lake by 30th April.

IT\'S A BOY!

Geoff and Gayle Clarke had a baby boy today at 12.09pm, 8lbs 2oz, Joshua (Josh) Roger Clarke, both mum and baby are doing well. Many congratulations to the proud parents and we wish them every health and happiness.

Mens Irish Senior Cup Final

MENS IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL

Saturday April 19th, UCD. Belfield

2.30pm

PEMBROKE WANDERERS v MONKSTOWN

Pembroke last held the title in 2000 and Monkstown last won it in 1914!!!

Results 12 April

PODIUM PREMIER LEAGUE

ANNADALE 4-2 MOSSLEY

(Ian Hamilton, Fraser Mills, Peter Caruth, Steven Redpath)

CORPORATE COACHING JUNIOR LEAGUES

JUNIOR lEAGUE 1

ANNADALE 2nds 6 - 1 KILKEEL 2nds

(Tom Pinkerton 3, James Cousley, Chris Lemon, Andy McIlwaine)

JUNIOR LEAGUE 3

DOWN 2nds 2 - 2 ANNADALE 4ths

(Gary Dempster 2)

JUNIOR LEAGUE 4

NORTH DOWN 3rds 4 - 3 ANNADALE 5ths

(Phil Crawford 3)

JUNIOR LEAGUE 6

INSTONIANS 5ths 2 - 1 ANNADALE 6THS

(Andrew Kirk)

Irish Junior Cup Final

IRISH JUNIOR CUP FINAL

ANNADALE 2nds 2 - 3 PEMBROKE WANDERERS 2nds

Annadale, competing in their fifth final this century, narrowly went down 3-2 to the current holders Pembroke at the National Hockey Stadium at University College Dublin.

The Irish Junior Cup instituted in 1895 is the major trophy for 2nd XI's of Senior Clubs and the 1st XI's of non senior league clubs in Ireland.

Annadale have won this much coveted trophy four times since 2000 so the statistic of four victories and one defeat in Finals is still one to be envied.

Annadale enjoyed the dream start when in the 2nd minute Peter Bland made a penetrating run through the middle slipping the ball to Connor Allison on the right edge of the circle. Allison did not hesitate and drilled a powerful shot inside the left post to open the scoring.

Pembroke responded quickly showing why they have been undefeated for two seasons. Fast passing movements resulted in Rowan Pearson and Maurice Elliott causing problems in the Annadale defence. However Goalkeeper Stuart Chisholm was in confident form and kicked clear on two occasions. Andrew Downey, Stephen Wilson and Peter Pollock were also on their games making timely tackles to relieve the pressure.

Annadale were unfortunate not to increase their lead in the 19th minute following an incisive Chris Lemon break into the circle. Lemon laid the ball off wide right to Peter Pollock who crashed the ball back towards O'Keeffe in the Pembroke goal. The cross bounced off O'Keeffes pads onto the post and the danger was cleared.

Play was swinging from end to end exciting the vocal supporters of both sides. Two penalty corners were well saved by Chisholm and a third cleared by Pollock.

In midfield Annadales tigerish Michael Purcell was influential in breaking up the Pembroke rhythm and together with Peter Bland was winning the midfield battle.

Just when it looked that, with three minute to go, Annadale would carry their lead into half-time a quick Pembroke free into the circle

was picked up by Captain Dougie Good and his snap reverse shot was strong enough to hit the boards and allow Pembroke to turn round with a 1-1 scoreline.

Worse was to come for Annadale as Pembroke broke from the second half whistle straight into the circle providing Maurice Elliott with the opportunity to send a reverse stick flick high into the net giving Chisholm no chance.

Annadale responded quickly to Pembroke's two goals in three minutes by mounting attack after attack.However Pembroke's experienced and well organised defence dealt capably with the threat.

In the 45th minute a superb defence splitting pass from Allison found William Edgar who had cleverly slipped his marker and found space in the circle. Keeper Stephen O'Keeffe was out like a rocket to kick clear as Edgar was in the act of shooting.

A minute later Peter Pollock received a yellow card and a seven minute suspension for a careless tackle. This did not interrupt Annadale's flow and within a minute they earned a penalty corner. Andrew Downey's well directed flick was expertly saved by O'Keeffe who had rescued his team on a number of occasions.

Back came Pembroke and a quick transference of the ball found Elliott whose sharp shot through a packed circle was superbly saved by keeper Chisholm.

Then perhaps the turning point of the match.Annadale lined up for an attack expecting to have been awarded a hit in on the the side line at the Pembroke 25. However the umpire much to the surprise of everybody awarded the hit to Pembroke, The Annadale defence had pushed forward and Pembroke sent an aerial ball over the top which was picked up by Elliott who coolly slotted home for a 3-1 lead.

A two goal deficit was a major problem against a side of Pembroke's quality but Annadale did not give up and pressed forward with pace and skill.

The opposition had to call on all their defensive qualities to keep Annadale at bay.

With six minutes remaining a Downey penalty corner was well saved then two minutes later Annadale scored a deserved goal. Paul Jackson who was dangerous through-out drove along the by-line and somehow managed to score from an acute angle to make the score 2-3.

Anything was possible now and Annadale fought bravely to keep their hopes alive. Sadly it was not to be and the final whistle blew with Annadale on the attack.

The Irish Junior Cup remains in Leinster with Pembroke Wanderers for another year. Overall Pembroke just about merited their victory and the Annadale team acknowledged this after the match.

The runners up medals are a scant reward for a tremendous individual and team performance but the side can return to Lough Moss with their heads high in the knowledge that the large travelling support was proud of their efforts and contribution to an enthralling game.

Results 29 March and 5 April

29 March

Irish Junior Cup Final

Annadale 2nds 2 - 3 Pembroke 2nds

(Connor Allison, Paul Jackson)

Podium Premier League

Lisnagarvey 2 - 0 Annadale

Corporate Coaching Junior League 2

Belfast Harlequins 0 - 2 Annadale 3rds (Tom Pinkerton, Phil King)

Junior League 3

Annadale 4ths 3 - 1 Belfast Harlequins 1

(Noel Connolly, John Edgar, Phil Crawford)

Junior League 6

Mossley 5ths 5 - 3 Annadale 6ths

(Unable to get scorers so far)

April 5

Podium Premier League

Annadale 2 - 4 Bangor

(Steven Redpath, Michael Purcell)

Corporate Coaching Junior League 1

Annadale 2nds 2 - 3 Raphoe 2nds

(Andy McIlwaine, Chris Lemon)

Junior League 3

Annadale 4ths 6 - 1 Lisnagarvey 4ths

(Gary Dempster 3, William Edgar 2, Ali Henderson)

Junior League 4

Annadale 5ths 3 - 2 Cookstown 5ths

(Mike Brown, Tom Pinkerton, Phil Crawford)

A prize an hour, 24 hours a day. Try Big Snap now!

A Match for Veterans/Over 35s

Acomb Mens Hockey Club, from outside York, are coming to Belfast on Friday 29th August for a weekend of hockey and socialising. They would like to play an Annadale team made up of veterans/over 35s but won't mind if there are younger players on the side. They admit they are not the greatest playing side in the world, but what they lack in the playing department, they always make up socialising after the match. They would like to play us on either Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

If you are interested, please contact Lyn Lake on 07790853048 or Noel Connolly on 07795463956 as soon as possible.

U13 semi-final and U15 final

On Sunday 6th April, our U13s will play Lisnagarvey in the semi-finals of the cup at Lough Moss at 3pm. Please come along and support the future stars of our Club.

Unfortunately, the U15s final has had to be postponed as some semi-finals have yet to take place, but a note will be put on the website as soon as we know the date. The venue for the final will be Mossley Hockey Club.

Live: Euro Hockey League

The Euro Hockey League is back in action over Easter, and we at Annadale hold a particular interest in this because Iain Lewers is participating with his current club, HGC of Holland. You can catch action from the EHL on Eurosport 2, which is channel 411 on your SKY system, and there are programmes scheduled as follows:

Saturday 4pm

Sunday 11am

Monday 11am & 1.30pm

Tuesday 3pm

Match Results and Scorers 15th March

Irish Senior Cup Quarter Final

Instonians 2-1 Annadale

Ian Hamilton

Corporate Coaching Junior Leagues

Annadale 3rds 2-3 NICS 2nds

Andy McIlwaine, Alastair Timothy

Ballynahinch 2nds 3-1 Annadale 5ths

Mark Shannon

DO YOU WANT A SEAT?

On 29th March, the 2nd XI will be travelling in their own coach to Dublin to play in the Irish Junior Cup Final, so the supporters will travel in another coach. That means now there are more seats available, but even these are disappearing fast so, if you haven't already done so, contact Lyn Lake as soon as possible to reserve your place (4th XI and 5th XI teams have no match that day, so come along and support the seconds, it promises to be a great day out).

Annadale take on Instonians in ISC

This Saturday (15th March), Annadale are in Irish Senior Cup Quarter Final action against Instonians. The game is taking place at Shaws Bridge and push back is 1pm. As many members of the Dale Army are encouraged to attend this game to support the lads as they aim to reach the semi finals of the competition. Good luck to Andy Smyth and all the 1st XI squad!

Match Result and Scorers 12th March

Podium Premier League

Annadale 5-4 Kilkeel

Ian Hamilton 4, Jonny Quigley

New Section Added To Website

A new "League Tables" section has finally been added to the website. Here you can follow how each mens team at the club is doing in their respective leagues. This section will be updated once a week to coincide with the league fixtures. Also moved to this new section is the top goalscorers chart which is still being topped by Phil Crawford who at the weekend hit the 30 goal mark for the season. Will anyone be able to catch him? Well he hopes not!

Midweek Fixture for 1sts

On Wednesday 12th March (today) Annadale are taking on Kilkeel at Jordanstown in a Podium Premier League fixture. Push back is 8pm for all supporters interested in attending this game.

U15 Success

The U15 team were successful in beating Inst. on Sunday 9th March and have qualified for the final of the U15 Youth Cup in April. The very exciting game finished 3 - 3 and went to penalty strokes, with the Annadale boys coming out on top.

Match Results and Scorers 8th March

Podium Premier League

Cookstown 3-2 Annadale

Steven Redpath, Ian Hamilton

Corporate Coaching Junior Leagues

Annadale 2nds 4-1 Bangor 2nds

Craig Beggs 2, Andrew Downey, Peter Bland

NICS 3rds 1-3 Annadale 3rds

Tom Pinkerton, Craig Beggs, Andy McIlwaine

Annadale 4ths 1-2 Bangor 4ths

Noel Connolly

Raphoe 4ths 1-3 Annadale 5ths

Phil Crawford 2, Andrew Kelly

Annadale 6ths 7-2 Bangor 6ths

David Kerr 2, Tom Pinkerton 2, Mike Haslett, Mathew Allison, David Caruth

Anyone aged over 40? Ireland Veterans Need Your Help!

The club has been approached by a representative of the Over 40's Irish Veterans team about getting players for a 4 Nations tournament to be held in Edinburgh from the 29th - 31st August. The team "urgently requires new blood", so if you are over the age of 40, or will be by the time of the tournament, and are interested in gaining International Honours, send an email to webmaster@annadale.co.uk registering your interest.

Cheers!

Match Results and Scorers 1st March

Congratulations to the 2nds who are through to the Irish Junior Cup Final, knocking out rivals Cookstown 2nds thanks to a stunning golden goal winner from Captain Connor Allison in what was a thrilling game which could have gone either way. Dale will play Pembroke Wanderers 2nds in the final to be held on Saturday 29th March at UCD, more info to follow.

Irish Junior Cup Semi Final

Cookstown 2nds 0-1 Annadale 2nds

Connor Allison

Podium Premier League

Annadale 4-1 Instonians

Chris Jackson, Steven Redpath, Andy McGimpsey, Neil Hamilton

Corporate Coaching Junior Leagues

NICS 2nds 4-1 Annadale 3rds

Andy McIlwaine

Annadale 4ths 6-2 Down 2nds

John Edgar 3, William Edgar, Gary Dempster, Matt Allison

NICS 4ths 3-5 Annadale 5ths

Phil Crawford 2, Will Semple, Tom Pinkerton, Mark Shannon

Annadale 6ths 8-6 Belfast Harlequins 5ths

Andy Williamson 3, David Kerr 2, David Caruth, Matt Pratt, Andy Kirk

Thanks

The Club 'celebrated success' on Saturday 23rd February in Newforge Country Club, with 171 members, supporters, parents and friends of the Club, in what was a great night. Thanks for all your support.

Our thanks are due to all who attended and made the night what it was, to Lake Consulting, Woodlawn Garden Centre and Kenny Morris, for their kind donations. To the staff of Newforge Country Club for all their help.

To Elvis (alias Andy Rodgers) and Frank Sinatra (alias Jason Maguire) for the superb entertainment and to Brian Caruth for his superb organisation of the 'Reverse Bingo'.

Next season the Club celebrates its 40th year. Planning will start soon ............have you any thoughts on the format?

Match Results and Scorers 23rd/24th February

Congratulations to the 2nds who comprehensively beat Armagh to book their spot in the Semi Finals of the Irish Junior Cup, to be held this Saturday 1^{st March away to Cookstown 2nds at 2.30pm, so any support would be very welcome to the lads. Good luck to Captain Connor Allison and the rest of his squad.}^{Podium Premier League
Banbridge 2-2 AnnadalePeter Purcell, Peter Caruth
Irish Junior Cup Quarter Final
Armagh 0–6 Annadale 2ndsScott Dickson, Paul Jackson, Andrew Downey, Peter Bland 2, William Edgar
Corporate Coaching Junior Leagues
Annadale 3rds 6-1 South Antrim 2ndsPhil King, Phil Crawford, Andrew Hodgins, Andrew McIlwaine, David Deane 2
Instonians 3rds 1-1 Annadale 4thsMatthew Allison
Annadale 5ths v Portrush 2ndsPoints awarded to Annadale; Portrush scratched
Instonians 5ths v Annadale 6thsMatch Postponed
Ulster Youth Cup Quarter Finals
Annadale U13’s 5-0 Lisnagarvey U13’sMichael Robson, Chris Heath, David Whittington, Michael Cartmill 2
Annadale U15’s 6-0 Lisnagarvey U15’sAndrew Carr, Philip Douglas, Sam McCormick 2, Andrew Williamson 2}

Celebrating 40 years

Annadale Hockey Club have received an invitation from Belfast Harlequins who are celebrating 40 years of mens hockey at Deramore Park. They are holding a black tie dinner dance on Saturday 15th March in the pavilion at Deramore, with guest speaker ex Northern Ireland and Manchester United footballer, Norman Whiteside, and top quality band Otis and the Elevators. The night kicks off at 7pm with a drinks reception courtesy of Magners and the bar will remain open until the small hours. The tickets cost £45, and if you are interested in going, please contact Lyn Lake asap.

Junior Cup Matches

This Sunday 24th February 2008 will be a bumper cup day for juniors at Lough Moss, when Annadale play Lisnagarvey club Hillsborough in the Ulster Branch Cups.

At 2pm the U13s play, followed by the U15s at 3.15pm. Hopefully there will be a good crowd to see a feast of hockey from both clubs.

Match Reports and Results 16th February

Corporate Coaching Junior League 1

Annadale 2nds v North Down 2nds

Annadale failed to live up their label of favourites losing their league match 2-1 to visitors North Down 2nds. This despite having the advantage of playing on the water based pitch at Ulster University Jordanstown which should have suited Annadale's style of play.

In an ideal world, the home team would have produced a good, solid confidence boosting performance with next weeks Irish Junior cup quarter final against Armagh in mind, however in reality, the performance the home team gave was was disappointing .

Annadale took an early lead through an Andrew Downey penalty corner, however North Down managed to score two poor goals either side of half time to seal the win.

The team produced isolated periods of good play and showed that the ability is still there to achieve a high finish in the League and continue their Irish Junior Cup run.
Hopefully the two training sessions this week will prepare the team for victory in Saturday's important Cup tie.

Ulster Junior Shield

Annadale 4ths v Instonians 3rds

This 3rd round match at Lough Moss went the way of the visitors Instonians who although only winning 4-3 did so with a degree of comfort.

Instonians playing some good hockey opened up a deserved 2-0 lead within twenty minutes.

In the 8th minute Thomas Welshman scored the first goal following a fast passing movement which started on the half line.Then 10 minutes later Paul Rogers found space in a packed defence to drill home number two for Inst.

Annadale battled their way back into the game and John Edgar saw his snap-shot sail narrowly over the bar.

Annadale's pressure paid off in the 28th minute when a Peter Pollock penalty corner shot was blocked and in the scramble for the loose ball Matt Allison was on hand to nip in and score at the right hand post.

Instonians responded but some good defensive work from Alistair Timothy kept their forwards at bay.

At the other end with the clock ticking down to half time a neat touch from Noel Connolly was well saved and Inst turned round with a 2-1 lead.

The visitors started the second half as they did the first attacking the Annadale circle. Fortunately goalkeeper Sam Brown was in form and made two excellent reflex saves.

Then Annadale in their first attack of the half broke away and a five pass move concluded with an accurate ball from the left to Tom Pinkerton on the right. Pinkerton, calm as ever, equalised with a firm shot into the backboards.

The turning point of the match came in the 45th minute when Instonians scored two goals within a minute. Former Annadale player Charlie Marks knocked in the first and then Josh McLean ensured victory with the second placing Inst ahead 4-2.

Once again Annadale upped their game and drove forward seeking quick goals but a solid Inst defence denied the attackers any scoring opportunities.

With 15 minutes remaining a Peter Pollock penalty corner on it's way to the roof of the net was brilliantly saved by the Inst keeper. Then with 7 minutes on the clock a well rehearsed corner resulted in Gary Dempster sweeping the ball high into the net to reduce the deficit to one goal.

Despite making every effort the equaliser did not arrive and Annadale were out of the Cup.

Whilst Instonians were worthy of the win the Annadale team played well with Captain Alistair Timothy leading by example and working non-stop in his quest for victory.

Annadale 5ths v Mossley 4ths

Annadale lost this hard fought exciting cup tie 4-1 to an impressive Mossley side.

A good crowd of supporters from both Clubs gathered at Lough Moss hoping for a good game. They were not to be disappointed as the teams produced attacking end to end hockey with plenty of goals and near misses.

Annadale were the first to show when in the opening minute a Matt Murray cross was deflected onto the crossbar by Will Semple and seconds later the same player was unlucky to see his shot crash against the post.

Minutes later Mossley broke out of defence and into the opposition circle to be awarded the first penalty corner of the match. The shot was superbly taken off the line by Paul Caskey. However Annadale were unable to clear the ball out of the twenty five and Mossley on the next attack earned another corner. This was saved but only at the cost of a further corner. This time Richard Dodsworth made no mistake to open the scoring.

Back to the other end and a Phil Crawford corner was saved . The rebound fell to Andrew Kelly whose shot sped inches over the bar.

The game ebbed and flowed and Annadale keeper Paul Irwin made a number of fine saves from two penalty corners and also the follow up shots.

With five minutes of the half remaining a powerful rising shot from Will Semple deflected off the Mossley keepers chestpad into the path of Tim Lowry who coolly slotted home for the equaliser.

Mossley started the second half in the ascendancy and in the 45th minute Dodsworth scrambled a goal in the midst of a crowded circle.

Dougie Sleith and Paul Childs pushed Mossley forward and only good keeping from Irwin stopped the game slipping away from Annadale.

The pressure eventually told when Dodsworth completed his hat-trick to give Mossley a 3-1 lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Whilst Mossley looked the stronger side the tension remained as Annadale always looked capable of scoring with players like Crawford and Semple on the hunt in the circle.

The match ended as a contest in the 65th minute when Mossley forward Ryan Cooke was left clear in the circle to score and give his team a 4-1 victory and progress to Round 4 of the Cup.

Minor Shield

Annadale 6ths v Mossley 5ths

Annadale 6ths took on a stronger Mossley 5ths in the cup than who they had defeated in the league the week before, and the changes seemed to have helped Mossley who ran out winners by 3-1.

Annadale started off well with Simon Capper and Andy Williamson making good runs into the Mossley area, and Annadale won the first few corners, the first Mike Haslett switched the ball back to Matt Pratt who's effort hit the side netting, and the 2nd, Haslett switched it to Robbie Idle who's tame effort rebounded off the post, but no Dale players were on hand to pick up the pieces and Mossley cleared the danger. It was really end to end stuff, with Matt McRoberts in goal keeping Annadale in it with some very good saves. 3 other incidents happened in the 1st half, the first being a Mossley player getting their head cut open after being accidentally caught by Cappers stick, the 2nd being Cappers finger getting broken by a Mossley player after an accidental clash, and lastly, Mossley taking the lead from a 4th short corner rebound after Dale failed to clear the danger.

The second half was more of the same, Annadale pressed forward in numbers but found it hard to penetrate the veteran and experienced Mossley defence. Dale had a few more short corners, Haslett first shooting narrowly wide, and then his shot blocked by the running defender. With 8 minutes left, Mossley took advantage of Dale pushing men forward by getting another goal and extending their lead, and two minutes later they were 3-0 up, Matt McRoberts who was in goal went to retrieve the ball which had gone out of play, and whilst returning to his goal Mossley basically played it into an open net. The 6ths didnt let this affect them and with 3 minutes left they got one back, Mike Haslett scoring with a powerful shot from a short corner. It was a case of too little too late for Annadale, and its Mossley who go through to the next round. Thanks to the supporters who showed up, and Rory Capper for umpiring.

Match Reports and Results 9th February

Podium Anderson Cup

Kilkeel v Annadale

Annadale travelled down to Kilkeel for their last game in this years Podium Anderson Cup. Having lost to both Lisnagarvey and Banbridge this game was meaningless if only to get some improvement in the teams morale. They came out winners by the odd goal in nine, but it was anything but convincing and at times the home team embarrassed the league champions.

Kilkeel were the sharper team from the start and took the lead after only five minutes. Johnny Aitken had went close before Adam Agnew split the Annadale defense and laid the ball square for Walter Graham to tap in at the back post. 1-0. Annadale equalised within minutes from an unlikely source. David Robb had seen his shot parried by Sam Morris in the Kilkeel net, but the ball fell kindly for Garath Kidd to slap into the net. 1-1.

Annadale built up some momentum and Both Peter Purcell and Peter Caruth saw their shots well saved by Morris and then Fraser Mills struck the post with a snap shot from the edge of the circle.

Both teams exchanged penalty corners without success until near half time, when again from a penalty corner Chris Jackson picked up the ball in recycled play and threw it over a prostrate Morris to put Annadale into the lead at the break.

Kilkeel came out for the second half and their tactics were as simple as they were effective. Every time Annadale pushed their defense upfield, Kilkeel dropped three players in behind them and within minutes it had paid dividends. Johnny Moore was left defenseless as the Kilkeel forward line passed the ball around him before Graham again slotted home the equaliser.

This seemed to spark Annadale into life and they had a fifteen minute period where they controlled the game. Chris Jackson and Johnny Quigley were opening up Kilkeel down the right and Aaron Mills in support won them a penalty corner. Ian Hamilton finally found the net with his fourth attempt to give his team the lead back and then a superb solo effort by Quigley eased Annadale into a 4-2 lead.

Things looked done and dusted when Peter Caruth got on the end of a pass to score from David Smyth who had run straight through a dogged Kilkeel midfield. 5-2. However Kilkeel had other ideas. Their tactics again paid off and they were helped by a dithering defense who conceeded two goals in quick succession when they were left chasing shadows. William Annett and Craig Cunningham couldn't believe the amount of space they were afforded as they pulled the score back to 5-4.

Annadale looked shell shocked and were lucky not to only come away with a draw. William Annett, who had been tormenting the Annadale defense, managed to penetrate again and was just about to shoot into an open net when the final whistle blew.

Kilkeel will take more from this game than Annadale and perhaps because it had no real meaning Annadale were not trying as hard as they could have. When they can be prised open so easily by lowly Kilkeel they will need to get their act together before the league kicks in again in a fortnight.

Irish Junior Cup 3rd Round

Annadale 2nds v Weston 2nds

On Saturday afternoon at a sunkissed Lough Moss Annadale 2nds took on Weston 2nds in the Irish Junior cup to see who would go on to meet Armagh in the Quarter finals later this month.

Annadale started the game brightly and as expected had alot of the ball in the early stages, however Weston made it difficult for the home side to create any clean cut chances and the score remained 0-0 for the opening 20 minutes.

Annadales breakthrough wasnt long in coming though, as Connor Allison found Paul Jackosn on the bye line with a neat thgouh ball, and jacskon played in John Mcdermott at the back post to open the scoring. 1-0.

Half time 1-0.

The second half was going to be tough for the visiting team as you felt that if Annadale could get a goal early on the `flood gates` could open.

Annadale did get the goal they were looking for through Jackon, however weston did not crumble and did well to thwart the home sides attacking style.

As the half went on Jackson scored his second of the game, Chris Lemon also got himself on the scoresheet and Andy Downey also got a fine goal from open play to round off the scoring.

In the latter stages Annadale were fortunate to be awarded a stroke, from which Connor Allison was unlucky to hit the post. He will not be taking anymore strokes this season!

Credit must go to Weston who never gave up and gave a good account of themselves, but in the end it was a comprehensive victory for the home side, and they now go on looking to win their 5th Junior cup since the turn of the millenium.

Corporate Coaching Junior Leagues

Mossley 2nds v Annadale 3rds

Annadale 3rds slipped out of contention for league honours following their 3-2 defeat by league leaders Mossley 2nds.

The team battled to the end and indeed held a 2-0 lead at half time.
Mossley had the majority of possession but goalkeeper Sam Browne was in fine form and denied the Mossley forwards the opening goal.
Despite the pressure the Annadale defence was sound and with James Cousley controlling the midfield made several dangerous forays into the Mossley circle.
In the 12th minute Andy McIlwaine made a fast break passing to Alan Baker who crossed to Phil Crawford for Crawford to open the scoring with a well directed shot.
Annadale increased their lead in the 27th minute when Phil King lashed a reverse stick shot into the roof of the net for a 2-0 halftime lead.

Mossley continued to press forward and were rewarded with two quick goals in the opening ten minutes of the half to equalise. Reuben McNaughton and Andy Hodgins were producing great performances for Annadale and with Matt Pratt as solid as a rock at the back the team supporters were confident of winning at least a point.
However Mossley had other ideas and scored their third goal in the 61st minute to take the lead. The game ebbed and flowed for the final 9 minutes but Mossley held on to win and maintain their position at the top of the league.

Annadale 4ths v Portadown 2nds

Annadale averaging four goals a game surprisingly failed to score and lost this game played on the water based pitch at University of Ulster 1-0 to Portadown.
The visitors were a well organised side and enjoyed the better of the first half exchanges.
In the 19th minute the Portadown centre-forward took advantage of a defensive lapse to open the scoring and give his team a deserved lead which they took into the second half.
Annadale improved their game after a half-time team talk from Captain Alistair Timothy. A number of fluent attacking moves failed due to Annadales inability to convert the chances into goals.
The teams play warranted a draw but this was one of those days when the ball would not hit the back of the net. Portadown held on to improve their league position and move two points closer to Annadale who despite defeat still sit proudly at the top of the table.
Man of the match award went to Phil Irvine for his positive and skilful play throughout. Goalkeeper Paul Irwin whilst not having a lot to do impressed with his coolness and confidence when called upon.

Mossley 4ths v Annadale 5ths

Mossley comfortably won this important league game 4-1 to maintain their second place position and relegate Annadale to mid-table and out of contention for league honours.

The home team were on top for most of the game and deserved to take a 2-0 lead into the second half.
Annadale through Mark Shannon hit back early in the half to bring his team back into the match at 2-1. Then a controversial umpiring decision gave a goal to Mossley to increase their lead to 3-1.
Mossley went on to close out the match with a fourth goal and gain the points vital for their league challenge.
Despite good performances from Right-back Ross Baxter and left mid-field Andy Kelly this was a poor team contribution. In mitigation due to ice bound pitches the team have not had a match for four weeks
and the lack of match practice was evident today.
Hopefully last Saturdays game and this weeks training will have the team well prepared for the Cup match this weekend.

Annadale 6ths v Mossley 5ths

Annadale won the points at Lough Moss with a 2-1 victory over Mossley.

This was a tough but exciting match between two well matched sides.
Annadale took the lead through Robbie Idle who skilfully converted a cross from David Kerr in the 17th minute.
Ten minutes later Mossley were awarded a penalty stroke which they confidently scored to equalise.
The half-time score of 1-1 was a fair reflection of the play at that stage.
The home team looked the stronger in the second half and pressed for the winner for most of the half.
This eventually arrived with just three minutes remaining. Once again it was Robbie Idle who scored following a series of saved shots with a strong well placed ball into the corner of the net.
The points take the team clear of relegation and into the comfort of a mid-table place.
Robbie Idle received the man of the match award for his two valuable goals. Also worthy of mention was Stuart Cartmill who showed potential in only his second game in the senior club and Captain Paul Getty maintaining his consistent form with another fine performance.

GOOD LUCK TO THE ULSTER SENIOR INTERPRO TEAM

Just to wish David Smyth, Peter Caruth and Neil Hamilton all the best for the Senior Interpros this weekend at Three Rock Rovers, Grange Road, Dublin. Guys, please make sure the Cup stays in Ulster for another year.

MUCH IN DEMAND

Demand for tickets for the Club Night on Saturday 23rd February at Newforge has been high. Currently there are 9 of the 160 tickets left. Anyone requiring a ticket should book before this Saturday 16th February. The organisers are meeting with staff at Newforge early next week and will check out the possibility of allocating a few more places.

Hockey Galore

IRELAND U16 AND U18 v ENGLAND (BOYS)

UCD BELFIELD, DUBLIN

Wed. 13th February 2.30pm Ireland U18 v England U18

4.30pm Ireland U16 v England U16

Thurs. 14th February 1.30pm Ireland U16 v England U16

4.30pm Ireland U18 v England U18

Fri. 15th February 10.30am Ireland U16 v England U16

12.30pm Ireland U18 v England U18

MENS SENIOR INTERPROS

15TH - 17TH FEBRUARY THREE ROCK ROVERS, GRANGE ROAD, DUBLIN

Fri. 15th February 8.00pm Leinster v Ulster

Sat. 16th February 1.00pm Ulster v Munster

Sun. 17th February 1.00pm Leinster v Munster

Lost Trainers

The Balance trainers found on Saturday at Lough Moss have been claimed and will shortly be reunited with their owner (a 2nd XI player)!!

Bumper Weekend 28th - 30th March, UCD, Belfield

March 28th - 30th boasts a bumper packed three days of top hockey. The Ladies Irish Senior Cup Final and the mens and ladies Irish Junior Cup finals take place plus the Irish ladies will play Great Britain in a three match clash over the same weekend. All under 16s go free.

SCHEDULE OF MATCHES

Friday 28th March 7.00/7.30pm Ireland v Great Britain (w)

Saturday 29th March 12.00 noon ESB Irish Junior Cup final (w)

2.30pm Mens Irish Junior Cup final

5.00pm Ireland v Great Britain (w)

Sunday 30th March 11.00/11.30am Ireland V Great Britain (w)

2.25pm ESB Irish Senior Cup Final (w)

TO BOOK TICKETS/SECURE SEATS PLEASE EMAIL KATIE.ROCHE@HOCKEY.IE

Club Social Night with Elvis and Frank

On Saturday 23 February the Club is holding a social evening at the Newforge Country Club, Newforge Lane, Belfast, starting at 7.30pm sharp. The evening will give all those involved in the Club an opportunity to come together, in what is the only planned event for the year. It is hoped players, wives and girlfriends, FOAAM members and parents of junior club members will support the event and help celebrate the success the Club has had and continues to have in Ulster and Irish hockey.

Tickets are priced at £20, which includes a fork supper and entertainment. The Club has booked two tribute artists, Elvis and Frank, to ensure that everyone has a night to remember. This is an evening not to be missed and we urge you to bring as many of your friends from outside the Club with you as possible.

Tickets are available from Brian Caruth on 07768567421 or Ronnie Smyth on 02897564464.

The evening will start at 7.30pm sharp, with medal presentations to the 1st XI (Kirk Cup), 3rd XI (McClements Cup) and the mighty 6th XI of last year. Food will be served at 8pm, with the music starting soon afterwards.

Please ring now to book your tickets which are already in demand. Make a special effort to attend, bring your friends and dress as you please, but make it smart if casual.

Match Reports and Results 2nd February

Podium Anderson Cup

Banbridge v Annadale

Annadale travelled to Banbridge on Saturday, for what was a must win game to keep awake their hopes of retaining the Podium Anderson Cup. It turned out an exciting game, which when over,both coaches agreed was spoiled by bad umpires. It was one of many poor decisions that cost Annadale the game and meant Banbridge won 3-2 and progress with Lisnagarvey from that group into the semi-finals.

Annadale had much the better of the first half and took an early lead. A quickly taken free hit on the 23m line, was deflected across Lennox in the Banbridge net by an on rushing Peter Caruth and then within two minutes they had an opportunity to extend their lead. Fraser Mills won a penalty corner but it's execution was flawed and Scott McCandless cleared the danger.

There was little or no further goalmouth action in the first half, with Johnny Moore, the Annadale keeper, being more or less redundant. Things were to change quickly in the second period. Half time 0-1.

Within three minutes of the restart, Dermot Reay picked out Simon Magowan on the edge of the Annadale area. With his defence awol, Moore rushed out to smother the shot, only for Magowan to deftly slip the ball past him and into the net. 1-1. Having clawed back level, the momentum was with the home team and within minutes the Annadale defence gifted them another goal. David McAnulty sent a cross ball into the circle, which pinged around the defenders who failed to clear it. Magowan nipped in again to drive the ball between Moore's legs and give Banbridge the lead for the first time. 2-1.

Just when it looked as though Banbridge would build on their advantage, Johnny Quigley forced a great save from Lennox before delivering a sweet cross to Caruth at the back of the circle. He slammed a fierce shot which Lennox could only parry and it looped over his head and between two defenders to find the back of the net. Annadale were level.

With the momentum swinging back in Annadale's favour the first moment of controversy arose. Colin Dowds lashed a ball into the Annadale circle which came off Mark Kendall's stick for what should have been a long corner. The umpire claimed that Stephen Dowds had got a touch on it's way towards net and awarded Banbridge a goal. The Annadale players were livid and to compound their frustration, the umpire sent off Fraser Mills for his legitimate questioning of the decision. Immediately afterwards, Aaron Mills was also sin-binned when he took out his frustration in a tackle on Bruce McCandless.

To be honest, Annadale probably played some of their best hockey of the game when reduced to nine men and even the Banbridge coaching team were astounded when Annadale were denied three cast iron penalty corner shouts in the dying minutes. They may have scraped a draw, but that wouldn't have been good enough anyway. They didn't deserve to win, but again they didn't deserve to lose.

Annadale are on their travels again this week, when they play Kilkeel in the last group game. It will be effectively a dead rubber, but Annadale will look to achieve a convincing win, to if nothing less, restore some confidence in a team that has taken a bit of a bashing so far this year.