Nenagh Hockey Club

Under 18 Girls: Nenagh 9-1 Castletroy

Nenagh took on rivals Castletroy in the Munster League in Thurles at the weekend.

Top of the table Nenagh have had some epic battles with Castletroy through the years and this is always a key fixture in the calendar. In Munster league hockey, both teams are required to provide an umpire who officiates over the match from one of the sidelines. Both umpires discuss calls and controversial decisions together. Castletroy were unable to provide an umpire so Nenagh's Coach stepped in to officiate together with Nenagh umpire John Benn.

Nenagh started strongly and it was evident within the first ten minutes that they were the stronger of the two teams. Goals by Aoibhinn Murphy, Grace Mulrooney and Katya Shorten set the tone. Lots of fouling in the D saw multiple short corners awarded and Nenagh mixed up their usual formation and put Ruby Benn as striker on the set play. Benn showed her class and skill by scoring with impressive drag flicks on two occasions. Without a coach on the sidelines, Nenagh could’ve lost their shape, however this group of players are a cohesive and experienced group and despite changing their formations and attacking strategies, they continued to put Castletroy under pressure time and again scoring some fine goals in the process. Castletroy kept defending and following a well defended shot on goal, they went on a counter-run which caught the Nenagh defence and goalkeeper off guard, and they came away with a score. It was small consolation though and when Elizabeth Dunne scored a stunning goal with a reverse stick Tomahawk shot from left of the D, Castletroy heads finally began to drop. The final whistle blew on what was another comprehensive victory for the girls in white. They face an altogether tougher challenge next week when they take on Cork team, CofI at home in Thurles in what is sure to be a tight game for the league leaders.

Under 16 Girls: Crescent 1-1 Nenagh

Nenagh took on league leaders Crescent HC in Crescent College at the weekend.

The home side would’ve approached this game expecting a win against a much less experienced Nenagh team who have been training very well - players in key areas of the pitch have stepped up their game this year. The team have a solid spine and a lot of skill and have shown that they can go toe to toe with any Munster team on any given day.

The opening quarter saw a strong start by Nenagh. Strong attacking runs by Lorna Ryan and Hollie O’Brien put the Crescent defence on high alert. The home side had their share of go-forward ball in the opening minutes but Hannah Delaney and Isabelle Hegarty combined well to keep them out.

The second quarter started much the same as the first with Nenagh attacking strongly with athletic runs by Ryan and O’Brien that were defended well. Jennifer Kennedy was called upon to make massive clearances when a wave of attack from Crescent put Nenagh under pressure. The Limerick side eventually opened the scoring with a well-worked goal. Crescent now sensed that there were more scores possible and they put massive amounts of pressure on the Nenagh defence with Goalkeeper Isabelle Smith making some great saves.

Strong clearances from Ellen Fitzpatrick and Isabelle Hegarty thwarted some Crescent runs and allowed Nenagh to counter-attack. Jennifer Kennedy and Lorna Ryan combined well but a shot on goal was saved. Nenagh conceded another short corner shortly thereafter which again was defended well.

Ruby Mae Bourke ran some lovely lines and received a perfectly weighted pass from Isabelle Hegarty. Zara Byrne put herself in the perfect position to receive the ball from Bourke and Nenagh scored their equaliser.

Byrne had another shot on goal shortly thereafter which was saved. What followed was a frantic few minutes with both teams defence put under pressure. It was anyone's game right up to the final whistle. Strong defence from Hannah Delaney and tireless running by Hollie O’Brien, gave Nenagh a few last minute chances but they could not find their way past a strong Crescent defence.

The game ended 1-1 in what was a highly entertaining encounter and some super hockey was played. It was a great team performance from Nenagh - strong and steady defending combined with athleticism and a high work rate in midfield and in the forwards. The girls will rue some of their chances in front of goal but against the league leaders this was definitely a strong showing by the Nenagh side. Their next fixture is against Limerick HC on December 7th.

Under 14 Girls: The U14 teams who were in the unfortunate position of having to play back-to-back matches in blitz format against Thurles. The blitz format is sometimes employed when fixtures get postponed and while it is useful to ensure the schedule progresses it can be difficult on the teams. Hockey is a faced paced game requiring a high level of fitness and stamina so back to back games are challenging.

Nenagh took on two teams from Thurles. Fresh from their impressive win over Clonmel last weekend, the girls were keen to build on that performance.

It was evident from the first whistle that Thurles were a good team, and the game was tightly contested with neither team able to break through the defences to pull ahead. Another strong performance by back Ellen Malone and goalkeeper Aibhlin Cantwell, denied Thurles opportunities to pull ahead. Some lovely wide passing from Nenagh's midfield unlocked Mae Gannon on the wing and she took her score well to give Nenagh the lead. The Nenagh forwards threatened the Thurles goal on several occasions but failed to be clinical and were left to rue some missed chances to put daylight between the two teams early on. Thurles sensed that an equaliser was on the cards and despite some brave defence by Nenagh, they eventually broke through in the last minute of the game to draw the match 1-1.

In game 2, the Nenagh side had little time to reflect on the game as they began to warm up other members of the squad for the second fixture. This was a great opportunity for many of the newer squad members to get some essential match time.

The game began at a high tempo with both teams again looking very evenly matched. Thurles had some strong players in midfield and some quick passing after a free was awarded saw them score a relatively soft goal. Nenagh responded with some good play and were unlucky not to score an equaliser. A second goal by Thurles put the Nenagh team under pressure to chase the game. The use of a larger squad was beneficial in allowing frequent substitutions and giving all players game time. Like all sports, substitutions, particularly in key areas of the field, caused Nenagh to lose their shape at times and they struggled to string passes together to unlock the forward line. Despite a few opportunities in front of the Thurles goal the score remained 2-0 to Thurles at the final whistle.

While disappointed with the result in the second match, coaches and management were happy to have given the full squad a run and newcomers Lauren Cleary and Dorothy Hackett (GK) show great promise.

Under 8: On Sunday morning, our U8’s were invited to play a friendly blitz at Catholic Institute Hockey grounds on. The girls had a super day, played some really good hockey, and enjoyed trying out their new found hockey skills against their Limerick peers. A great day was had by all at this well organised and fun blitz.