BY MICHAEL O’LEARY
As the season will begin to wind down over the next month or so, Kilkenny Hockey Club has been a hive of activity throughout a busy season.
The Club has 15 teams competing in The Leinster League between The Men and Ladies Team’s, and this season The Ladies 1st Team made history by competing in the EYHL Hockey League for the very first time and they were playing against the elite of Irish Hockey.
The Kilkenny Ladies began their EYHL adventure away to Cork Harlquins in Cork in January, before playing their first home game on the February Bank Holiday weekend as host to Belfast Harlequins in Kilkenny College.
They got their first win in The EYHL League two weeks later as they defeated Greenmills 2-0.
The Ladies 1st Team also compete in Division 1 of The Leinster League, while their 2nds Team compete in Division 10 of The Leinster League.
Meanwhile for the first time this season, Kilkenny Ladies have a 3rd Team competing in The Leinster League in Division 11.
The Kilkenny Mens 1sts Team compete in Division 1A of The Leinster League, while their 2nds Team are in Division 3.
The Mens 1sts Team qualified for The Semi-Final of The Irish Hockey Trophy following an emphatic 5-0 trouncing of Bray, but unfortunately they lost 5-1 to Kilkeel in The Semi-Final.
A highlight also for The Mens was their 2nds winning 5-0 against Naas in February with George Smyth scoring all five goals.
Also, their were International call-ups recently for some of The Kilkenny Ladies.
Clair Phelan has made the Irish ladies Over 35 training squad for the upcoming four nations, while Jess Cary has been selected for the Irish Masters Indoor Team.
Also, Niamh Spratt O’Shea and Linda Caulfield have been selected on the Irish Over 45s team.
It’s a magnificent acheivement for all of them to be selected at Intrnational level, and it highlights the terrific talent involved within the Club.
The Ladies Team train in Kilkenny College on Tuesdays and Thursday nights at 7.30pm, while the Mens Team also train on Tuesdays and Thursday Nights at 7.30pm in The Loreto.
Also, there is a very busy and thriving Junior section for Boys and Girls from 4-16 years old.
For information check out The Kilkenny Hockey Club website on https://kilkennyhc.com/ for further details as to how to get involved and also for upcoming events.
Finally, their is an End of Year Social Night on Saturday 20th of April in Langtons. All are welcome and a great night is guaranteed!
