David Cole’s shoulder has opened the door for Richard Sykes to step up to the Irish panel for the second Spanish training camp, giving the Town three days in which to come up with a new corner go-to man and a considerable rock in their defence.

With switch-left, and forward talisman, Gareth Watkins also gone it robs some more of their scoring prowess – 19 goals between the pair – while creator-in-chief Stephen Cole is also out.

He is awaiting an MRI scan following a collision with Peter English after which Monkstown lost much of their spark, allowing Railway to come back and grab a draw.

Dave Fitzgerald’s international commitments have been eased somewhat by the arrival of Irish U-18 keeper Mark Ingram from Railway earlier in January but, with Frank Ryan and Gavin O’Halloran also unavailable, the sky-blues are scrambling.

Rovers’ plight is less severe though Stephen West has been one of their standouts this year with cover hard to come by between the posts while Garry Ringwood has scored two in two since returning to the forward line, replacing Peter Blakeney.

All the ties this weekend have an air of unpredictability about them. YMCA are another sides with a rake of absentees with David Robinson joined on the long-term list by Andy Walker with a broken bone in his hand, robbing them of a pair of Leinster provincial regulars.

With Nick Burke now in France, their date with Railway is suitably tricky. Railway have the first semblances of injury issues, themselves, after scarcely a bruise in the first half of the season.

Mark English missed last week’s game with a neck issue, as did Eoin MacArtur with concussion, but both might return. Fiachra Maher’s groin, however, is a concern and kept him out of the majority of the date with the Town last time out

It is now or never for Clontarf when they meet UCD at the bullring on Saturday with a loss all but condemning them to tenth and a second successive yo-yo between the divisions.

On the plus side for Gareth Borland’s side is that two of the students more effective operators are absent with Conor Motyer and Shane O’Donoghue abroad but there is class in the likes of Patrick Shanahan, Keith Kenning and David Watkins that needs to tamed.

Aussies Maverick Yow and James Gurbiel, along with Rob Kelly, are central to their hopes but Andy Poynter is likely to miss the guts of the rest of the season with international cricket commitments, as he was named in the Ireland side to go to South Africa and then Dubai later this month.

Fingal and Glenanne usually provides plenty of drama with sparks often flying but the Glens will be hoping to keep their wits about them to profit from any slip from the two sides ahead of them. Joe Brennan remains on the recovery trail but they have found new scoring outlets this term with Richie Shaw (seven) and Jonathan Kane (ten) stepping up to the mark.

The Airport side’s half-court game frustrated Pembroke last time around and may be put into effect again, looking for the pace of Tom Manning and Adrian Sweeney to work the channels.

Corinthian and Pembroke, meanwhile, is a tie with potential to thrill as both prefer the open, flowing style. Davy Carson will aim to use his unique range of skills against his former club and can count himself unlucky – along with opponent Alan Sothern – not to get a call to Paul Revington’s latest selection.

Pembroke continue to be without Mossie Elliott and Timmy Hill but Patrick Good is back on the training paddock and contesting a place. Corinthian hope to add Neil Young after illness.

In division two, the rollercoaster continued in midweek with Weston hoping for the side that battled effectively in midweek to snatch a draw at Sutton rather than the one that capitulated against Avoca.

A third away day within seven days is tough going but Rathgar have lost twice at home in-a-row to see their promotion challenge falter as a half-dozen absentees have taken their toll.

The latter of those losses was to Mullingar who can now look to the remainder of the season with a monkey off their back. Chris Bull’s return and some other injury returns have buoyed Michael Gibson-Brabazon’s men and they will hope to catch an in-form Trinity off guard.

Suttonians will go top with any sort of result against Portrane in Glasnevin as Avoca are on the bye weekend. The Neville Davin Cup tips off on Sunday with plenty of evenly matched ties.

The Irish Junior Cup second round also takes place this weekend with five Leinster sides surviving thus far. Pembroke and Corinthian’s derby is the highlight from a local perspective.

Men’s Leinster Division One (Saturday): YMCA vs Railway Union, 1.15pm, Milltown; Clontarf vs UCD, 2pm, Mount Temple; Monkstown vs Three Rock Rovers,3pm, Rathdown; Fingal vs Glenanne, 1.30pm, ALSAA; Corinthian vs Pembroke Wanderers, 1pm, Whitechurch Park

Division Two: Portrane vs Suttonians, 1.30pm, Holy Faith, Glasnevin; Dublin University vs Mullingar, 12.45pm, Grange Road; Rathgar vs Weston, 2pm, High School

Neville Davin Cup (Sunday): Avoca vs Dublin University, 3pm, Newpark; Portrane vs Mullingar, 1pm, The Maws; Rathgar vs Weston, 1pm, High School; Suttonians vs Navan, 4pm, Sutton Park

Men’s Irish Junior Cup (Saturday): Lisnagarvey v Bandon, 1pm, Comber Road; Newry v Banbridge, 4pm, Newry Olympic; TRR v Bangor, 2.30pm, Grange Road; Pembroke v Corinthian, 1.30pm, Serpentine Avenue; Raphoe v Cookstown, 1pm, Royal and Prior; Annadale v YMCA, 1pm, Lough Moss; Suttonians v Cork C of I, 3pm, Sutton Park; Kilkeel v Antrim, 4pm, Kilkeel HS

It was quite the turnaround for the northern university who lost out 1-0 in the intervarsities to Trinity. It is the sole second round tie to take place in Leinster as Portrane, Suttonians, Weston and division two table-toppers Avoca are sent to different corners of the country.

Avoca’s looks the most winnable trip off the back of their early season form as they travel to the seaside to play Bangor, recently relegated and struggling in Senior One without a win to their name.

Suttonians make the journey to Donegal to play Raphoe, never an easy place to travel, having pushed Monkstown close in recent times, while Portrane go to Limerick to face Catholic Institute.

Portadown is Weston’s task, a really tough tie following an impressive start to the campaign. UCC finally received a home tie as they were paired with Antrim while holders South Antrim play an Ulster derby against Campbellians.

It was one of four competitions drawn at the IHA offices on Monday. On the women’s side of the competition, Bray face Clontarf in an all-division three clash.

North Kildare are currently Leinster’s second highest ranked side in this competition and look a decent bet against Ulster Senior Two outfit Kilkeel on home turf.

Newbridge’s impressive start in division two sees them bring form into a trip to face Ballymena while YMCA debut in the competition against Munster division one side UL who recently shocked Cork Harlequins for a famous win.

2011 Challenge finalists Kilkenny have been paired with Saintfield while St James’ Gate’s reward for ousting Portrush – Dave Smith on the mark – sets them against PSNI at the Iveagh Grounds in the final eight.

Two Leinster sides contest the quarter-finals of the women’s Challenge, too, with Botanic welcoming Cashel New Inn for the first time in their history. Monkstown, though, continue to pick up tough draws, travelling to Parkview who are going reasonably well in Senior Three.

Men’s Irish Hockey Trophy, round two (November 26): Raphoe v Suttonians; Cliftonville v Armagh; Portadown v Weston; South Antrim v Campbellians; Bangor v Avoca; Rathgar Chiefs v Queens University; UCC v Antrim; Catholic Institute v Portrane

ESB Electric Ireland Irish Hockey Trophy, second round (November 26): Weston v Dromore; Portadown v Genesis; Waterford v Naas; Our Lady’s v Greenfields; North Kildare v Kilkeel, Bandon v Cork Church of Ireland; Suttonians v Wexford; Cookstown v Galway; Ashton v Knock; North Down v NICS; Victorians v Greenisland; Bray v Clontarf; YMCA v UL; Ballymena v Newbridge; Omagh v Muckross; Fermoy v Larne

Men’s Irish Hockey Challenge, Round 2 draw (November 19): Ballynahinch v Larne; Kilkenny v Saintfield; St James Gate v PSNI; Limerick v Omagh

Women’s Irish Hockey Challenge, quarter-final draw (November 19): Botanic v Cashel New Inn; Dungarvan v Clonmel; Enniscorthy v Kilkenny; Parkview v Monkstown

As a result, the LHA have redrawn the Division 4 fixtures for the season but week one, which is to be played on Saturday, will remain as per the handbook issued.

The new schedule will be updated on the Leinster website shortly. In the meantime, a copy of the new schedule for Division 4 is available on the Web Handbook & Downloads page.

In Division 2, the seven remaining teams involved will now play each other three times in the season. The additional fixtures are available on the Web Handbook & Downloads page also.

The site has come a long way since its early beginnings. In the past year, the switch to a website format and the development of the site’s excellent photographic arm, culminating in the Irish Hockey Photographers’ dedicated website, were among the projects undertaken.

During the season, the addition of more video elements and our first ever ‘livestream’ – the vast majority with thanks to Tristan Seaton-Stedham – has been a huge advance.

The first Hook Awards’ night – primarily a fundraiser for Glenanne’s EHL trip at Easter – will hopefully become a regular fixture in the local hockey calendar.

Full league tables, updated on Sunday morning’s based on club submissions were integrated mid-season and the Stats Centre will hopefully be tidied up and improved in the coming months.

For the 2011/12 season, using The Hook’s twitter page, the intention is to be ramp up this service and be able to collate virtually all of the divisional results in a simple, free fashion within minutes of game’s completion and, thus provide the earliest possible league table updates.

During the season, the Hook has endeavoured to travel to as many games as possible, taking in trips to Munster, Ulster, the Netherlands and France to cover as many aspects of our sport to the highest standard.

More details will follow on this in due course but to develop these elements and maintain standards, the site does require a personal financial outlay which is primarily attempted to be covered from those who have donated to the site; 100pc of these funds go back into the Hook’s development.

Should you wish to help the coverage and promotion of Leinster and Irish hockey, feel free to contribute to the site via the ‘Donation’ button on the left-hand side of this page (or follow this link).

Finally, thank you all for taking the time to read, contribute and comment to The Hook. Website hits have increased more close to three-fold this season, an indicator that the Hook’s efforts are being appreciated in some form.

Such indicators, along with the feedback received around the grounds week-in, week-out, make the efforts which go into the site much easier to manage.

All the best for the rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing some of you pitch-side as the Irish men and women pursue their Olympic dream, building toward the European Championships in August.

Stephen Findlater

The fixtures for September and October have been initially been released as per usual with the remainder to follow in due course. The IHA timetable – including the Irish Senior Cup and Irish Hockey League – however will not be finalised fully until November when it will be known which Olympic qualifier, if any, Ireland will be heading to.

Belgium, Japan and India in the spring are the current options subject to continental qualifiers which could see some re-jigging to the national calendar but the first round of the Senior Cup will go ahead in the first week of October with IHL round one following a week later.

Glenanne begin their title defence against Clontarf on their return to division one while the Marlay derby between Corinthian and Three Rock looks an initial highlight on day one.

The Neville Cup is down to be played on the Sunday of week one with three all division one ties opening the competition, notably holders Monkstown against Pembroke.

Mullingar and Portrane are two notable inclusions in this competition having stepped up from division 4 to 2. The second tier gets underway a week later on September 24 with the Westmeath side playing their very first fixture at this level in a league which has been bolstered up to eight teams for 2011/12.

Going down the leagues, division 3 remains as per last term but division 4 welcomes back Corinthian III, Suttonians II and Weston II while St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park drop down.

Div 5 sees Skerries continue their rise back up through the leagues having bossed the sixth tier last time round while Rathgar II come up from division 8, a relocation based on their impressive if ultimately registration-scuppered run in that league.

Twelve teams will contest division six, Kilkenny II, Mullingar II and Athy’s second successive promotion adding to the table.
Division 7 sees the introduction of Portrane II; Bray’s first team will play in this league after their mid-season withdrawal in 2010/11 while Wicklow and Smithfield have stepped up as the promoted sides from division 8.

Men’s League structure:
Division 1: Monkstown, Railway Union, YMCA, UCD, Corinthian, Three Rock Rovers, Clontarf, Glenanne, Fingal, Pembroke Wanderers
Division 2: Portrane, Weston, Navan, Avoca, Rathgar, Suttonians, Dublin University, Mullingar
Division 3: Monkstown II, Railway Union II, YMCA II, UCD II, Corinthian II, Three Rock Rovers II, Dublin University II, Glenanne II, Fingal II, Pembroke Wanderers II
Division 4: Clontarf II, Pembroke Wanderers III, Suttonians II, Kilkenny, Railway Union III, Naas, Glenanne III, Corinthian III, Monkstown III, Weston II
Division 5: Pembroke Wanderers IV, YMCA III, Avoca II, Skerries, St James Gate, Monkstown IV, Rathgar II, St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park, North Kildare, Three Rock Rovers III
Division 6: Glenanne IV, Corinthian IV, Dublin University III, Navan II, Three Rock Rovers IV, Mullingar II, Athy, YMCA IV, Kilkenny II, Fingal III, Pembroke Wanderers V, Monkstown V
Division 7: Bray, Portrane II, Wicklow, Weston III, Railway Union IV, Avoca III, St Brendans/Phoenix Park II, Smithfield, UCD III, Corinthian V
Division 8: Bray II, Three Rock Rovers V, Pembroke Wanderers VII, Pembroke Wanderers VI, Fingal IV, St James Gate II, Clontarf III, Dublin University IV

Early season Leinster Men’s Division One/Two fixtures:
September 17 (Week One)
Division 1: Monkstown vs Railway Union; YMCA vs UCD; Corinthian vs Three Rock Rovers; Clontarf vs Glenanne; Fingal vs Pembroke Wanderers

September 18
Neville Cup Round 1: Mullingar v Weston; Monkstown v Pembroke Wanderers; Glenanne v Corinthian; Avoca v Railway Union; Fingal v YMCA; Portrane v Clontarf

September 24 (Week Two)
Division 1: Railway Union vs YMCA; UCD vs Clontarf; Three Rock Rovers vs Monkstown; Glenanne vs Fingal; Pembroke Wanderers vs Corinthian
Division 2: Portrane vs Weston; Navan vs Avoca; Rathgar vs Suttonians; Dublin University vs Mullingar

Sunday, September 25
Division 1: Glenanne vs Corinthian; Clontarf vs Fingal; Pembroke Wanderers vs Monkstown; Railway Union vs UCD; Three Rock Rovers vs YMCA

October 1 (Week Three)
Division 1: UCD vs Monkstown; YMCA vs Clontarf; Railway Union vs Corinthian; Pembroke Wanderers vs Glenanne; Three Rock Rovers vs Fingal
Division 2: Weston vs Navan; Avoca vs Rathgar; Suttonians vs Dublin University; Mullingar vs Portrane

October 8 (Week four)
Irish Senior Cup – round one
Division 2: Avoca vs Weston; Suttonians vs Navan; Mullingar vs Rathgar; Dublin University vs Portrane

October 15 (Week five)
Irish Hockey League – round one
Division 2: Portrane vs Avoca; Weston vs Suttonians; Navan vs Mullingar; Rathgar vs Dublin University

October 22 (Week six)
Division 1: Corinthian vs UCD; Monkstown vs YMCA; Fingal vs Railway Union; Clontarf vs Pembroke Wanderers; Glenanne vs Three Rock Rovers
Division 2: Suttonians vs Avoca; Mullingar vs Weston; Dublin University vs Navan; Rathgar vs Portrane

Sunday, October 23
Neville Cup Round 2

October 29 (Week seven)
Irish Hockey League – round two

It means Saturday’s deadline day contest between Trinity and Avoca will have a bearing on who takes second in the division even if Avoca were to win on Thursday night against Clontarf.

The 36-hour turnaround time between the organisation of this tie and its playing meant no branch umpires were available for the tie while the students were without Jack Hegarty and Kristian Fitzgerald to mind the goal, leading to Craig Moore stepping in.

Corners proved crucial as Moore held out five of them while, at the far end, the students netted three of them.

Stephen Roberts dragged the first of them before Stuart Malcolm flicked in after Roberts had spun the ball into his path. Simon Clarke got a cracker, roofing into the top corner to reduce the margin before Malcolm’s straight strike made it 3-1.

Ru Clarke profited from a Moore mis-kick to bring it back within striking distance but the badgers were unable to pick off another point to the single one they earned since Bray left the division.

It was the fifth time they were edged out by a single goal this term, making for a frustrating season for Johan Casparsson and his troops.

For Trinity, they move up two places to level with Avoca but with a greater goal difference which could be a decisive factor should the sides tie – if that were to pass, both will have identical league records while Trinity currently edge the head-to-head. The equation will become simpler, though, once Avoca play their game with the bulls.

The Town built a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes only to be pegged back but ultimately managed to run up a 5-4 victory.
Teenage starlet Lee Cole – a recent debutant for their injury-hit first team – weighed in with a hat-trick while Andrew Gaw and Jack Doran also notched goals.

The side blended the youth of the likes of Cole, Gavin Browne, Aran Rooney, Angus Pickering, Oisin and Shane O’Halloran and the Edwards’ twins along with the experience of Dave Adams with Sam Farrar managing the side.

It was one of two trophies that the club would lift over the weekend as the Monkstown ladies completed a league and cup double with Clare Hearnden once again starring in the Rathdown side’s victory in the Division 7/8 Cup, getting the better of Railway Union IV at Grange Road on Sunday.

Also at Serpentine Avenue on Saturday, St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park II annexed the Junior Challenge Cup.

On Sunday, meanwhile, Loreto IV and Clontarf II went the distance in a dramatic Division 7/8 Cup final which the Beaufort side edged in the second period of silver-goal extra-time. They took the lead early on with the Clontarf goalkeeper Michelle Ryan picking up a nasty injury in the process.

But the northside club got back on terms when Andy Kavanagh struck home a sweet penalty corner in the second half for 1-1 and her side had a chance to repeat the trick on the final whistle.

That corner went unconverted, sending the tie into overtime before Loreto grabbed the winner in the second period. Tarf took off their keeper in a bid to snatch an equaliser but to no avail.

In the day’s other final, YMCA II added to their promotion from Division 12 with victory over Navan II in the Division 11/12 Cup.

** Deryck Vincent’s photos from Loreto IV vs Clontarf II in the Division 5/6 Cup final, can be seen here

Men’s Leinster Cup finals
Intermediate Cup: Monkstown 5 St James Gate 4
Junior Challenge Cup: St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park 2 Athy 0

Women’s Leinster Divisional finals:
Division 5/6 Cup: Loreto IV 2 Clontarf 1, after extra time
Division 7/8 Cup: Monkstown beat Railway Union IV
Division 11/12 Cup: YMCA II beat Navan II

They can do so even with a heavy defeat at the hands of UCD at Belfield as the weight of goal difference is massively in their favour on Loreto – +43 in comparison to the Beaufort side’s +32 – which will be the decider should they end up level on points.

Such a likelihood is unlikely in the extreme, even against an in-form UCD side – guaranteed fourth by virtue of games won due to Alex’s draw on Monday night – who have a pair of national semi-finals to look forward to.

Monday night’s victory over Railway Union proved the season’s defining night as Hermes played a smart game, countering brilliantly on two occasions to grab the spoils.

With Chloe Watkins and Niamh Atcheler moving on in preseason to UCD, the Booterstown club has rallied impressively to build a squad capable of taking the Leinster title. Audrey O’Flynn, Sinead McCarthy and Lisa Jacob more than evened out that international deficit.

Kerry McComish and Eimear Horan’s arrival from Ulster and the addition of Sinead Connery from Cork C of I have added an additional dimension to their outlook.

The conveyor-belt of young players into the first team has been aided by the regular, enforced breaks of their international contingent – now at six – with Emma Russell’s goal on Monday indicative.

She adds to the schoolgirl quotient of underage internationals of Deirdre Duke and Gillian Pinder while Laura Pinder has also grown into the team.

There will be the caveat that four points exist between Railway and Hermes going into the final games of the season, the exact punishment meted out to the Park Avenue club for their opening day registration indiscretion.

That 8-1 win over Bray was chalked off and replaced by a 1-0 defeat and a one-point deduction. It means the Park Avenue side are bystanders as they relinquish their crown in their final game against Loreto.

With a direct clash between their first team’s game and their seconds Irish Junior Cup final date at Belfield, it is likely that those eligible for second team duty will skip the division one tie.

There is still plenty to play for from their perspective, though, as they need to win to ensure three home ties in 2011/12’s IHL, perhaps crucial in what will be a group of death with Pegasus likely opponents.

The seconds face a Lisnagarvey side going in search of a one-of-a-kind double. Clubs who contest both the Junior Cup and the Irish Hockey Trophy are usually weeded out in the early stages of the former but Garvey arrive in Dublin unbeaten since January and bouyed by their first team counterpart’s victory in the IHT last week.

Railway are hoping to make it a third win and first since 1977 in the competition following near missed in 1978, 2008 and 2009.

Loreto will want to make Hermes earn their title and also deny Railway those three home ties with a draw their minimum requirement on the latter count.

Unlike the other three sides in action this weekend, it is the Beaufort side’s swansong for domestic hockey this year, leaving them a huge 62 days to prepare for their European trip to Lille.

In division two, Genesis could yet escape the drop in remarkable fashion. The Galloping Green club has gone six games unbeaten in recent weeks to double their points tally to a point where they need a draw to lift them out of the bottom two for the first time this season. Hermes II were beaten in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night 3-2 to set up a three-way tie with Loreto II.

Our Lady’s fell 2-1 to Old Alex II on Thursday night in their final game to be the vulnerable side, Loreto saved by virtue of games won. It leaves the Templeogue side anxious viewers at Grange Road where they need a favour from Three Rock Ladies in Niall Denham’s last league game in charge.

TRL have the carrot of a division one/two promotion/relegation decider – which will take place against Corinthian on April 16 in Serpentine Avenue – to play for, though, and a win will see them the top-ranked first team ahead of North Kildare.

Three Leinster finals, meanwhile, take place at Grange Road on Sunday with Clontarf II (picture courtesy of Wal McConnell), powered by the goals of Susan Murphy and Ciara Byrne and the goalkeeping of Michelle Ryan, taking on Loreto IV in the division 5/6 final.

Monkstown ladies go in search of a double when they face Railway Union IV in the 7/8 Cup final while the seconds of Navan and YMCA ladies contest the 11/12 decider.

Women’s Leinster Division One, Saturday: Loreto vs Railway Union, 1.30pm, Beaufort; UCD vs Hermes, 11.15am, Belfield
Division Two, Saturday: Three Rock Ladies vs Genesis, 1.15pm, Grange Road; Muckross vs Hermes II, 11.30am, Booterstown
Sunday: Loreto II vs Railway Union II, 11.30am, Beaufort
Thursday: North Kildare vs Railway Union II, 8pm, The Maws

Irish Junior Cup final, Saturday: Lisnagarvey vs Railway Union, 1.15pm, Belfield

Division 5/6 Cup final, Sunday: Clontarf II vs Loreto IV, 4pm, Grange Road
Division 7/8 Cup final, Sunday: Monkstown vs Railway Union IV, 1.30pm, Grange Road
Division 11/12 Cup final, Sunday: Navan II vs YMCA II, 3.30pm, Grange Road

Carlsberg, Ed Sports and Gilmour Sports also came on board to support the event with proceeds from the event going to support Glenanne’s EHL bid over the Easter weekend.

The awards themselves took on a two-part process with clubs asked to nominate players, coaches and umpires from within their own club and from others to produce the main shortlist.

From those shortlists, the public vote drew well over 4,000 responses and was the most viewed story on the site since moving to the new format at the start of the season. Winners were determined solely on this basis.

Adrian Boehm received the largest percentage of the vote in any category as he took the Contributor of the Year title with a massive 41.72% of the vote for his sterling photographic work that he provides each week.

Indeed, his volume and quality of photos over the last weekend can be seen on the Irish Hockey Photographers website, covering all four of the national finals in Belfield to the highest standard.

Gillian McAuliffe, the woman responsible for the site’s overhaul last summer, took second place in this category just ahead of photographer Deryck Vincent.

The umpire of the year award was the closest category but was eventually taken down by Olympic whistle-blower Carol Metchette (left), coming in just ahead of Fiona Davitt and Kieran Bolger.

Metchette continues to impress in both the men’s and women’s division one games while also showing the tenacity in the past week in the line of duty, umpiring in key games this week despite picking up a shiner sustained in the first meeting of Loreto and Old Alex.

A feature of the umpire’s vote was the spread of nominations in the “Other” option with UDP umpires Karl Chapple and Ali Keogh along with Kris Cholewa picking up a number of votes.

Scott Beattie took the Coach of the Year following a bumper debut year with Sutton Park, winning the northside school’s first Senior title when they claimed the Senior Trophy in dramatic fashion while also reaching the Minor Cup final.

Will Powderly was among the “other” nominations, receiving a high proportion of the public vote while Richard Mason and Didi Cole’s dual-work at Monkstown and Gareth Borland’s role as Leinster U-16 boss and Clontarf player-coach also drew plenty of praise beyond the initial nominees.

Onto the player awards and Dannielle Cummins, Avoca’s first team goalkeeper took the Junior Women’s title just ahead of YMCA taliswoman Tara Powderly.

And another goalkeeper took the Junior Men’s gong, Rathgar Chiefs’ Dan Gribben certainly his side’s most consistent performer until he broke his hand recently in the club’s maiden season.

Audrey McCormack tallied the most votes of any of the categories as the Glenanne woman took home the Senior Women’s Player of the Year. The midfielder continues to be a powerhouse in midfield and the engine which drives the Glens all-action approach.

Finally, Gareth Watkins (below, left) added another personal achievement to 2010 Irish Hockey Club Player of the Year crown, as he topped the Senior Men’s Player of the Year tally ahead of Glenanne’s Joe Brennan.

A big thanks again to Gary Shaw and his crew for putting together the night and to all the people who attended on the night, helped with nominations and voted for the various awards.

The Hook exists for and because of the people that take part in our game at all levels week in and week out and so, to receive the support for this venture and, indeed, the site in general is pretty overwhelming and suggests a need is being fulfilled.

These awards honour just some of the people that make the sport a source of enjoyment for people to be involved in and want to prosper, capturing some of the spirit of the game. Long may it continue.

*** The top three in each category is below with the percentage of the final vote in brackets while also mentioned are some of the people who received sizeable votes in the “other” section and are worthy of mention for their efforts in the past season.

Contributor of the Year (Total votes: 676)
1. Adrian Boehm (41.72%)
2. Gillian McAuliffe (18.64%)
3. Deryck Vincent (18.49%)
Honorable mentions outside of the nominees: Emer Keogh – photographic contributions

Umpire of the Year (615)
1. Carol Metchette (18.21%)
2. Fiona Davitt (14.47%)
3. Kieran Bolger (12.85%)
Honorable mentions: Kris Cholewa, Karl Chapple, Ali Keogh

Coach of the Year (904)
1. Scott Beattie, Sutton Park (22.57%)
2. Graham Shaw, Loreto/Glenanne (14.82%)
3. Mick McKinnon, Railway ladies (10.73%)
Honorable mentions: Will Powderly (YMCA ladies), Richard Mason/Didi Cole (Monkstown); Gareth Borland (Leinster U-16/Clontarf); Mary Logue (Hermes); Brendon Carolan (Pembroke)

Junior Women’s Player of the Year (487)
1. Danielle Cummins, Avoca (28.13%)
2. Tara Powderly, YMCA (23.82%)
3. Sarah Lovett, Monkstown (18.69%)
Honorable mentions: Emma Kilbride (Our Lady’s); Fiona Walshe (Swords); Courtney Watkins (Monkstown)

Junior Men’s Player of the Year (454)
1. Dan Gribben, Rathgar Chiefs (31.5%)
2. Martin Naughton, Avoca (21.37%)
3. Stephen Cairns, Clontarf (16.08%)
Honorable mentions: Harry Spain (Suttonians), Tom Noonan (Clontarf), Paul Kennedy (St James’ Gate)

Senior Women’s Player of the Year (977)
1. Audrey McCormack, Glenanne (22.01%)
2. Chloe Watkins, UCD (14.23%)
3. Kate Dillon, Railway Union (13.61%)
Honorable mentions: Maebh Horan (Trinity), Jeamie Deacon (Railway Union), Sinead Walsh (Railway Union), Nikki Symmons (Loreto), Sinead Dooley (Railway Union)

Senior Men’s Player of the Year (710)
1. Gareth Watkins, Monkstown (21.55%)
2. Joe Brennan, Glenanne (15.07%)
3. Alan Blennerhassett, Corinthian (12.25%)
Honorable mentions: Ali Haughton (TRR); Andrew Walker (YMCA); Brian Groves (Monkstown); Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne); Andrew Sutton (Corinthian); Fran Lee (Monkstown)

Kevin Mullins became the youngest hat-trick scorer in the club’s history while goalkeeper Stephen Cairns saved his fifth penalty stroke from five attempts this season, too. It was 5-0 at the break as the Bulls had the firepower and motivation to ensure a tough day for the Badgers.

Rathgar Chiefs 1 (Jonny Orr) Dublin University 0
Former Trinity man Jonny Orr popped up to wreck his alma mater’s hopes of winning division two, scoring from a Graham O’Neill slip at corner time.

His side had to endure a barrage of corners with Hal Sutherland’s number one running acting as a wrecking ball which could not be avoided. They also had a goal disallowed which added to their frustrations. The title looks beyond the students but both clubs still have a shot at the promotion/relegation playoff place.

Suttonians 3 (Harry Spain, Conor Gillett, Eise Lodewijk) Avoca 3 (Jamie Crawford, Martin Naughton, Dave Fanning)
Avoca dropped two points further off Clontarf as Suttonians stormed back from 3-0 down to nick a point which looks to have ended the Blackrock side’s title chances.

Jamie Crawford, Dave Fanning and the recently returned Martin Naughton had them in cruise control but Sutton got one back before the break to get a foothold in the tie and roared back to take a point but it is not likely they will shift their position from fifth place in the division.