The council and committee are delighted to officially announce that AstroTurf ahs been selected as the supplier for the new front pitch. The work will be carried out by Pride Sports contractors and will commence on May 26th which is less than 2 weeks away!

AstroTurf was chosen after a lengthly tender process. Headed by Ian Roberts a sub committee of Tony Nicholson, Geoff Brooks, Cedric Christie, Siobhan Madeley, Grace O’Malley, Jody Hosking and Ali Keogh met multiple times throughout the process before reaching a recommendation that was ratified by both the committee and council. Huge thanks to all on the committee, particularly Ian Roberts for his invaluable expertise.

AstroTurf are a well recognized brand throughout World Hockey with over 40 years experience in producing synthetic surface. They were the suppliers of the pitch used in the most recent EHF Euronation competition in Boon, Belgium. They have plenty more examples of top quality pitches throughout the World, as they are also the official providers for USA field hockey, and we are very excited to have them on board!

The pitch is due to be ready for the start of next season.

The u14s capped off a fruitful season last weekend as they hosted and won the Ringwood Cup on Saturday. They overcame Banbridge in the final on strokes, adding the Ringwood Cup to their Bailey Cup win two weeks before. This is a great sign of things to come for this crop of players…hopefully we see them lift some senior trophies in the next few years too! Thanks to all the mens 1sts/2nds who helped out with umpiring over the weekend of the Ringwood cup.

Huge thanks to coach Niall Denham for his hard work over the season. Also thanks to Luke Madeley who assisted him throughout the season and to Paddy Flynn their manager. And as ever, thanks to Chuck for the support as junior boys co-ordinator.

Congrats to all our players and members who participated in last weekends Junior Interpros in Cork. Barbara Snow, Julie Garvey, Sinead Holden, Meabh Holden and Isabelle Hoyne all played for Leinster, while on the mens side Ben Epstein lined out for Leinster with Niall Denham as their coach!

Well done to our u16 boys who won their Leinster league this year and also to Jonny Bruton who finished the season as the top scorer in Leinster Division 1! We hope he keeps that form up for next season too!! JB and the 16s captain will collect their honours at this Fridays annual LHA prize giving

The season may only just be over but we are already putting all our plans in place for next year!

With that in mind please note some of the following dates for your diaries…

Ladies pre-season & SMART Training Bootcamp
ALL ladies pre-season will commence on the BACK pitch (while front is in the process of being replaced) on the 11th of August. Pre-season is open to all ladies players no matter what team you are on. Your coach for the season may not necessarily be present from the very start but as this date gives us a 7 week lead in to the first league games for all teams, the first few weeks are mainly for increasing fitness. Please mark off this date…more info will follow in the coming weeks.

While thinking of fitness we are delighted that Jonny (JB) of SMART Training will be holding a bootcamp for all ladies from the 11th of August also. Again this is open to all. More details re times and costs will follow.

SuperCup
The Super Cup is back again this year after its successful return last year. This year we will host the mixed tournament with quality hockey and plenty of socialising on the 5th/6th/7th of September. This is likely to be the first event on our brand spanking new pitch so we’re very excited about hosting the event again this year!

Registration Day
Bar tokens this year will be available to those who pay their subs in full at our registration day on the 27th of September. All subs are due in by the last day of September or you will not be insured to play. Bar tokens will be handed out in person to all who pay or have paid already in full on this day. If you pay via bank transfer please come with proof of payment to get your tokens
No bar vouchers will be given out after this date

Fundraising
While we are delighted to be replacing our front pitch this summer lets not forget we have another pitch out the back to also think about!! This pitch also needs to be replaced as soon as possible. With this in mind it is imperative that we continue on from the great work of the Dream Auction last season.
This coming year EVERY team will be set a target of €1000 to raise for the club. This can be done with events both inside and outside of the club, and of course teams can join together in order to create a larger event if they wish. Again, more details will follow but get the thinking caps on about what kind of events or ideas you can bring to your team.

The IHA working group responsible for the IHL competition has concluded a lengthy process of feedback and information gathering over the last few months in order to develop the structure of the IHL.

To this end they have arrived at a number of recommendations all of which can be seen at the following page:

News

This restructure impacts directly onto both of our mens and ladies teams and so we ask that players take the time to read it and complete the questionnaire which is also on the above page.

This years annual golf outing will take place on the 4th of July.

As per usual all members young and old are invited to take part in the event. Theres plenty of people out there well able to hit a hockey ball so we’re dying to see those golf swings to go with it now!

The outing takes place in a new venue this year…Woodbrook Golf Club. The cost for the day is €55 for a round of golf followed by a 3 course dinner. A special green fee of €15 for students has been arranged, while dinner only is an option for anyone who doesn’t wish to dazzle us with their golf skills!

The time sheet for the golf is between 2 and 4pm and will take place in a four ball format. Please arrange your own opposition and partners for the four ball.

The below form can be filled out to book a tee time. Please do so as soon as possible so that you can reserve your preferred time. Davids contact details and email address are also on this form should you wish to call him and book a time.

Many thanks to David for organising this years event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our under 16’s girls and boys had a great time on their recent trip to Barcelona. The trip started with a visit to R.C Polo, where a game of mixed rounders helped break the ice between everyone. Following lunch on the first day, we toured Nou camp, Barcelona FC’s home ground, which was so impressive the girls enjoyed it as much as the boys. The first day’s activities ended with both teams playing a match back in Polo. On the way to Terrassa, where we were staying, a game of speed dating on the bus (literally!) was a fun way of getting everyone to mix and tell each other a bit about themselves. The accommodation in Terrassa Hockey Club was perfect for our needs, and after the very early start a quiet night was had by all.

On day two, an early morning training session was followed by a swim in the pool on site, and both teams had matches later. The girls had an early match in Polo on day three, so much to the boys’ disgust they had to get up early and go to watch! The early start was worth it, as it left most of the day free to spend in Tibadabo theme park. Both the kids and the leaders had a ball there. Ben emerged from the park with what he claimed was a fire-breathing dragon painted on his face, but some sceptics thought looked more like a sea-horse! The boys had two matches later that evening, so Chuck and Niall stayed with them in Polo while the girls were taken into Barcelona to see a little of the city and do some shopping. Some of the boys were a bit disappointed to miss seeing the city, but there was so much to do on the trip it was hard to fit everything into the time we had. The girls did show solidarity by cutting short their shopping to get back in time to watch the boys’ second match.

At first the two groups may have felt a bit awkward with each other, but that changed very quickly on the trip! The girls had fun on the last night by soaking Harry with water in a late night prank; the boys didn’t dare risk retaliation. Odhran and Dearbhla kept us all amused with their “quotes”, and a good time was had by all. The matches on the final day left the boys undefeated during the tour, and the girls also played well and gained great experience from their games.

Individual comments/reports from the girls can be seen below. Photos will hopefully be put up soon. The trip was a great success, and credit has to go to the parents who not only gave the kids the opportunity of going, but also reared such a nice bunch that gave no trouble and made looking after them a pleasure.
Thanks also to Andrew Walker (Chuck) who did most of the organizing and to Wendy, Brona and Emer who all helped in the planning. Siobhan Madeley and Stephen Findlater, ladies and mens captains, very generously sponsored the trip on behalf of the club, and thanks are also due to everyone who helped with the fundraising and contributed time and money to keep the costs down for the kids. The leaders who gave up their time to coach and supervise also deserve thanks, Chuck, Niall, Barbara, Emer and Westy (who very kindly agreed to step in at short notice). A Big thank you also to Nacho and Pablo’s parents who were so helpful and Kind to us all whilst in Spain.
Team effort, a sense of belonging and the enjoyment and love of hockey is what this club is about. Hopefully the trip will give our future senior players an idea of what they can look forward to as part of Three Rock. The future is bright in our club.

We went to Barcelona with both our team and the boys’ team. On Thursday when we arrived we went to Polo and went to Camp Nou stadium and had a tour and then relaxed for the day and we played a game in the evening which we lost against a good side. We then transferred to Terassa hockey club where we were staying. On Friday we had a training session in the morning then went swimming in the pool. We had a match in the evening which we won against a very good side.
On Saturday we had a match really early in the morning which we lost. We then went to Tibidabo amusement park for the day and then went into Barcelona where we went shopping. We then watched the boys match next to the Olympic stadium.
On Sunday we played a match against a very strong side. We watched the boys match and then went to the airport. We all became a lot closer as a team and made new friends from other teams. All in all it was a great experience and very enjoyable

Two weeks ago Andrew Walker aka ‘Chuck’ ran his final session as head co-ordinator of the junior boys section after over 12 years in charge.

Chuck has been the head of a very successful youth section which recently saw 12 youth section graduates out of 16 players win the Irish Senior Cup after 40 years!

He has formally stopped as the youth organiser but will remain in situ to manage one of the teams next season and will remain involved in the youth section, giving help to the different groups in tandem with Niall and a group of four or five others to co-ordinate the section as a whole.

On the final day of Saturday boys coaching, there was a presentation made to him of a year’s subscription to the Saturday Irish Times to be delivered to his house. On the day, there was also an Easter Egg hunt and presentations while we also had a productive meeting about the future of the youths section with coaches in place for next season for the most part. A number of his former youth players also arrived on the day and a testimonial match was played.

Chuck has been an integral part of the club and the youth section for years. Our ability to produce interprovincial and international players year in and out is proof of this. As a club we cannot thank him enough for his work to date and are truly delighted that he will remain involved in the system for the future.

Junior Interpros
Huge congrats to all our players selected for the upcoming Junior inter pro tournament this weekend.
We are fantastically represented on the ladies side with no less than 5 players selected for the tournament in Cork this weekend. Well done to Sinead Holden, Maebh Holden, Barbara Snow, Isabelle Hoyne and Julie Garvey who will all line out for Leinster.
On the mens side Ben Epstein has made the panel, which has our own Niall Denham as coach
Well done and best of luck to all involved!

Masters
Rovers also had plenty of interest in last weekends Masters inter-pros. Maura O’Neill captained the Leinster over 45s, while Stephen Bredin made the trip back from the Middle East to line out for the Leinster over 40s. Paul Fitzpatrick also lined out for the over40s, nabbing a few goals to seal their win, while Rob Haughton and David Gilmore played for Leinsters over 50s. Well done to all!

In the Grand Masters Celtic Cup, Stuart Switzer was part of the team making an Irish debut at an over 60s level in Glasgow this weekend.

Cup winners
Well done to the u14 boys who won the Bailey Cup at the weekend (picture). The team beat Railway in the semi-final before winning 1-0 over Monkstown in the final. Many thanks to Monkstown for hosting the event.
Huge thanks to Niall Denham and Luke Madeley for coaching the side all year

100 cap acknowledgement
Mens 1sts captain Mitch Darling was acknowledged by the club last Saturday at the mens 1st end of season BBQ. Mitch, at only 25, surpassed the 100 cap mark as a senior international last summer. The club presented him with a small moment for the occasion to mark such a superb achievement. We look forward to seeing the next 100!

Vets fest
The annual vets fest takes place in 3 weeks on the weekend of the 24th/25th of May. This is always one of our most successful weekends of the year, thanks mainly to the huge work of the committee of Trevor, Siobhan, Nathan and Natalie.
The year the tournament will mark the last occasion on our current front pitch! The final night of the event involves a hog roast and a ceili. The night is open to all although tickets will need to be booked in advanced for the food. If interested please contact Siobhan for more details (shivmade@msn.com)

As the season has finally drawn to a close we wished to take a moment to recap on all that has happened in what has been a great year for Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club.

The year started off in early September with the return of the Supercup where we hosted 8 mens and ladies teams for a weekend of quality hockey and social events. This was the first time in over 5 years that we hosted this tournament, so it was great to see it back with a bang with some great feedback from all who participated. Initial plans for the same again next year are already taking place

Pre-season did not just extend to the two 1st XIs though as Jonny Bruton of SMART Training provided a Bootcamp for anyone interested, Selection Saturday for the ladies took place, while the mens 3rd- 5th were selected with the re-introduction of the Johnson-Walker Cup. We continued to set up the umpire rota for the ladies 1/2s this year but aided the girls in this task by Ali Keogh who ran an umpiring clinic for the girls early in the year. A similar clinic was also held later in the year for the u16s and junior coaches to introduce them to the rules.

As the season kicked off and the normality of league games took place, the focus turned to our social occasions! The cocktail party proved to be its usual success as this year the Great Gatsby theme brought the glad rags out in force!

In November we had a truly remarkable turn out as we hosted the Dream Auction. Thanks simply isn’t enough to all who participated, donated and supported the event as we raised in excess of €14000 in one night!! It was a clear indication of the club spirit that exists within our club and the desire that exists to ensure our hockey club remains as a premier venue. Every cent from that evening was transferred to the sinking fund to go towards our new pitch which is being laid in May of this year. The contractor has been selected and will be publicly announced soon, with the aim of completing this existing project by mid-August.!

December saw the second year of our annual juniors Christmas parties as the 16/14 boys and girls, and the 8/10/12s were all mixed and treated to games, and plenty of treats by the senior members of the club. We hosted the first of our supporters lunches, along with a mulled wine and mince pie day for our last weekend in December as everyone donned their festive attire for our Christmas Jumper Day!

The New Year saw the focus remain firmly on hockey as many of our teams fought various promotion and relegation battles. On the mens sides the 2nds fought hard and secured their position in Division 2 once again next year before going on to win the Railway Cup on strokes! The 3rds and 4ths mens teams have both been promoted, with the 3rds making their move up for the second year in a row. The 5ths were unfortunately relegated having made the move up to Division 8 last year. The 1sts meanwhile finished 2nd in the Leinster league for the second year in a row. The highlight of their season will have been the end of the 40 year wait for another Irish Senior Cup win, with the lads beating Pembroke dramatically on strokes in the final, and ensuring they get a European trip next season. The Mills Cup was a second piece of silverware to add to the trophy cabinet.

The ladies side have come through what has been a very difficult season with each of our senior teams being relegated. The issues facing the ladies side of the club have been identified and steps have been taken to ensure these are solved for the coming years. The making of a ladies development committee made up entirely of players from different teams is just one way that the gap is looking to be fixed. Their first task was the running of our Here Comes the Girls day as our senior girls ran games and welcomed the u16s who will be stepping up to the senior side of the club next year. More work is continuing on this committee throughout the summer.

On the juniors side the u14 boys won the Indoor Cup this year while the u16 boys were unlucky against Monkstown in the Benny Atkinson Cup on Paddys Day. For the first time in 3 years the u16s are going on a mixed trip to Barcelona, while the u14 boys made their way to Lisnagarvey for the day in March.
This year we say goodbye to Wendy Lee from the girls side after countless years running the junior section. She is truly irreplaceable as 3 people are taking over next year..! Niall Denham, Siobhan Madeley and Suzanne Lowe will step in next year as we look to restructure our juniors and build a solid foundation for the club for years to come. A presentation was made to parents on the final day to explain the plan going forward.

Back to the senior side of the club and as the season began to wrap up we held the second of our supporters lunches for an IHL home game, while 2 days later the club buzzed as we hosted the LHA Finals Day on St.Patricks Day. Our annual dinner was held 2 weeks later in the Stillorgan Park Hotel. Our awards for the evening went to Stephen West, Julie Garvey and Ali Keogh for male player, female player and volunteer of the year respectively. We also honoured two of our most valued members as Wendy Lee and Geoff Brooks were presented with Honary Life membership.

To finish off the season last week the Captains Challenge was held with over 60 players, including many of our u16s making their way out for mixed hockey followed by food and fun which lasted very long into the night!!! We still have more to come as the Vets fest is still to take place on the 24th-25th of May in what will be the final send off for our old pitch!

These are just some of the moments that have occurred through the year, with countless more hours being spent by a huge number of people in terms of registrations, fixtures, team management, videoing games, coaching, umpiring games, organizing sponsorship, developing budgets, collecting subs, etc. Its impossible to name and thank everyone but we hope you know how grateful everyone within the club is for the time you give. Its not always clear what goes on behind the scenes although with our newsletter we aim to keep everyone as informed as possible.

Throughout the season we have continued to be represented at the highest level through our player participation at inter-provincial and international level. Since the summer Mitch Darling has surpassed 100 caps for his country, which at 25 is a phenomenal achievement. He has been joined on the international board by Jody Hosking who received his first caps for South Africa in December and by Stephen West who achieved his first cap against Spain in January.

On the junior side of our representatives Harry Morris was our sole player at the u21 interpros, although team-mates Daragh Walsh, Johnny McCormack and Ben Mc Crea lined out for the Irish u18s in the same weekend. Freddie Morris has also since returned to the Irish u18 squad. Following their impressive displays Luke Madeley and Daragh Walsh were brought into the national u21 panel, with final selection for their European trip being announced over the summer.

The u16 boys are also well represented, with Gavin Gibney making the Irish u16 panel, while Conor Empey, Harry McMahon, Ben Walker and Gavin all played in the Leinster u16 squad.

And there it is…the season in a nutshell! Lots done and lots more to do…! Projects which didn’t happen this year include more junior trips, a bar rota for teams, and perhaps a few more social occasions. Please know that all feedback we have been gathering over the last few weeks is being considered in next years plans. There is an awful lot of work being done already for next season to not only match this years activities but to grow them further! Should anyone wish to be a part of some of these, no matter how small a role you wish to play, please contact either mens.captain@threerockrovershc.com or ladies.captain@threerockrovershc.com .

We are already excited to return next season with a new pitch and a refreshed looking clubhouse and we hope you are too. Keep an eye on the site for updates throughout the summer!