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Galway Hockey Club do Ireland proud in the European Indoor Hockey Club Championships 2009

05 March 2009

Galway Hockey Club women’s team have recently returned from Lousada, Portugal where the club represented Ireland in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Championship.

Coached by Richard Malone, the club qualified for the tournament by beating Railway Union of Dublin in the final of the All Ireland Indoor Hockey Championships in Dublin last year and have since been training hard in anticipation of the event.

Competing for the first time at a European level, the young Galway side began the tournament with a tough match against Serbian team HK Bask. Having little previous Indoor match-experience the game proved challenging to the Galway girls resulting in a narrow 2-1 defeat. The second match of the tournament saw GHC take on the Danish side; subsequent championship winners, and despite suffering a defeat GHC gained the honour of scoring the fastest goal of the tournament when quick play by Galway resulted in a goal after a mere 13 seconds. The experience of the first two matches saw GHC grow in confidence and on day two of the tournament the team defeated the Welsh side 3-1 in a heated position decider. Despite falling to the home side, GHC came back to draw 1-1 with Turkish team Cankaya Bld SC. Missing out on the bronze medal by a single point,  GHC’s performance was boosted with Galway Keeper Tara Browne awarded GK of the tournament.

In addition to producing numerous Irish International players, the club’s fourth place finish at European level further reinforces the high level of hockey emerging from the Galway Hockey Club in recent years.

GHC Indoor Team 2009

Tara Browne, Emma Glanvil, Freddie Timmins, Claire Heskin, Michelle Carey, Grace Melvin, Tara Melvin, Elaine Newell, Meave Faherty, Lynsey Trainor, Jessica McMicken, Alison Hynes, Elaine Carey,