European Championships Archives - SportsNewsIreland

Ireland Reveal Squad for 2026 European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship

JoeNa Connacht — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 19:59:50 +0000

Ireland Reveal Squad for 2026 European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship

Ireland have named their squad for the 2026 European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship, with the national team set to compete at Farnham Park, London, from 14–18 July. The Irish squad includes a strong mix of experienced internationals and players coming into the tournament with recent high-level competition behind them. After finishing fourth in 2024, Ireland will travel with realistic hopes of returning to the European podium for the first time since 2019. Several members of the squad have also recently competed at the Men’s European Slowpitch Championship, which should leave Ireland sharper than many of their rivals when the tournament gets underway.

Ireland’s Proud European Record

Ireland have traditionally been one of the strongest nations in European co-ed slowpitch softball. Since the competition began in 1998, Ireland have won 10 European medals, made up of three silver and seven bronze.

Silver: 2002, 2004 and 2008
Bronze: 1998, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2019

Ireland finished fifth in 2022 before moving back into medal contention with a fourth-place finish in 2024. That recent record suggests another podium challenge is well within reach.

Ireland Management Team

The team will be managed by Aideen Teo, with Peter Mullen serving as Head Coach. Jonathan Barry and Dermot McManus are part of the coaching team, while Eoin O’Connor and Serena Costelloe complete the backroom staff. Norma McIntyre will captain Ireland, while pitching duties are expected to be shared by Simon Lewis, Wayne Cullen and Brian Hehir.

Ireland Squad

Women

Hazel Kilduff – Castleknock Softball Club
Jenny Ó Buachalla – BatPak Softball Club
Katie Doyle – Dublin Donkeys Softball Club
Katie Flynn – Kegs Softball Club
Kerry Keegan – Dodder Dynamoes Softball Club
Mary Carroll-Smith – Galway Softball Club
Merilin Neiland – Dublin Donkeys Softball Club
Norma McIntyre – BatPak Softball Club (Captain)
Ruth Concannon – Linz Softball Club, Austria

Men

Brian Hehir – Chromies Softball Club
Brodie Alexander – Tigers Softball Club
Cathal Creaven – Galway Softball Club
Chris Barr – Cubs Softball Club
James Calow – BSC Softball Club
Niall Lavery – Dodder Dynamoes Softball Club
Pearse Newman – Dublin Donkeys Softball Club
Simon Lewis – Dublin Donkeys Softball Club
Wayne Cullen – Dublin Donkeys Softball Club

Clubs from Across Ireland Represented

The squad reflects the strength and spread of Ireland’s domestic slowpitch scene, with players selected from clubs across Dublin, Galway and further afield. Dublin Donkeys have the largest representation with five players: Katie Doyle, Merilin Neiland, Pearse Newman, Simon Lewis and Wayne Cullen. BatPak contribute captain Norma McIntyre and Jenny Ó Buachalla, while Dodder Dynamoes are represented by Kerry Keegan and Niall Lavery. Galway Softball Club provide Mary Carroll-Smith and Cathal Creaven, giving the west of Ireland a strong presence in the squad. Elsewhere, Hazel Kilduff represents Castleknock, Katie Flynn comes from Kegs, Brian Hehir from Chromies, Brodie Alexander from Tigers, Chris Barr from Cubs and James Calow from BSC. Ruth Concannon is the squad’s overseas-based player, currently representing Linz Softball Club in Austria. The number of clubs represented is a positive sign for Irish softball, showing that the national team is drawing from a broad and competitive player base rather than relying on one or two dominant clubs.

Ireland’s Fixtures

Tuesday 14 July

08:45 – Ireland v Norway
15:00 – Ireland v Czechia

Wednesday 15 July

10:45 – Ireland v Guernsey
14:45 – Ireland v Germany

Thursday 16 July

09:00 – Ireland v Lithuania
15:00 – Ireland v Austria

Friday 17 July

09:00 – Ireland v Belgium
15:00 – Ireland v Poland
18:45 – Ireland v Great Britain

Friday Could Decide Ireland’s Championship

Friday looks set to be the most important day of Ireland’s tournament from a progression point of view. Ireland begin the day against Belgium before facing Poland later in the afternoon. Those are two games they will expect to win if they are to remain firmly in the medal race. The final round-robin game against defending champions Great Britain at 6:45pm could then become hugely significant. By that stage, Ireland should know exactly what is required. Depending on results earlier in the week, they could be playing for a place in the European final, a spot in the bronze medal game or vital seeding ahead of the tournament’s final day. That makes the two earlier Friday fixtures absolutely essential. Ireland cannot afford to slip up against Belgium or Poland if they want to arrive at the Great Britain game with their medal hopes intact.

Germany and Czechia Also Crucial

While Friday will attract much of the attention, Ireland’s matches against Czechia and Germany could have a major bearing on the standings. Germany defeated Ireland in the bronze medal game in 2024, making Wednesday afternoon’s meeting one of the most important fixtures of the week. A win there would not only boost Ireland’s medal chances, but would also provide a major psychological lift against one of their closest rivals. The opening-day meeting with Czechia will offer another early test and should provide a clear indication of where Ireland stand among the leading contenders.

Battle-Hardened Players

One of Ireland’s biggest advantages could be the amount of recent international softball already played by members of the squad. Several players, including Cathal Creaven, featured at the recent Men’s European Slowpitch Championship. That experience should leave them match sharp and comfortable with the intensity of tournament softball, particularly during a demanding schedule that includes nine games in four days.

Hazel Kilduff Chasing Another Medal

This will be Hazel Kilduff’s fourth European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship.

2019: Bronze medal
2022: Fifth place
2024: Fourth place

Having already experienced the podium in 2019 and narrowly missed out two years ago, Kilduff will be hoping Ireland can take the final step back into the medals in London.

Can Ireland Return to the Podium?

Great Britain remain the team to beat, but the battle behind them is much more open. Ireland have the experience, pitching depth and recent international preparation to challenge strongly. If they can take care of the games they are expected to win and claim one major result against Germany, Czechia or Great Britain, a return to the podium is a realistic target. The squad has been selected. The fixtures are set. Now Ireland have the opportunity to turn another competitive European campaign into a medal-winning one.

Rapparees Connection

Galway City Rapparees GAA Rounders Club have a unique connection to the tournament, with three of their rounders players involved across two countries. Cathal Creaven and Hazel Kilduff have been selected for Ireland, while Katie Jessop will represent Great Britain. With Great Britain entering as defending champions and tournament favourites, Jessop has a strong chance of returning home with a European gold medal, while Creaven and Kilduff will be hoping to help Ireland back onto the podium.

The post Ireland Reveal Squad for 2026 European Co-ed Slowpitch Championship appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Euro 2020: Czech Republic and Belgium Through

JoeNa Connacht — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:30:23 +0000

The Czech Republic and Belgium earned their spots in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals after wins over the Netherlands and Portugal respectively.

Oranje Crush: Czechs Kick Netherlands Out

The Czech Republic won the five o’clock kick-off, upsetting Frank de Boer’s Netherlands in the process.

Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt was shown a red card for deliberately handling the ball in the fifty-fifth minute.

De Ligt pinned all the blame on himself pic.twitter.com/NtjqCsapSI

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 27, 2021

The Netherlands had dominated the first but had nothing to show for it and the momentum swung in the second half.

Slavia Prague right-back Tomas Holes scored the opening goal in the sixty-eighth minute to give his country the advantage over the 10-man Netherlands.

Netherlands goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg came off his line and left it open for Holes to put his side ahead.

Frank de Boer’s selections and substitutions proved ineffective in the Netherlands’ first European Championship knockout game since 2008.

Tournament star Patrik Schick finished off the helpless Dutch with the second of the game and his fourth of the tournament coming in the 80th minute.

The Czech Republic will face Denmark in the quarter-finals on Saturday at 5 pm.

Belgium Down Portugal To Keep Euro 2020 Hopes Alive

Later on, the Belgians beat reigning European champions Portugal to earn themselves a date with Italy.

A Thorgan Hazard wondergoal lit up an otherwise dull first half and forced the Portuguese to attack Roberto Martinez’s side in the second half.

Fernando Santos’ selection of Renato Sanches and Joao Palhinha did not pay off as the Portuguese side failed to break down the Belgians.

Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to score his 110th international goal against Belgium, which would have put him out on his own in the all-time international scoring charts.

Belgium (0.23) 1-0 (1.56) Portugal

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) June 27, 2021

Santos’ side failed to take advantage of the opportunities they had, registering 1.53 expected goals on the night without finding the net.

The 101-year-old defence of Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld kept a clean sheet and helped their side progress to the quarter-finals.

Belgium will play Italy in their quarter-final on Friday at 5 pm.

The post Euro 2020: Czech Republic and Belgium Through appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Ireland u21s drawn against familiar foes in Euro qualifying group

JoeNa Connacht — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 15:46:49 +0000

Their opponents have been announced as Italy, Sweden, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Luxembourg.

The u21 European Championships 2023 qualifying draw took place today with 53 teams eagerly awaiting their fate.

Ireland were amongst those teams in anticipation after narrowly failing to qualify for the 2021 edition of the tournament which is being hosted by Romania and Georgia.

Coincidentally, they were drawn in an almost exactly identical group as the last qualifying campaign. 3 of their 5 opponents – Italy, Sweden and Luxembourg – were also included in their previous qualifying group.

Maybe luckily for Ireland, though, several of the players which turned out in the last campaign are also available for selection for the upcoming one. That is not the case with the other countries.

Although some of those players have since graduated to the senior squad – Parrott, Idah, Knight etc. – there is still a number of quality players that could excel at u21 level, as well as those which will inevitably come up through the age ranks.

The experience at that level that Ireland have over their opponents could prove to be a decisive factor in regards to their qualification chances.

u21 boss Jim Crawford may already have a squad in mind with the qualification campaign kicking off in March.

Ireland can only qualify given they finish top of their group or as best runner-up.

Confirmed | #IRLU21 have been draw in Group F for the 2021-2023 Under-21 Qualifiers against:

Italy
Sweden
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Montenegro
Luxembourg

The games will take place between March 2021 and June 2022#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/jCQRvGkHnr

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) January 28, 2021

The post Ireland u21s drawn against familiar foes in Euro qualifying group appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.