Huge well done to Daniel in our sprints group who found his niche on the hockey pitch – check out the report below from his latest tournament. Well done Daniel and best of luck in your future competitions from your friends in Celtic DCH!
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Daniel’s Hockey Journey
Many of you will remember Daniel. He was a member of Celtic DCH for several years, winning two medals in middle distance cross country in his age category for himself and the Club. More recently, he switched over to Brian’s Sprint Group, where he had yet to compete, mainly due to lockdowns and other Covid restrictions (remember them!!?!!).
In September last year, Daniel joined a Hockey Club in Glasnevin and he took to the sport like the proverbial duck to water! Hockey is an extremely fast paced sport, played on a synthetic surface that’s similar to carpet. The hard plastic ball just skims along the surface and speed is the name of the game.
Daniel had not been playing Hockey that long, but in June this year, he was selected to represent Ireland in the Eurohockey ID Championship (for people living with Intellectual Disabilities) in Monchengladbach, Germany. His general fitness (thanks Mary!) and the turn of pace and speed (thanks Brian!) that enables Daniel to get from one end of the pitch to the other and to chase down that stray ball no doubt ensured his selection.
Ten teams from all over Europe took part in the competition and with temperatures climbing above 270 C each day, it was thought that those countries whose teams are used to playing in these conditions could do very well.
The first two days of competition were held at a Hockey and Tennis Club (HTCG) in Monchengladbach, with the finals transferring to Warsteiner HockeyPark – Germany’s biggest hockey stadium – beside Borussia Park, home to Bundes Liga team, Borussia Monchengladbach. HTCG were amazing hosts and kept all athletes well fed and hydrated in very tough playing conditions.
Team Ireland were beaten by Spain and England on the first day, but did better against the Czech Republic, with Daniel providing the finishing touches to three great team goals in a game that ended 4 – 0 to Ireland. In the last match of the day, Ireland held a very organised France to a one score game right up to the final minutes, before conceding a penalty that was then converted to make it 2 – 1 for France.
Day 2 played out very like the first; Ireland beaten by England and the eventual winners of the division, Germany. Ireland’s second match against France was same as the first; the opposition held to a draw before a penalty is conceded in the final few minutes! Again, Ireland beat the Czech Republic. Daniel scored two more goals and passed into the penalty area to provide to great assists. Overall, Daniel scored five goals for his country in this competition.
Although Ireland were beaten in most of their matches, they kept higher ranked teams to low scores and found themselves in the third place play-off against France. For the Irish fans that had travelled over to support the team, it was like being at the final of the FIFA World Cup!
The match was played at a really fast pace, despite the blistering heat and player fatigue from two intense days of competition. Once again, Ireland was holding France, with the score at nil all! Then with just minutes to go, one of Ireland’s forwards spotted a gap in the French defence and sprinted towards the goal. As he braced himself to take the shot, he was tripped by an ill-timed tackle and literally somersaulted through the air before landing hard. The Umpire instantly blew the whistle and called for the penalty. At this point, the Ireland player was joint top goal scorer with Daniel, and he wanted to take the shot himself . . .
Although not as easy as he made it look, he converted the penalty and Team Ireland was 1 – 0 up with seconds to go! The crowd goes wild!!!
But wait; the goal isn’t announced and doesn’t register on the huge scoreboard! What’s happening? Then we hear that the goal has been disallowed because the fouled player may have received attention and should have left the pitch for a least one minute, making him ineligible to take the penalty.
The Ireland Team Coach and Manager approach the Umpire, who is then joined by other tournament officials. After a long discussion, the match is restarted with fans still not knowing what is happening. Then, the final whistle blows and seconds later, the scoreboard is updated;
France 0 – 1 Ireland
The crowd goes wild all over again! All the highs and lows of competitive sport in a matter of minutes!
On the flight home, the pilot announced that the Ireland Hockey Team was on the plane and that they had won bronze in their division. Friends and family cheered as the athletes came through the Arrivals Gate in Dublin Airport. It was a great experience for everyone!
And so ended Daniel’s first Hockey ID odyssey, scoring 5 goals and earning nine caps for his country.
Who knows what a habit and lifestyle of physical fitness and activity can do for you?
Celtic DCH 