Ireland's women survived an early fright to get their Athlon FIH Road to London campaign underway with a 5-1 win over France in Beerschot, Belgium today.

LOUISA HEALY and Megan Frazer will make their first international appearances in over 18 months later this month following their inclusion in Gene Muller’s panel for Ireland’s tour to South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY knocks for two of UCD’s leading lights as Ireland senior women’s coach Gene Muller has opted to shake things up for his side’s trip to Argentina next month.

CORK’S Julia O’Halloran is the big absentee from Gene Muller’s latest Irish centralised training panel announced yesterday.

PAKISTAN hitman Sohail Abbas gunned down Ireland in the UCD Four Nations final on Saturday — but then insisted he’s never seen Paul Revington’s side in better nick.

JEAN MCDONNELL has been handed the chance to prove her Irish international credentials after she was named in an 18-strong squad for next week’s FIH Champions Challenge I in Dublin.

IRELAND’S senior women begin a hectic summer schedule in Scotland over the June Bank Holiday Weekend, as they bid to annex the Celtic Cup for the first time since 2006.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE threw a major spanner in the works in the race for semi-final spots in the women’s Irish Hockey League by stunning Loreto 2-1 at Rosbrien on Saturday.

EIMEAR CREGAN could overtake fellow Munster woman Rachael Kohler as the most capped Irishhockey player of all time this month.

IRELAND senior women’s coach Gene Muller has finally confirmed plans to centralise the team to Dublin from this October will go ahead.

AUDREY O’FLYNN faces into the biggest test of her fledgling international career next month after she was yesterday named in Gene Muller’s 18-strong Ireland squad for the World Cup Qualifiers in Chile.

IRELAND will be once again on the outside looking in at a major tournament after Argentina dashed their slim hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup with a crushing 4-0 win in Quilmes.

JASON LYNCH faces the novel prospect of lining out against former colleagues on his old stomping ground for the second time in a week, as he prepares to don the colours of Ulster at the senior hockey interprovincials at Garryduff in Cork this weekend.

IRELAND earned the bronze medal and some consolation for their failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics with a 2-1 win over Canada at the University of Victoria yesterday.

Ireland have maintained their 100% record at the Olympic hockey qualifying tournament in Canada.

Ireland 2 Ukraine 1

Ireland 3 Italy 0

The Irish Women's Hockey team drew 0-0 with Azerbaijan today, (2.45pm Irish time), in their final pool match, their third in as many days, at the World Cup Qualifying tournament in Rome.

TEENAGE hockey sensation Emma Stewart has been named in the final Irish squad for the European Championships in Dublin in less than two weeks time.

Korea 6 Ireland 3

Ireland women’s coach Riet Kuper has handed first call-ups to five players for a three-day Easter training camp.