Presidents Page

President’s Page No 82 Friday 20 January 2012

Thursday was a busy day for your President as he headed for Greystones to support Julie Beamish at the funeral of her father.  Richard Beamish was a man of many activities not least YMCA cricket and most recently a rugby referee assessor.  Our sympathies to Julie and to her sisters and extended family.  There was good representation from the hockey world among the packed congregation who had come to pay their last respects.  The IHA Board was also represented by the Vice President Daphne Hall.

That evening it was out to the pitch to greet the senior women’s squad as they laid final preparations for their trip to South Africa leaving on Sunday.  The players look fit, determined  and in good form as they concluded their rotating bases, including the dreaded “beep” test, not for the faint-hearted or unfit presidents, especially under the goading of fitness mentor “killer”!

A few words of encouragement and congratulations on fine work in progress on behalf of us all and it was “bon voyage” for the home of Coach Gene Muller and also some recognition of cap milestones – with more to come – all under the watchful eye of the redoubtable Manager Sally Ann Fanagan.

Amazingly there is no Irish hockey action this weekend so it will be a quiet one for the President as he dips into some family hockey action – just for a change!

It will be the following weekend when the competitions get back underway so it will be then I look forward to …..

Seeing you pitchside!!

Herbie