Annadale Hockey Club

Annadale Hockey Club is a hockey club based at Carryduff, County Down. The club currently plays in the Premier League of the Ulster Senior League.

Formation

The club started life as Annadale Grammar School Former Pupils in 1968. The club however soon became an open Club. The connection with Annadale Grammar School, now Wellington College, is still strong. Coaching continues and the school playing facilities are still used by junior teams.

Early ascent

The club quickly rose through the league structure, gaining promotion to Senior status following their Intermediate League win in 1970-71. Senior League I was attained for the first time after Section 2 was won in the 1975-76 season.

In 1977, the club lost in the Ulster Section Final of the Irish Senior Cup. Consolation came in the form of the club's first Senior trophy when the Anderson Cup was won in that same season. [Belfast Newsletter 28/05/1977 Page 12]

1980s consolidation

The club's initial spell in the top section of the Ulster Senior League lasted five years. There followed a period when Annadale bounced between Section 1 and Section 2. The 1984-85 season saw Annadale win promotion to the top section again, a status that has been held ever since.

A highlight during this period was the success in reaching the Final of the Irish Senior Cup.

Millennium successes

The 1999-00 Final saw Annadale win the Kirk Cup for the first time. Finally in the 2002-03 season the club attained the top spot in the Premier League of the Ulster Senior League. The league has been won every season since then.

The second team also sampled success, with four Irish Junior Cup wins.

Notable Players

Annadale's recent dominance of the Ulster Premier League is due to key players in the 1st XI Team. In the recent years many players have represented both Ulster and Ireland. David Smyth and Chris Jackson would be two players mainly responsible for this dominance; however players such as Iain Lewers, Jonathan Moore, Ian Hamilton, David Robb and Jonathan Quigley can not be discounted.

Iain Lewers is currently playing professionally in the Netherlands for EHL Runners Up HGC.

Honours

*Irish Junior Cup
** 1999-00, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2005-06

*Ulster Senior League
** 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07

*Kirk Cup
** 1999-00, [Belfast Telegraph 28/12/1999 Page 19] 2003-04, 2007-08 [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/hockey/7160645.stm|title=BBC Sport Kirk Cup Final Report 2007-08 Season|accessdate=2007-12-27]

*Anderson Cup
** 1976-77, [Belfast Newsletter 28/05/1977 Page 12] 2000-01, [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/1335894.stm|title=BBC 2001 Anderson Cup Final Report|accessdate=2007-05-22] 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07 [citeweb|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/hockey/6439981.stm|title=BBC 2006-07 Anderson Cup Final Report|accessdate=2007-05-15]

ources

External links

* [http://www.annadale.co.uk/index.php Annadale Hockey Club]
* [http://www.ulsterhockey.com Ulster Branch of Irish Hockey Association]