2016 has seen many new faces join the fold in Holland
Ladies, with the return of a seasoned veteran from a hiatus in Africa! Captain
of the 2015 Kerry Senior Ladies Football team, Cáit Lynch, joined the squad in
February while Dani McCallion returned from Africa to return to her glory days
of Holland Ladies. |
| Former Kerry Intercounty players Cáit & Rosie |
Den Haag Invitational, March 5th
The first day out at the annual Den Haag Invitational
resulted in a win for Holland. Only two teams
were present at the Invitational,
so Holland and Belgium faced off in two 15-a-side matches. Holland won both
matches, and had a panel of 19 to choose from. New players from Holland, Canada
and Ireland made their debut in the orange and navy of Holland Ladies for the
first time!
Benelux Round 1: Den
Haag, April 9th
For the first time in years, Holland fielded two teams for
the Benelux Championship. Holland A and Holland B were joined by Belgium and a
hybrid team from Luxembourg and Dusseldorf. Amsterdam’s Karen Maguire captained
the A team, with Barbara Snacken from Den Haag captained the B side. A brave Holland A team lost out in the final
to a strong Belgium side, but great preparations were made for later
tournaments.
Benelux Round 2: Eindhoven,
May 14th
The second round of Benelux was held in Eindhoven, with only
two teams making the journey. Holland and Belgium faced off against each other,
with both teams deciding to play one match of three thirds. Excellent
performances were put in by all of the players, but unfortunately it wasn’t to
be Holland’s day in the sun, with Belgium winning the game. Holland’s Cáit
Lynch picked up Player of the Tournament, so there were still celebrations on
the road home!
Berlin Regional League Finals: Berlin, June 11th
Instead of a third round of the Benelux, the ladies teams
were invited to the Berlin Regional League Finals. Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg made the
trip to Germany, where they played against teams from Central Europe. Holland played three group
games against hosts Berlin, Munich B and a hybrid team of Zurich/ Basel/
Prague. Being undefeated and top of the group, they went on to play Munich A in
the semi-final and eventually beat the Solvaks in the final. Belgium still won
the Benelux Championship on points, but Holland Ladies won the tournament
itself on the day! Some great performances were put in and huge scorelines in
every match were contributed to by Maria Murtagh, Joan McNulty, Rosie Young and Aggie Juszczuk. Our very own Cáit Lynch won
Player of the Tournament, an amazing achievement considering the amount of
players at the tournament.
What’s Next for Holland Ladies
The 15s European Championship will be held in Maastrict on
July 9th and 10th. The teams that Holland will face are
yet to be confirmed, but a great weekend of football is guaranteed! As always,
your support is much appreciated. New players are always welcome, so if you
know of anyone who’d like to get involved, they can get in contact with captain
Karen on karenmaguire11@gmail.com
Holland Ladies abú!
