Wilson wins international cap

For on Sunday afternoon, as her club-mates took time to consider their pre-season friendly performances from the previous day, Julie proudly donned an Irish international shirt and took her place on the pitch against Wales as one of only four representatives from the Ulster Hockey Union (UHU) playing for the Ireland over-50s squad at this year’s inaugural Masters World Cup in England.

Playing shoulder-to-shoulder with a clutch of ex-Irish senior internationals such as Cathy Walsh (Cork C of I) and her club-mate Dymphna Hill, plus Orla Galvin (Old Alex) and Caroline Shankey (Randalstown), Wilson had every reason to be proud of her first international cap.

Now into her fourth decade of playing competitive hockey, Julie first picked up a hockey stick in 1969 as an 11-year-old at Carrickfergus Intermediate School. Introduced into club hockey by her PE teacher Jean Kyle, she first signed for Owls Hockey Club for whom she played for three seasons, before moving on to her hometown club, Carrick Ladies, in 1973.

She was a regular at Carrick for eight years until her daughter Stacey (currently also a member of Carrick Ladies) was born, and while subsequently returning to action for a few more seasons, Julie then decided to concentrate on family life.

In 1999, however, the lure of her favourite sport proved too strong and she once again took up her hockey stick in a special match to celebrate Carrickfergus College’s 40th Anniversary. With her taste for hockey fully restored, a couple of season’s with Greenisland veterans then ensued but once again the attractions of Julie’s old club Carrick Ladies proved irresistible and, by this time, daughter Stacey was also playing.

Determined to prove to herself, and her team-mates, that she could still compete effectively in regular club hockey, Julie re-joined Carrick in 2001 and quickly established herself once again as a first-choice player. Indeed, only last year, at 53, she triumphantly captained Carrick’s 2nd XI team to a resounding League Championship win, to take her team up into the third tier of the Ulster Hockey Union Junior League.

And, not only has Julie continued to excel on the pitch, she, together with her daughter Stacey, has been at the forefront of building Carrickfergus Ladies Hockey Club’s Junior Section into one of the strongest programmes in the entire UHU.

The FIH Masters World Cup in which Julie competed on Sunday involves teams from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and the USA as well as a strong representation from European countries including all the home nations. It encompasses four ladies age groups (Over-35, Over-40, Over-45 and Over-50) and four men’s age groups (Over-40, Over-45, Over-50 and Over-55).

This year’s inaugural events are taking place in the period between the Olympics and Paralympics, providing an ideal opportunity for enthusiasts to watch some top-class international hockey. The standard is extremely high as many of the competing players are ex-internationals plus others who are still regularly participating in top league hockey.

And to the delight of her club-mates back in Carrick, not only was Julie a first choice for Ireland’s opening fixture against Wales on Sunday, where she played the entire match, but her team also ran out 2-0 winners, setting themselves up for a high-profile meeting against England.

“Everyone at Carrick Ladies is thrilled and impressed with Julie’s Irish selection,” said Carrick president Peter Stevenson. “We’ll be eagerly following her exploits over the duration of the World Cup. She consistently sets an excellent example to all her team-mates in Carrick and to our up-and-coming youngsters in Junior Club.

“To be able to deliver this quality of hockey after 43 years in the sport is quite remarkable. And to put this in context, I wonder just how many of our current 11-year olds might expect to be still competing week-in, week-out for Carrick Ladies in 2055 and pick up an Irish international cap in the same year? Now there is a challenge,” added Peter.