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Irish Hockey

By John Flack

BELFAST Harlequins have failed in a bold bid to attract South African Olympic star Caryn Bentley to Deramore, it was revealed last night.

But the gifted midfielder/coach is staying put at Coleraine having already indicated her involvement with the club will be more limited next season.

Bentley, who played in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, had been the Bannsiders' coach for six years.

During that spell she steered them into Section One and into two Irish Senior Cup semi-finals and the All Ireland play-offs for the first time in the club's history.

Next season, having rejected the Harlequins offer, she'll no longer be in charge of the first team in the North West but instead will concentrate her efforts further down the club.

It's a blow for Harlequins who are therefore still searching for a coach since the departure of Simon Bell at the end of last season.

They haven't had much luck with Ulster's growing foreign legion in recent years.

After a spell under South African Gregor Maier a few years ago they thought they'd hit the jackpot last season.

They beat off competition from several clubs to sign Kiwi star Rachel Sutherland, who played in the Athens Olympics.

Unfortunately she played only twice for the South Belfast outfit due to a combination of a niggling back injury and work commitments.

She's now on the mend but, as fate would have it, is going to be busy in the new season preparing for next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

It's understood that efforts are being made to plug the coaching gap on several other fronts. But with all Ireland champions Pegasus still coach-less it seems the demand outstrips supply these days.

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