HARD LUCK to Dublin property valuer Alex Speers, who almost brought the Irish women’s hockey team into the Olympic Games for the first time.

Speers captained the side which unfortunately lost to Belgium last Sunday in the final qualifying match in Brussels.

The Irish Hockey Association had good reason to appoint her captain more than 12 months ago. Head coach Gene Muller said she deserved the honour. “Alex gives her best and will expect the same from all the players in the team. She is a clear thinker, a true professional, and has earned the respect of players and staff.”

The 24-year-old, who works as a valuer at CBRE in Dublin, grew up in Kilkeel, Co Down, and learned her hockey skills at the Royal School in Armagh. She later studied property investment at the University of Ulster in Belfast.