DOUBLE: Ireland's Louis Rowe struck twice in the 8-0 win over Poland. Pic: Hockey Ireland

Ollie Kidd’s hat trick and doubles from Adam Walker and Louis Rowe propelled Ireland to the top of the men’s Under-21 EuroHockey Championship II table with an 8-0 win over Poland in Plzen Litice.

It was by some distance their most fluid performance to date while their penalty corner machine functioned well, netting five out of 10 of those set pieces.

Walker dragged the first two into the backboard in the first 11 minutes for a strong lead and they were in the clear when Kidd scored a stroke, awarded after he was felled off the back of a pitch-length move.

With Poland down to ten players in the third quarter, Joe Brennan’s side added three more goals with Kidd scoring a direct corner shot and Rowe rebounding a minute later. Kidd netted the first from play for 6-0 in the 42nd minute following some quick-thinking when the ball stayed in play off the corner-flag, the Lisnagarvey man produced a baseline rocket to finish off.

Evan Jennings got the seventh from a flowing move, encompassing four first-time passes, with a smart touch in front of the goalkeeper before Rowe closed out the scoring in the last 30 seconds.

Ireland are now top on seven points, one clear of Wales who lost 2-1 to Turkey to drop their 100% record. Next on the agenda is a Friday game with Italy where a win could potentially wrap up promotion with a game to spare.

In Ghent, meanwhile, the Irish Under-21 women will contest the relegation Pool C in the top tier following a rough 7-0 defeat at the hands of World Cup silver medalists Germany.

Ireland went into the tie with an outside chance of advancing to the top four if they could snag a win but that possibility went out of the window before half-time.

Slick goals from Sara Strauss, Lena Frerichs and Lilly Stoffelsma put the Germans out of sight by half-time and they added four more in the closing quarter.

David Passmore’s side will carry one point through to Pool C - which begins on Friday - from their draw with Scotland.

Ireland men: S Dale, A Walker, M Collins, I Perrott, J Filgas, P Rose, E Jennings, C Mackay, L Rowe, J Lynch, M Cowan.

Subs: M Duggan, S Ruttle, O Kidd, R Dunlop, J Clark, I Balding, R Clarke.

Ireland women:  E McLoughlin, N McIvor, E Paul, S Cole, L O’Shea, S Murdoch, M Power, L Noble, A Elliott, A Horan, K-J Marshall. 

Subs: E Reid, C Byrne, A Taaffe, R Kelly, A Griffin, L Crowe, H Micklem. 

Men EurHockey Junior Championship II: Ireland 8 (O Kidd 3, A Walker 2, L Rowe 2, E Jennings) Poland 0.

Women EuroHockey Junior Championship: Ireland 0 Germany 7 (L Stoffelsma 2, L Frerichs 2, S Strauss, Y Mandel, S Schwabe).

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