BY KIERAN McCARTHY
DAVID Harte was thrilled to share his latest Dutch men’s Hoofdklasse title success with his family.
The Ballinspittle man was a key figure in SV Kampong’s league title triumph in The Netherlands, as the club ended their six-year wait to be crowned champions.
Legendary Irish hockey goalkeeper Harte was also between the posts when Kampong won in 2018, but the recent victory was a day he was able to share with his wife Lyn and their daughters Georgia (4) and Ava (1).
‘The last time I won the Dutch championship I wasn’t married and didn’t have any kids so it was incredibly special to share this with my daughters and my wife,’ Harte told The Southern Star after Kampong’s two-legged battle with HC Rotterdam. In a thriller at home in Utrecht, Kampong won 4-3 over two legs.
David Harte and his youngest daughter Ava celebrate Kampong's win.
‘My brother Conor came up from Belgium with his daughter Marlena, my goddaughter, and they surprised me so that made it even more special.
‘It was a day to remember,’ added former Bandon Grammar student Harte, who signed a new deal with the club early this year to keep him at Kampong for a 13th season.
‘It was special to win the Dutch championship for the first time since 2018,’ he said.
‘We went through the season not overly consistent and there was always the concern about reaching the top four – that was the main target in the final weeks of the season, to win a place in the play-offs where the games are over two games and it’s an aggregate score that wins.
‘We had a 5-2 victory in the semi-finals against Oranje-Rood from Eindhoven, and then we faced Rotterdam in the final and beat them 4-3 over the two legs – the last game was at home, so it was extra special to get the trophy in front of a packed house.’
With the Olympics fast approaching the Irish goalkeeper will be hoping for more highlights to share with his family in Paris this summer.
