As a child growing up in Antrim, Northern Ireland, Paul Gleghorne started playing hockey because that was what his elder brother Mark played. He played for the same club, learned his craft playing with Mark's stick and eventually would represent Ireland just as Mark had done.
And on Friday when Ireland conceded a penalty corner in the fourth minute against England in the Hockey World Cup on Friday, Paul had his task clearly laid out - stop his brother Mark from scoring. It was never going to be easy to defend against England's premier drag flicker, but that encounter between the two brothers ended in Paul's favour. With Paul running out to the line of the drag flick, Mark shot wide.
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Fraternal relationships are fairly common in international hockey. Five teams at the World Cup feature brothers in their line-ups. Ireland themselves have a pair of twins - Connor and David Harte. Yet, it's far more uncommon for brothers to feature on opposing sides.
Which is the situation the two Gleghornes found themselves in on Friday. This however, isn't the first time the two squared off. "We've played each other well into double figures now. In major and smaller tournaments and friendly matches. We first played against each other in a friendly back in 2012 and again in 2014. For us the novelty wore off quite a while ago," Paul said ahead of the match. The match at the World Cup wasn't like other matches though. "It's the biggest stage at which we have played against each other," says Mark, who at 33 is the elder by two years.
Plenty was at stake. Both teams had one point after their first two matches. Although a draw would have sent both through to the crossover stage -- following Australia's 11-0 thrashing of China earlier in the day -- neither were playing for a draw. "There's no love lost on the field. That's the way we want it to be," says Mark.
Friday's sibling squabble was clearly won by the elder Gleghorne. In a match where the initiative swung one way and the other, England eventually advanced to the crossover stage with a 4-2 win. Mark would hit the final nail to Ireland's hopes, scoring a penalty corner in the final second of play.
While elated with the win, Mark admitted feeling for his younger brother. "I'm really disappointed for him. He's only two years younger than me so we are very close. But this is the World Cup," he said after the match.
While they were in opposing colours in Bhubaneswar on Friday evening, this wasn't always the case. The brothers are from a hockey family, with aunt Jackie winning a bronze with the Great Britain Women's team in 1992. The brothers themselves grew up playing hockey together at the Antrim hockey club in Antrim, Northern Ireland, with Mark joining first. "I followed my brother into hockey. Because he was the older one, I grew up playing with his sticks. We both played for Antrim growing up," says Paul.
Mark, who also played age group cricket for Ireland alongside the likes of Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin, represented Ireland before making the shift to England for better prospects in 2011.
Paul admits it was strange the first time they stood on opposite sides of the pitch. "It was interesting at first but then once you start, you are just running around and focusing on what is happening next," he says.
They don't think twice about it now though. "It's not worth expending mental energy thinking about possible repercussions of playing against a family member. Its best to just to stick to your game plan and think about getting the result," says Paul.
While both brothers insist they only have loyalties towards their team, this isn't the case for their father Andy who coached at their club. "It's a bit strange for my father whom to support. I don't' think he will be wearing either (Irish green or England red) when he is watching us. He will likely be wearing a neutral shirt and hoping we both come out of the match without injury," says Paul.
And while it was heartbreak for the younger brother, they both will put it behind them when they step off the field. "Since we live in different countries we don't see each other as much as we would like too. But we are like regular brothers. We will have a bit of fun and a bit of banter," says Paul.
Regardless how the rest of the tournament goes for Mark, the two brothers will be meeting at home a week later. "When we are home for Christmas, we will just play a bit of PlayStation and enjoy each other's company and not worry about hockey for some time," says Paul.