The Hockey Ireland Cup Competition first round draws will take place in the Hockey Ireland office on Monday 12th from 2:00pm. Draws will be made available online by Monday evening.
Men’s Irish Senior Cup final
Lisnagarvey 3 (A Williamson, H Morris, B Nelson) Monkstown 1 (D Carson)
Lisnagarvey extended their lead at the top of the men’s Irish Senior Cup winners all-time list as three second half goals saw them retain the title at Belfield in brilliant style.
It was right the way in the balance until the closing minutes as Andy Williamson’s goal was all that stood between the sides with five minutes to go.
But two counter strikes from Harry Morris and Ben Nelson put them in dreamland, winning this title for a 25th time, adding to the EY Hockey League and EY Champions Trophy crowns already won this term.
Williamson had a dramatic day, scoring the first, being sin-binned while the second went in and then returning to assist the third when his effort bounced off the post.
“It feels great to get the third trophy this year. It’s something our guys have chased for a few years now, it’s fantastic,” he said afterwards, tormenting Monkstown for a second week running having scored late on in their Champions Trophy semi-final.
“We know it will be tough against those guys, one of the toughest out there. I just so happened to get the two goals. It has been a long season for me, only coming back in January after ankle surgery so great to be back and playing strong opposition.”
Indeed, it could expand to five titles as they still have Ulster’s Kirk Cup and a European campaign to come in June.
Monkstown were the sides out of the blocks quicker with Andrew Fogarty to the fore. His reverse was the first shot on target while Lee Cole’s drag-flick was guided around the post by James Milliken.
Garvey came more into it in the second quarter with Daniel Nelson and James Lorimer pulling off shots from a very tight game.
It opened up more after the break with Troy Chambers exceptional down the Lisnagarvey right and they started a run of corners, one of which Williamson planted into the corner.
Monkstown, meanwhile, had strong shouts of their own. They argued one corner was denied by a body on the line by Johnny Bell but umpire Warren McCully – standing in his last fixture – and Alison Keogh – the first female to officiate the men’s final – agreed it went off a stick.
When Williamson departed for the sin-bin, it seemed time for Monkstown to really turn the screw but it was their opponents who broke out in devastating fashion. Ben and Matthew Nelson combined with quick-fire passes and while the brilliant Lee Cole dove back to nick the ball away in the shooting phase, it squirmed invitingly to Morris waiting on the right post to tip in.
It left Garvey four minutes to play out but, with Town applying a full press, a lengthy James Lorimer overhead was brilliantly tipped around the last defender by Williamson. His shot bumped off the bottom of the post but Ben Nelson followed up to touch in.
There was still time for Davy Carson to rifle one into the net but it was a consolation as Garvey had their victory and a third trophy in this remarkable season.
Monkstown: D Fitzgerald, D Nolan, D Carson, A Fogarty, J Duncan, J Henry, D Cole, S Cole, G Cole, K Kenning, L Cole
Subs: N Dee, G Sarratt, K Lynch, S Hohn, M Gibbons, T Kohlmann, R Clarke
Lisnagarvey: J Milliken, J Lorimer, J Lynch, J Bell, M McNellis, J Corry, A Williamson, D Nelson, A Edgar, M Nelson, T Chambers
Subs: P McKibbin, B Nelson, H Morris, C Chambers, R Getty, O Kidd, J Ritchie
Lisnagarvey’s Ben Nelson celebrates in style. Pic: Adrian Boehm
Women’s Irish Senior Cup final
Catholic Institute 1 (A Hickey) Pembroke 0
Aoife Hickey wrote herself and Catholic Institute into Irish Senior Cup folklore as her 16th minute goal handed the Limerick club their first ever senior title as they denied Pembroke a perfect treble at a drenched Belfield.
She brilliantly volleyed in Naomi Carroll’s knee-high cross for the only goal and the Limerick club saw out the win in super style to crown a remarkable season.
At the start of the campaign, they openly admitted top six would represent success but, by the spring, they had marked themselves along with Pembroke as the two outstanding clubs on the scene.
Pembroke had landed the EY Hockey League and Champions Trophy, picking apart Insta just six days ago at Havelock Park 4-1.
But the patterns shifted drastically this week with Carroll an effervescent dynamo at the heart of this remarkable performance.
“We are ecstatic,” said Carroll, the game’s outstanding player. “We had a tough week, losing to Pembroke last week and were devastated after it but it just shows the quality in their side, scoring two goals in the first quarter and they really put us under the pump.
“We really had to turn things around and we had to believe in ourselves and couldn’t let that happen again. We knew if we could keep it close or score early, we’d give ourselves a chance and I am absolutely over the moon. It’s been a really long season and it is incredible to finish it off on this high.
“We watched a lot of video and saw we ourselves made a lot of mistakes which we knew we could rectify. We knew the pace they had in midfield and the quality in their defence in their flat-stick tackling. We had to change what we did and bring our strengths forward, not fall into their game plan. We focused on that and gave it everything! Empty the tanks was our motto!”
Pembroke had started brightly with Aisling Naughton’s backhand needing a diving Christine O’Shea block to smother it’s path with Rachel O’Brien had a couple of big digs at goal.
But Carroll’s influence soon came to bear and it was her surge that laid the base for Hickey to net just before the end of the first quarter, battling to nick the ball and then rounding the defence on the right flank.
She almost created a second for Lizza Ryan whose deflection was blocked by goalkeeper Emma Buckley who was far busier than a week before.
Pembroke came on strong in the second half with Ellen Curran and Gillian Pinder building up speed. They won five penalty corners but found no way through with the combination of Pam Smithwick and Michelle Barrett an adept duo to clear the lines.
Insta, though, always looked the more incisive on this occasion. Ryan and Hannah Kelly combined well to force another save from Buckley while a baseline cross was just beyond the stick of Kelly from another big chance.
Without the insurance goal, it always left Pembroke in the hunt, winning a series of set pieces in the final play.
But, fittingly, Carroll had the last touch of the game, charging down as the first defensive runner on the final hooter to confirm the victory.
Pembroke: E Buckley, L McGuire, A-K Trevor, S Loughran, E Beatty, O Macken, E Curran, R O’Brien, I Delamer, A Naughton, G Pinder
Subs: A Griffin, C Moroney, C Foley, S Campbell, T Wensley, M McCready, R Cowman
Catholic Institute: P Smithwick, C O’Shea, N Carroll, R Upton, L Clery, E Ryan, M Barrett, A Horan, J Clein, C Moloney, M Barrett
Subs: A Hickey, H Kelly, B Murphy, M Scanlon, A Bourke, L Ryan, M O’Callaghan
Umpires: G Garrett, F Davitt
Pembroke and Lisnagarvey will look to add the third trophy of potential triples on Saturday as the Irish Senior Cup finals return to Belfield for the first time since 2018.
They won the respective EY Hockey League and EY Champions Trophy finals and now have Catholic Institute and Monkstown standing in the way of a national clean-sweep.
First on court, Pembroke will be looking to repeat last Sunday’s comprehensive success against Insta in which they produced a wonderful display of tight defence allied to a speedy counter-attacking.
A feature has been the spread of goalscorers, 16 different players weighing in with none scoring more than six. It’s a stat which makes it difficult for opponents to know where to defend according to Gillian Pinder.
“Sure, when you have so many people scoring goals, who do you pick up!” Pinder said. “It’s a great problem to have. We were never reliant on one or two individuals to make sure we get the win!”
For Catholic Institute, it has already been a groundbreaking season and they would dearly love to bring a first senior title back to Rosbrien.
“Our club has been to two Irish Senior Cup finals in the past [in 1979 and 1984] and yet to win any,” said captain Róisín Upton. “I don’t think the idea we are in Europe has sunk in yet. When we reflect on the season, we will be delighted. A final of the Champions Trophy and a final of the cup, it is a fantastic achievement for our little club in Limerick.”
In the men’s final, reigning champions Garvey are hoping to land a 25th title but they face a Monkstown side who pushed them to the limit last Saturday in the Champions Trophy semi-final.
Indeed, the Dubliners had one foot in the final with three minutes to go courtesy of Jeremy Duncan’s second half goal. But a stunning late salvo from Andy Williamson and Matthew Nelson with just seconds to go saw the Hillsborough side nab a 2-1 victory from the embers.
Matthew Nelson celebrates his winning goal against Monkstown Pic: Adrian Boehm
They followed up a day later with a shoot-out win over Banbridge in the final; having won the regular league season on goal difference from Three Rock Rovers, it shows how tight the margins are in the men’s top five but Garvey seemingly hold that vital mental edge in a clinch.
And they could conceivably win five titles if they win the Ulster Kirk Cup and the EuroHockey Club Challenge I in the Czech Republic in June.
“To win these two trophies and a massive test against Monkstown, to have that opportunity for the treble is fantastic,” said Daniel Nelson in the wake of the Champions Trophy.
“An Ulster Cup final and a European trip after that! Everyone thinks our season is almost done but we still have a month to go!”
Monkstown, meanwhile, are looking to score their first trophy since 2016 and fifth Senior Cup overall. Their opponent that day? Lisnagarvey with Jonny Bruton striking in the last 90 seconds to earn a shoot-out in which the sky-blues prevailed.
They have eight of that panel still around but Guy Sarratt was unavailable last weekend, their top scorer a big miss from play and corners.
Saturday 30th April 2022
Men
Irish Senior Cup Final: Monkstown v Lisnagarvey, Belfield, 3.45pm
Women
Irish Senior Cup Final: Pembroke Wanderers v Catholic Institute, Belfield, 1.30pm
The changing of the guard continues at the top table of the women’s game as Pembroke and Catholic Institute will contest the women’s Irish Senior Cup final in late April having led the way in the EYHL.
The latter will be looking to win the title for the first time while Pembroke have not won the cup since 1975.
Insta left it late on Sunday afternoon in Rosbrien to turn things around as UCD – winners of three of the last four editions of the cup – looked set to be the first club to win in Limerick this season thanks to a Hannah McLoughlin penalty corner strike.
But two goals from Naomi Carroll in the last 10 minutes saw Institute turn the game on its head for a 2-1 success in front of a big home crowd. It will be their third final appearance, their most recent coming in 1984.
UCD came out of the traps quicker and scored a corner in the seventh minute through McLoughlin and they kept up an intense level of pressure through the second quarter but the hosts hung tough.
The Limerick side found their feet in Q3 and ramped up their game significantly in the closing stages. A super ball from Ciara Moloney picked out Carroll to deflect into the top corner and they had a string of good chances before taking the vital one with two minutes left, a passing movement which Carroll took to her left and cracked in on her reverse.
Pembroke, meanwhile, showed no hangover from their EYHL celebrations on Saturday as they beat Pegasus 2-0 at Serpentine Avenue with Orla Macken and Gillian Pinder’s penalty stroke in the second half making the difference.
Catholic Institute’s Anna Horan, Muireann Scanlon and Roisin Upton celebrate. Picture: Max Fulham
On the men’s side, reigning champions Lisnagarvey were pushed to the absolute limit at the unfamiliar Beaufort surrounds as they beat Glenanne in an epic shoot-out.
Jonny Lynch’s goal put Garvey in control but Richard Couse levelled in the fourth quarter to send the game to the shoot-out which went all the way to 8-7 before Daniel Nelson slotted the winner.
Monkstown will be Garvey’s opponent. They looked to be coasting when Jeremy Duncan scored twice in the first half, adding to one from Lee Cole to make it 3-0 against Cookstown but the Co Tyrone side – who ply their trade in the Ulster Premier Division – grabbed goals from Calum Anderson and Michael Kerr to give the Dubliners a real fright.
The two finals will take place on April 30 in Belfield.
Men
Irish Senior Cup semi-finals: Glenanne 1 (R Couse) Lisnagarvey 1 (J Lynch), Lisnagarvey win shoot-out 8-7; Monkstown 3 (J Duncan 2, L Cole) Cookstown 2 (C Anderson, M Kerr)
Women
Irish Senior Cup semi-finals: Catholic Institute 2 (N Carroll 2) UCD 1 (H McLoughlin); Pembroke 2 (O Macken, G Pinder) Pegasus 0
Monkstown became the first women’s side to have a confirmed semi-final spot in the women’s EYHL Division 2 finals weekend with Ards within touching distance of joining them following their respective wins over the weekend.
For Town, they won well at Queens on Saturday 4-1 with two goals from Emily Kealy to make it seven wins from seven thus far and put 20 points between them and the Ulster club.
It has now opened up the battle for the remaining playoff places from this group with Lurgan leaping ahead of Cork C of I thanks to a 3-1 success in NUIG.
Jo-Anne Reid, Chloe McBride and Leanne Thompson got the Lurgan goals with a nice corner switch from Freddie Timmins giving NUIG their goal.
Lurgan (14 points) face Queens (15) next week while C of I (12) return to action at Dangan against NUIG, leaving lots to play for in the closing rounds of this group.
In Group A, Ards are 10 points clear of Corinthian and have a strong goal difference off the back of their 5-0 victory at Trinity on Saturday with Zara Malseed getting a hat-trick.
They could advance without hitting a ball if Corinthian have any slip next week against UCC; otherwise, Ards need just a point from their last game against Galway on March 26th.
UCC strengthened their hold on a playoff place with a 7-2 win over Galway who battled hard but were without several regulars for the trip to the Mardyke due to Covid.
Nikki Barry set the ball rolling before Christina Dring and Lauren Ryan both scored twice each. The Cork club need a point from next week’s game against Corinthian to formally confirm their place in the playoffs.
On Sunday, Catholic Institute won their twice postponed Irish Senior Cup quarter-final against Banbridge where first quarter goals from Carroll, Clery and Hannah Kelly set them on their way to a 5-0 success. They will face UCD on March 27th in the final four.
In the Irish Junior Cup, Corinthian advanced to meet holders Pembroke in the decider following their respective wins over Railway Union and Queen’s.
Women’s EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Trinity 0 Ards 5 (Z Malseed 3, E Robinson, C Adams); UCC 7 (C Dring 2, L Ryan 2, A O’Mahony, E O’Sullivan, N Barry) Galway 2 (A Manley, A McDonnell)
Pool 2: NUIG 1 (F Timmins) Lurgan 3 (J-A Reid, C McBride, L Thompson); Queens University 1 (S McDowell) Monkstown 4 (E Kealy 2, R Carthy, C Watkins)
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Banbridge 0 Catholic Institute 5 (N Carroll, L Clery, H Kelly, J Clein, C O’Shea)
Irish Junior Cup – Semi-Finals: Corinthian II 4 Railway Union II 2; Pembroke II 3 Queens University II 1
Monkstown’s Emily Kealy. Pic: Deryck Vincent
The lead changed hands at the top of each of the three men’s EYHL Division 2 groups with Railway Union, Clontarf and Cookstown now leading the way in their respective groups.
Railway edged out Instonians amid a deluge of rain at Park Avenue on Saturday evening with Mark English’s penalty corner goal the only strike of a tie slowed considerably by the weather.
The result lifted them above Inst who dropped down to third place on goal difference after Cork C of I won well against Rathgar 4-0 with player-coach Jonny Bruton on the mark twice while Simon Wolfe and Mark Gallagher chipped in, too.
Railway will meet Rathgar on Tuesday evening in their next tie (7.30pm, The High School) with Instonians hosting C of I on Saturday in the penultimate weekend of the pool stages.
In Pool 2, Clontarf put in a strong performance against a Cork Harlequins side down on numbers due to a number of Covid cases, winning 6-1.
It was 4-0 at half-time with the destination of the points assured. The victory edges the bulls into the lead in the table on eight points with Kilkeel on seven but with a game in hand.
Kilkeel are on the long road to Cork next Saturday before facing Clontarf on March 27.
In Pool 3, Portrane raided west Cork for their first win of the competition against previous leaders Bandon with a 2-0 victory. Imran Khan gave the Fingal side an early lead and Anthony Glutz fired home high into the net late in the day to take the spoils.
Cookstown took advantage of that result to record their third win and move into first place on goal difference, beating Mossley 4-1. All the goals came in the second half at the Glade with Cookstown going 2-0 up before Simon Todd – against his former club – got one back with an upright reverse with eight minutes to go.
But the visitors replied with two more efforts in the closing stages with Max Anderson, Michael Kerr, Jack Haycock and Mark Crooks all registering goals.
Elsewhere, Cookstown prevailed in the Irish Junior Cup semi-final as they beat Bangor 3-1 to raise hopes of a first title since 1985. They trailed early on but two goals from David Atkinson and a solo effort from Mitchell Greer turned things around.
Annadale will be their opponent after they beat YMCA 3-1 at home. Spencer Pinion and Fionn Marriott traded first half goals before Josh Woodrow and David Tremlett put Dale in the clear at Stormont.
Annadale will be looking for their fifth Junior Cup crown having won it four times between 2000 and 2006.
Men’s EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Cork C of I 4 (J Bruton 2, S Wolfe, M Gallagher) Rathgar 0; Railway Union 1 (M English) Instonians 0
Pool 2: Clontarf 6 (D Keuter 2, A O’Malley 2, S Grace, D Vincent) Cork Harlequins 1 (A Dale)
Pool 3: Bandon 0 Portrane 2 (I Khan, A Glutz); Mossley 1 (S Todd) Cookstown 4 (M Anderson, M Kerr, J Haycock, M Crooks)
Irish Junior Cup – Semi-Finals: Annadale II 3 (S Pinion, J Woodrow, D Tremlett) YMCA II 1 (F Marriott); Cookstown II 3 (D Atkinson 2, M Greer) Bangor II 1
Lisnagarvey produced a defensive masterclass to outdo Three Rock Rovers and advance to the final four of the men’s Irish Senior Cup, winning 2-0 at Grange Road.
With Jonny Bell marsahlling things, they gave precious few chances to the current EY Hockey League leaders and eventually took their chances in the second half to win a big battle.
Indeed, they might have been in the clear earlier in the contest but for some outstanding Conor Quinn goalkeeping – not for the first time this season – as he denied Troy Chambers and James Lorimer early on.
Rovers were shy a number of their front line with Ben Johnson, Luke Adams and Evan Jennings out of action and they struggled to get much traction, the pick of their chances flashing just wide from Ross Canning before half-time.
Garvey went in front with half an hour to go when Ben Nelson charged down a couple of attempted clearances and followed up to give his older brother Matthew the chance to swipe home. They looked the more likely to strike again and they were two to the good in the last 10 minutes when Andy Edgar flicked home from the penalty spot after a swift counter-attack.
Peter Blakeney whizzed a corner shot just wide in the dying moments but Lisnagarvey were well worth their win, setting up a semi-final date with Glenanne.
In the men’s Irish Hockey Trophy, the all-Ulster semi-finals yielded a final showdown between North Down and Queen’s after they overcame South Antrim (6-2) and Portadown (3-2), respectively.
In the women’s Irish Senior Cup, Banbridge and Catholic Institute’s quarter-final was postponed for a second time.
Avoca reached the final of the Irish Hockey Trophy with a shoot-out win over YMCA. Orla O’Brien had Avoca 1-0 up until the closing minutes before YMCA withdrew their goalkeeper in favour of an extra outfielder and it paid dividends when Naoise Carraher netted for 1-1.
But they could not carry that momentum into the shoot-out where Avoce won out 3-1 with efforts from Aoife Grogan, Anna Richardson and Sarah Dillon, Joanne O’Grady getting YMCA’s reply.
Men
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Three Rock Rovers 0 Lisnagarvey 2 (M Nelson, A Edgar)
Irish Hockey Trophy, semi-finals: North Down 6 (P Templeton 2, J Orr, G McKeown, A Welsh, J Gilmore) South Antrim 2 (M Taylor, J Brown); Queens University 3 (H Scott 2, C Irwin) Portadown 2
Women
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Banbridge v Catholic Institute – postponed
Irish Hockey Trophy, semi-finals: Avoca 1 (O O’Brien) YMCA 1 (N Carraher), Avoca win shoot-out 3-1; Raphoe v Ashton – postponed
An stronger idea of who will be involved in the shake-up for EY Hockey League places next season will move closer after Saturday with a full series of Division 2 fixtures on the agenda.
In addition, there is a vital men’s top tier meeting between Corinthian and Annadale while Muckross and Pegasus meet in an Irish Senior Cup quarter-final postponed from before Christmas.
Looking at the one top tier EYHL game, Corinthian and Annadale sit just outside the relegation places and will be hoping to use this tie to give them a bit more breathing room.
They drew 3-3 on the opening day of the season with Chad Futcher scoring twice for the reds; he has since returned to South Africa and they will miss his impressive drag-flicks – scoring six in total – and long overheads.
Dale are three points better off and a third victory of the season would see them put six points between them and the drop zone.
In EYHL2, the tension is ramping up in the group stages, particularly in a very tight Pool 1 where just one point covers the top three places. Cork C of I lead the way on goal difference and they meet third placed Railway Union.
Both are leading their regional leagues but have not it all their own way of late. C of I needed a late Rob Sweetnam to win at Catholic Institute in Munster to win 2-1 and stay top. Railway scraped by Dublin University and Portrane before losing their unbeaten record at the hands of Clontarf.
Instonians, meanwhile, host Rathgar who have yet to land a point in the competition.
Similarly, there is nothing between the sides in Pool 2 with Cork Harlequins, Kilkeel and Clontarf drawing all the games they have played so far.
This time out, Clontarf host Kilkeel with the Bulls in red-hot form with nine games unbeaten in Leinster, most recently beating Dublin Uni in midweek 5-0 with a Sam Grace hat trick. Kilkeel, meanwhile, have been shading high-scoring battles, beating Queens 4-3 this week and Newry 5-4 either side of a 2-2 draw with Portadown.
Pool 3 has two clear leaders – Cookstown and Bandon – with a maximum 10 points from two games on their record but that will not remain beyond Saturday with the two clubs meeting in west Cork.
Mossley and Portrane will look to kickstart their potential chances of reaching the playoffs when they face off at The Glade.
On the women’s side, it’s a similarly vital moment in the EYHL2 season. Leaders Ards are on the bye weekend and so chasers UCC and Corinthian will see their meeting at the Mardyke as vital.
NUIG and Queen’s are in EYHL2 action. Picture: Billy Pollock
The students are on seven points and five above the reds but the Dubliners have only played one game thus far due to a frozen-out fixture before Christmas which leaves them ground to catch-up and seven games remaining.
Galway and Trinity, meanwhile, are seeking their first win of the campaign when they meet in Dangan and needing a result to keep their chances of a playoff spot alive.
In Pool 2, with runaway leaders Monkstown on a break, it is a great chance for all four of the sides to put themselves in the frame for a playoff place.
Cork C of I and NUIG are both seeking their first win of the league having drawn with Lurgan in earlier rounds. The Cork side have been in excellent form in Munster, moving top of the table and reaching their regional cup semi-final with a 5-0 away win over Bandon.
Queen’s will strengthen their hold on second significantly if they can win their meeting with Ulster rivals Lurgan on Saturday. Queen’s have made strong moves in 2022 with healthy wins over Dungannon (5-0) and Raphoe (2-0) lifting them five places in the table, one spot behind Lurgan but with two games in hand.
In the women’s Irish Senior Cup, Muckross are hoping to overturn their EYHL 3-1 defeat to Pegasus when they meet at Grange Road. Both are aiming to join UCD and Pembroke in the final four with Banbridge and Catholic Institute’s date now refixed for February.
Sunday sees the latest round of matches in the male underage interprovincials with Munster and Leinster meeting in a triple-header at Three Rock.
Elsewhere, the draws were made for the men’s and women’s Irish Junior Cups and the women’s Irish Hockey Challenge with the men’s playoff places also confirmed.
Saturday 29th January 2022
Men
EYHL Division 1: Corinthian v Annadale, Whitechurch Park, 3.15pm
EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Instonians v Rathgar, Shaw’s Bridge, 3pm; Railway Union v Cork C of I, Park Avenue, 1.30pm
Pool 2: Clontarf v Kilkeel, Mount Temple, 1.30pm
Pool 3: Bandon v Cookstown, Bandon GS, 1pm; Mossley v Portrane, The Glade, 2.45pm
Women
Irish Senior Cup, quarter-final: Muckross v Pegasus, Grange Road, 2.30pm
EYHL Division 2
Pool 1: Galway v Trinity, Dangan, 1pm; UCC v Corinthian, Mardyke, 2pm
Pool 2: Cork C of I v NUIG, Garryduff, 2pm; Queens University v Lurgan, Malone Playing Fields, 12.45pm
Sunday 30th January 2022
Men
Interprovincial series
Under-16: Munster v Leinster, Grange Road, 3pm
Under-18: Munster v Leinster, Grange Road, 5pm
Under-21: Munster v Leinster, Grange Road, 4pm
National cup draws
Men
Irish Junior Cup semi-finals: Cookstown v Bangor; Banbridge v YMCA
Irish Hockey Challenge, quarter-finals: Limerick v Midleton; Waterford v Mullingar
Semi-finals: Winner of QF 1 v Portrush; Winner of QF 2 v Saintfield
Women
Irish Hockey Challenge semi-finals: Bangor v Wexford; Clonakilty v NICS
Irish Junior Cup semi-finals: Pembroke v Queens; Corinthian v Railway
Saturday’s 16 men’s national cup fixtures produced a remarkable 96 goals with thrills and spills a plenty across the Irish Senior Cup and Irish Hockey Trophy.
Cork C of I won a Munster thriller against Bandon to reach the final eight of the Senior Cup, eventually prevailing after a shoot-out following a 3-3 draw in normal time.
The west Cork outifit had led 2-1 at half-time as they eyed a famous win and it was still in the balance when the tie went to shoot-out with Bandon leading at 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 but C of I kept pace and slotted their winner.
Cookstown will continue to fly the Ulster Premier Division flag into the quarter-final as they raided Railway Union to land a quarter-final spot via a shoot-out.
Cookstown’s Ryan Millar under pressure from Rob Abbott. Picture: Max Fulham (click image for full gallery)
It was a big battle with Cookstown taking the lead via Jack Haycock’s corner only for Jeremy McKeever and Rob Abbott to turn things around. But Max Anderson snagged an equaliser while Railway were down to 10 players in the closing five minutes and they took the momentum into the shoot-out to win 2-1.
It was one of three wins on the road as Pembroke finally found form to defeat Annadale 5-1; their first success of the campaign. They did trail early on to a Callum Robson strike in the seventh minute but a stroke and a corner goal from Alan Sothern swapped the lead by half-time.
Julian Dale made it 3-1 just before half-time and both of their star strikers scored again in the second half for a handsome win.
Monkstown got the best of Banbridge at Havelock Park 3-2. It was very tight in the first half but goals from Guy Sarratt and Jazze Henry saw the Dubliners move out of range despite a late Bann riposte.
In another nailbiter, Ben Campbell’s single goal in the second quarter saw YMCA prevail against 2020 finalists UCD. An early stroke was repelled by the students before the Y went ahead via a great team goal and they survived through to the end, enduring a disallowed goal in the fourth quarter to add to the tension.
Elsewhere, there were comfortable wins for Glenanne, Three Rock Rovers and Lisnagarvey. Shannon Boucher’s hat trick helped the Glens beat Cork Harlequins 4-0; he got the only goal of the first three quarters as the visitors defended brilliantly but the Glens ran up three more in the end.
Rovers got over a slow start to beat Corinthian 5-1 as Ben Johnson’s corner goal settled nerves before Ryan Spencer (two), Evan Jennings and Ali Empey netted.
TRR’s Ryan Spencer makes it 2-0 against Corinthian, celebrating with Andy Keane Pic: Adrian Boehm (click image for full gallery)
Garvey were the big winners, showing a clean set of heels to Leinster league side Rathgar with eight different scorers in a 10-0 win.
In the Irish Hockey Trophy, there were over 50 goals scored across eight ties. Ulster sides dominated with Portadown, Bangor, Belfast Harlequins, Queen’s, South Antrim and North Down all going through.
Dublin North are the sole Leinster side left after their win over Bray, Shane Dempsey scoring a double. Catholic Institute hold up the Munster side of things with Chris Ryan’s four goals underpinning their 5-2 success at Ballynahinch.
Men
Irish Senior Cup – Round 2: Annadale 1 (C Robson) Pembroke 5 (A Sothern 3, J Dale 2); Banbridge 2 (L Rowe, S Farson) Monkstown 3 (M Gibbons, G Sarratt, J Henry); Cork C of I 3 (A Moffett, P Sweetnam, S Wolfe) Bandon 3 (I Perrott, R Smyth, D Jennings), C of I win shoot-out 5-4; Glenanne 4 (S Boucher 3, G Shaw) Cork Harlequins 0; Lisnagarvey 10 (J Lorimer 2, A Edgar 2, T Chambers, C Chambers, O Kidd, B Nelson, D Nelson, R Getty) Rathgar 0; Railway Union 2 (J McKeever, R Abbott) Cookstown 2 (J Haycock, M Anderson), Cookstown win shoot-out 2-1; Three Rock Rovers 5 (R Spencer 2, B Johnson, E Jennings, A Empey) Corinthian 1 (C Futcher); YMCA 1 (B Campbell) UCD 0
Irish Hockey Trophy – Round 1: Ashton 2 (J Sweetnam 2) Portadown 5; Avoca 1 (A Tutty) South Antrim 4 (J Kamalarajah, C Henry, B Clarke, M Taylor); Ballynahinch 2 (J Campbell 2) Catholic Institute 5 (C Ryan 4, T Gaffney); Bangor 5 (R Burgess 2, Z McKee 2, M Sanchez) Kilkenny 3 (D McClure 2, E Dore); Belfast Harlequins 6 (M Patterson 2, C Lemon 2, C Wilson, N Anderson) UCC 2 (C McCormack, L Hennigan); Dublin North 2 (A Dempsey 2) Bray 1 (G Evans); NICS 2 Queens University 8 (C Irwin 3, H Scott 2, S McCabe 2, J Taggart); North Down 4 (H Templeton, P Templeton, J Spratt, G Bailie) Newry 2 (K McWilliams, J Taylor)
