Hockey Ireland Domestic Round Up Sunday Mar 24: Irish Senior Cup Semi Final Results
This weekend saw three of the four semi-finals take place in the Men’s and Women’s Irish Senior Cup, a competition that dates back to 1894 (Men) making it the oldest Club hockey competition in the world. The competition is an open draw format played for by the best Hockey Clubs across Ireland.
In the Men’s competition three of the four participating clubs were from Ulster and two of them gained home advantage in the draw as Banbridge hosted Cookstown while Lisnagarvey hosted Three Rock Rovers from Dublin.
In the Women’s Irish Senior Cup semi-finals, three of the four teams were from the province of Leinster. Loreto gained home advantage in the draw against Catholic Institute from Limerick and the all-Dublin semi-final between UCD and Railway Union will take place in Belfield at a later date.
IRISH SENIOR CUP WOMEN’S SEMI-FINAL
LORETO 0 CATHOLIC INSTITUTE 1
Catholic Institute have qualified for their third Women’s Irish Senior Cup Final in a row by beating 2024 EY Hockey League Women’s Division 1 Champions 1-0 in the first Women’s semi-final at Beaufort. Insta broke in the first minute and found Roisín Begley inside the Loreto semi-circle and she rifled the ball into the net for a goal worthy to win any hockey game. Catholic Institute and Loreto still had 69 minutes left to play so it was far from clear how this game would finish. Catholic Institute hit Loreto on the counterattack and enjoyed a fair amount of possession in the first and second quarters. Despite Loreto forcing a number of penalty corners it was still 1-0 to the Shannonsiders at half-time. Loreto were completely dominant in the third quarter forcing at least half a dozen penalty corners and long corners, but the Catholic Institute defense marshalled by Anna Horan and the superb Emilie Ryan-Doyle was also backstopped by former Ireland International Pamela Smithwick-Hearne in goal. There was a whole team effort involved with the likes of Naomi Carroll and goal scorer Roisin Begley popping up in defensive positions to make crucial tackles and interceptions. As the game wore on the penalty corners improved from Loreto and Emilie Ryan Doyle took one effort off the line when it seemed an almost certain goal. But despite their best efforts, especially in the second half, Loreto who head to Amsterdam for the EHL on Wednesday next, could find no way through. Catholic Institute qualify for this year’s final where they will play the winners of the second semi-final between UCD and Railway Union due to be played at Belfield in the next couple of weeks.
LORETO: Liz Murphy, Lisa Mulcahy, Siofra O’Brien, Mia Jennings (C), Grace McLaughlin, Caitlin Sherin, Sarah Torrans, Grace Donald, Christina Hamill, Hannah Matthews, Rachel Kelly SUBS USED: Ashling Murray (4 mins), Hannah McLoughlin (5 mins), Ella Pasley (6 mins), Katie Dunne (7 mins), Caoimhe Perdue (8 mins)
CATHOLIC INSTITUTE: Pamela Smithwick-Hearne, Roisín Begley, Aoife Hickey, Laura Foley, Ciara Moloney, Eimear Ryan (C), Naomi Carroll, Anna Horan, Emilie Ryan-Doyle, Jennifer Clein, Michelle Barrett SUBS USED Leah Clery (4 Mins), Sarah Fitzgerald (5 mins), Aoibheann Collins (6 mins) , Seodhna Dervan (12 mins)
IRISH SENIOR CUP MEN’S SEMI-FINAL
LISNAGARVEY 6 THREE ROCK ROVERS 1
Lisnagarvey hosted Three Rock Rovers at Comber Road in the first of the Men’s Irish Senior Cup semi-finals on Sunday. Peter McKibbin opened the scoring for Garvey in the 6th minute from a converted penalty corner. Mark Mc Nellis made it 2-0 to the hosts in the 12th minute from another converted penalty corner. Lisnagarvey were 2-0 at half-time. Ben Johnson’s 39th converted penalty corner got Three Rock Rovers off the mark and it was a one goal game till near the end of the third quarter when Oliver Kidd scored from a penalty corner in the 50th minute and Peter McKibbin got his second of the game in the 59th minute to leave Garvey leading 5-1 going into the closing stages. Oliver Kidd got his second penalty corner of the match in the final minute to secure Lisnagarvey a place in the 2024 Irish Senior Cup Final which we now know will be an all Ulster affair.
BANBRIDGE 4 COOKSTOWN 0
Given the teams involved in the second of the Men’s Irish Senior Cup semi-finals at Havelock Park and the outcome of the first game, there will be an all-Ulster final between Lisnagarvey and Banbridge on Finals day. Cookstown who won the Ulster Premier Division for Men this season came into this game on a good run of form. By contrast Banbridge have struggled in recent weeks, drawing 2 and losing 1 of their last four games in the EYHL Men’s Division 1. Indeed, they were beaten 5-2 by Monkstown 24 hours earlier. However, despite all of those factors, Banbridge proved too strong for Cookstown on the day. Johnny McKee gave Banbridge the lead with a sixth minute goal from open play. Louis Rowe added a second goal in the 29th minute and Banbridge led 2-0 at half-time. Thomas Orr converted a penalty corner in the 40th minute to leave Bann 3-0 up. Matthew McKee sealed the win with a 64th minute goal from open play to secure a 4-0 victory.
