Ashton left with mixed feelings

It was a day of mixed fortunes for Ashton today as they progressed to the second round of the Irish Junior Cup but threw away a valuable league point at home to UL in Division One. The Ballinlough side’s second team put in a blistering second-half performance against Clontarf to seal a comfortable 3-0 win. Ashton played the better hockey in a scoreless first period, but the Dubliners looked dangerous on the break, with Jean Carroll a constant thorn in the hosts’ defence. But once skipper Caroline McCarthy put them ahead after a short corner was switched left 10 minutes into the second half – having seen one chalked off just a few minutes earlier – Ashton were firmly in control. They made the game safe with a superbly-worked goal on 58 minutes. McCarthy linked superbly with the ever-threatening Eimear O’Brien at the top of the circle and burned a ‘Tarf defender on the outside, before pulling the ball back from the endline for Jenny Coughlan to emphatically slam the ball home. Ashton then put the icing on the cake by beating ‘Tarf at their own game, Aoife Duggan slaloming through the defence on a counter before slotting the ball past Fiona Dowling. While it was day for celebration for the Ashton second string, their firsts were left frustrated after letting a great chance to move out of the relegation zone slip through their fingers against UL. Emma Harrington’s double had them 2-0 to the good in the first half, but Laura Peters pulled one back for the Limerick students just before half-time.

However, Orla O’Donovan restored Ashton’s two-goal advantage after the break, a lead they held until ten minutes to go when Peters pulled another back for UL. But the former Bandon Grammar student completed her hat-trick from a short corner with less than 60 seconds remaining to snatch a draw for UL, and propel them into fifth place. Despite drawing level on points with Bandon and Belvedere, Ashton remain bottom by virtue of an inferior goal difference. Elsewhere, just one of the remaining three women’s Division One games went ahead, with Belvedere’s clash with UCC and Cork C of I’s visit to Bandon both falling victim to the weather. But the 2.30pm hit-off time at Harlequin Park allowed the pitch to thaw out in time, and Cork Harlequins made hay as the winter shone shined, routing Catholic Institute 6-0. Cliodhna Sargent claimed a brace, while Cliona O’Connor, Claire Bergin, Jane Chapple and skipper Rachel McSharry also getting on the scoresheet. In Division Two, basement side UCC caused a massive surprise by claiming a 1-1 draw at leaders Waterford, ruining the Déise side’s 100% record in the process, despite only travelling with 10 players. Fiona O’Connell claimed the goal that gave the students their third and fourth points of the season, while Una O’Shea was on target for Waterford. Second-placed Catholic Institute also dropped points today, crashing 3-0 at mid-table Cork C of I with Julie Coyle, Marie O’Mahony and a Lauragh O’Neill penalty stroke doing the damage.

In the only other women’s game played today, Tipperary ousted UCC 4-1 to move up to third in Division Four. Meanwhile, uncertainty hangs over when the U16 girls interpros will be completed after the entire day’s play was wiped out by frozen pitches at Kilkenny College. A pitch inspection is due to take place tomorrow (Sunday) morning to determine whether tomorrow’s schedule can be completed, but with more cold weather forecast, the outlook isn’t favourable.