Quins do everything right – except score

Annadale will rarely be dominated so comprehensively as they were at Harlequin Park on Saturday, but the Belfast side still managed to extinguish Cork Harlequins’ faint chances of making the last four of the Irish Hockey League with a bizarre 3-1 win earlier today. A purple patch during the opening exchanges had the ‘Dale 2-0 to the good inside seven minutes, but Quins monopolised possession thereafter, earning 12 short corners to the visitors’ one and forcing another half-dozen saves out of Annadale netminder Jonny Moore. While it is easy to sympathise with their plight on a day the ball just wouldn’t go in for them, such profligacy is always likely to be punished at this level. While Paul Lombard’s 63rd-minute penalty stroke gave them hope, Fraser Mills finished the job via a breakaway with two minutes to go. Annadale’s first, coming on four minutes, was a stunner. Ian Hamilton found Paul Jackson in the circle with a beautifully disguised pass, and he left Quins keeper Chris Daunt rooted to the spot with a pinpoint reverse-stick finish that found the opposite top corner. The Belfast side’s second came about more by accident than design, as Irish international Jonny Quigley chased down a loose ball and fired across goal, only for the ball to deflect home off Daunt’s stick. Quins were dealt a further blow when centre-back Dan Hobbs, their primary drag-flicking threat, was forced to depart injured after 10 minutes, and they would have been chasing a lost cause had Daunt not brilliantly stopped Hamilton’s rocket drag. But while Mark Black and Sean Nicholson ran the show in midfield thereafter, it seemed Quins couldn’t even buy a goal. Time after time, crash balls were just missed at the far post, while David Egner could scarcely believe his luck as Moore turned away two point-blank rebound efforts.

Moore also repelled a litany of drag-flicks from John Hobbs, while the ‘Dale had Gareth Kidd to thank for two clearances off the line as the Quins procession continued unabated. The hosts were finally thrown a lifeline on 63 minutes when Phil O’Driscoll’s goal-bound drag was stopped on the line by an Annadale defender’s foot, and skipper Lombard tucked away the resultant stroke. But the visitors – who had barely ventured into the Quins half since the opening quarter – sealed the deal on the counter-attack. Peter Caruth burned two Quins defenders down the right before feeding Mills, who rifled a reverse under the advancing Daunt to send his side home with all three points, denying Quins a losing bonus point in the process. Elsewhere in Pool A, two sides normally associated with free-scoring encounters cancelled each other out at Coolnafranky, as Cookstown and Pembroke played out a scoreless draw that does neither any favours. The hosts’ Ivan Steen was the main guilty party, missing a penalty stroke, while Cooktown keeper Iain Hughes did well to stop two stinging Alan Sothern efforts. In Pool B, Cork Church of Ireland took a while to shake off Monkstown but eventually earned their third bonus point in succession via a 6-3 win. Jonny Bruton gave his side a fourth-minute lead, which was doubled by John Jermyn at the end of the first quarter. But Monkstown had no intention of rolling over, and while many in Leinster believe their lack of a specialist drag-flicker is a serious hindrance, it didn’t show as skipper Gareth Watkins converted their only two corners of the second quarter to draw level. Jermyn re-established C of I’s lead after the break, only for Watkins to complete his hat-trick and cancel it out again. But Jermyn matched that feat to put C of I 4-3 up, and late goals from Bruton and Stephen Parker secured the bonus point. Banbridge maintained their 100% record with a 5-3 win at Fingal. Strikes either side of the break from Ross McCandless and Eugene Magee put them two up, only for two Mick McGuinness drags to haul Fingal level.

Simon McGowan’s effort deflected wildly off a Fingal defender’s knee and looped over the hosts’ goalkeeper to re-establish Bann’s advantage, and McCandless rocketed home another drag for 4-2. Derek O’Gorman’s penalty stroke gave Fingal hope, but Dane Ward finished the job from a disputed corner in the final minutes. While Bann are the only unbeaten side in the pool, C of I’s habit of picking up bonus point keeps them level on points. Three Rock Rovers ensured Pool B remains a three-horse race, as they edged a thrilling second half to win 5-2 at Lisnagarvey. Tim Hill hit the only strike of the first half to give Rovers the lead, before Mitch Darling gave Andy McConnell a tap-in for 2-0. ‘Garvey hit back via a slick Brian Waring breakaway goal, but Darling restored Three Rock’s two-goal advantage on 51 minutes, despite the visitors having Alan Bothwell cooling off in the sin-bin at the time. Mark Raphael gave ‘Garvey hope once more but Rovers cut loose in the final ten minutes through Peter Blakeney and Michael Maguire to bag a bonus point.