C of I put one hand on title

Cork Church of Ireland need just a point from their final men’s Division One league game next weekend to reclaim their title after they drew 1-1 with Cork Harlequins at Garryduff today. C of I may have surrendered their 100% league record on home turf today, but they won’t mind too much given the picture, which gives them a chance to secure the crown if they avoid defeat at home to Quins B – a side they thumped 9-0 earlier this term. Quins nonetheless have had the Indian sign over their rivals in recent times, dumping them out of the Peard and Munster Senior Cups over the past couple of months. In the latter game they had gone 2-0 up inside seven minutes, and they made a similar whirlwind start this time around.

However, they failed to truly test C of I netminder Mark Ruddle, though David Egner came agonisingly close to connecting with a Lee d’Alton cross as Quins got plenty of change down the right, with C of I skipper Phil Smith ruled out with a broken wrist. Smith will now miss C of I’s crucial IHL encounter at Three Rock next weekend, and will play no further part this season. Alec Moffett had a couple of half-chances at the other end but both sides seemed strangled by nerves, until John Jermyn finally broke the deadlock with a hard, low drag before half-time. C of I might have doubled their advantage on the resumption when Karl Burns picked out Jonny Bruton with a stunning long crossfield pass, but it was Quins who drew level from their first series of corners, Dan Hobbs blasting in a copycat of Jermyn’s opener. Gilt-edged chances continued to be at a premium as the half wore on, with keepers Ruddle and Chris Daunt well able for everything thrown at them, and C of I held out for the result they needed. Elsewhere, Eddie Gash made a stepped out of retirement on a temporary basis to help out a Quins B side shorn of players for their Munster Junior Cup semi-final – and scored twice in a 4-2 win, with Eddie Dore getting the other two. Roger Clarke hit four as Limerick came out on top of a nine-goal thriller with Bandon C in Division Two, but there was better luck for Bandon as their B side picked up a handy 3-2 win at Quins C. Spaniard Albert Valles got his first goal in UCC’s colours as the College seconds complete a miserable weekend for C of I E in Division 3A with a 4-2 win. C of I had gone down 1-0 at home to Midleton on Friday night, and despite goals from Dermot Judge and Nigel Bateman, strikes from Grant Sweetnam, Brian Egan and Sam Coogan – his first for College – sealed a memorable win for the students. Munster U16 starlet Mark Holland grabbed two for Ashton in their 4-0 defeat of Limerick B, while in Division 3B, C of I F’s young guns gained revenge for their Barber Cup semi-final exit to UCC C in style, with Richard Sweetnam claiming a hat-trick in an 8-1 rout of the out-of-sorts students. Belvedere B ensured they will top that division with a 3-1 win over Quins E.