Cregan fires Quins into last four

A stunning late solo strike from Irish international captain Eimear Cregan gave Cork Harlequins the bonus-point win they needed to progress to the IHL semi-finals. Quins had raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time, but a 50th minute short corner strike from Emma Stewart had robbed the hosts of the bonus-point advantage they required. But that was until Cregan picked up the ball 40 yards out in the final minute, and surged past three players before blasting home from the top of the circle.

With Ballymoney held to a draw at Hermes and UCD failing to collect a bonus point in their 2-1 win at Pembroke, it proved enough to send the Munster champions through behind Hermes. The best chance of a quiet first quarter fell to Karen Bateman, who shot just wide from the top of the circle after Emily O’Leary had made great ground down the left. Cregan then broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, hammering home first time at the back post after Jo Hyland and Bateman had worked the ball around the top of the circle. Their second arrived two minutes later, Bateman looping a lovely deflection over Armagh keeper Nikki Monaghan. As the hosts continued to dominate, teenager Jennifer Murphy got their third on the stroke of half-time, getting the vital touch after Hilary Chapple’s super run. Cliodhna Sargent, who has had a quiet couple of months by her own high standards, was bang in form and a hugely commanding presence at the back for Quins. At times she made it look easy to break down Armagh attacks before they’d even started, and she sprayed clever passes around all day. But Sargent lost her defensive partner Rachel McSharry to injury just before the break – the Quins skipper taking a nasty blow to the head when she was struck by Emma Thornbury’s short-corner shot – and with Niall McCool’s half-time team-talk seemingly spurring Armagh into action, the northerners started to create some chances after the break. Emma Stewart, Rachel Mulligan and Katherine Steenson were all to the fore, and the visitors were rewarded on 50 minutes when Stewart fired home after improvising a short corner and dummying past the first runner herself. They should have pulled another back 60 seconds later when Leah Ewert was send through one-one-one with Amy O’Neill after a defensive error, but the Quins keeper saved well.

Scarlett Holdsworth put a smilar effort wide after being played in by Stewart five mintues later as Quins left gaps at the back, knowing that time was running out for them to fire a final fourth goal. Hilary Chapple was unlucky not to deflect a short corner in at the back post for Quins, before Mulligan forced O’Neill into a brilliant save at the other end as tension rose. But Cregan took the bull by the horns in the final minute, her dramatic late intervention ensuring Munster hockey will have one representative at the business end of the IHL. Elsewhere, ‘Money couldn’t do enough in their clash with Hermes at Belfield, which finished 2-2. Susie Martin’s penalty stroke gave them the lead on 10 minutes, but Shelley Sloan equalised on the stroke of half-time. Nicola Evans fired in from a tight angle after rounding Sammy-Jo Greer with five minutes to go, and Megan Frazer’s short corner equaliser was too little, too late. Similarly, UCD’s failure to get a bonus point at Pembroke meant the students couldn’t add an IHL semi-final slot to their run to the Irish Senior Cup final. Fiona Bradish gave them the lead after a neat one-two with Ciara McNestry. The latter added a second after the break before Louisa Moore pulled one back from a short corner. Meanwhile, Pegasus advanced to the semi-finals along with Loreto from the other pool, winning 3-1 against a dogged Cork C of I side at Havelock Park. Cathy McKean’s equaliser for Loreto 11 minutes from time meant Railway were held to a 2-2 draw, meaning Pegs needed a win of any kind to advance. Alex Speers fired them in front in the opening 60 seconds, only for Michaela Mihailou to blast home an equaliser for C of I on five minutes. Orla McCarthy made a string of decent saves for the visitors as they held firm until after the break against the Ulster champions, but two Claire McMahon strikes sealed the deal for Pegs. In that pool’s dead rubber, Randalstown drew 4-4 with Belfast Harlequins to consign C of I to the wooden spoon spot.