Fry cooks up a storm for YM

Cork Harlequins’ visit to YMCA had been pegged as the bigger potential banana skin of any of this weekend’s Irish Senior Cup ties, and it proved thus, with Mikey Fry hitting a golden goal winner for the Dubliners at Milltown. Despite Dutch goalkeeper Reinout Mensink having one of his best outings for Quins – helping to keep out nine corners – the Munster side’s resistance was broken in the seventh minute of extra time, Fry rebounding home after Jacob Webber’s effort had struck the bar.

Quins had chances of their own – Dan Hobbs’ extra-time click zipped just past the post – but the 2006 champions’ misery was compounded with the loss of talisman Jason Black, who has reportedly fractured his collarbone. It was also a miserable day in the capital for Bandon, who were barely given a sniff by Three Rock Rovers. Sven Galjaart’s corner goal set them on their way, and after the break, Mick Maguire hit a sizzling reverse before Peter Blakeney – bound for professional hockey in Italy in six weeks’ time – and Ross Canning shared the creator and finisher roles for the final goals in a 4-0 success. There was better news for Cork C of I, who had inspiration from both young and old in their 6-1 win over Clontarf at Garryduff. Richie Dorman and Nick Burns both hit doubles – with John Jermyn and Stephen Parker augmenting the scoreline – but the Bulls will rue some missed chances of their own, twice hitting the woodwork. They must now hit the road to face Leinster league pace-setters Corinthian – 3-1 winners over Railway Union – in one of stand-out ties of the second round. However, the marquee fixture will inevitable be the meeting of Pembroke Wanderers and Glenanne, after Alan Sothern helped himself to half a dozen goals in the former’s facile 14-0 defeat of Bangor. Monkstown have also progressed, but only by the skin of their teeth, needing penalty strokes to see off a stubborn UCD side after a thrilling 3-3 draw, while Banbridge blitzed North Down 7-2.

Elsewhere, Catholic Institute’s national ambitions must be shelved for another season after they were on the end of an crushing 3-2, extra-time defeat to Belfast Harlequins – who dumped out Munster opposition for the second successive tie – at Rosbrien. Justin O’Sullivan and Gareth Creamer swapped strikes with the visitors’ Chris Lemon and Chris Murphy, only for Steve McGrath to hit the golden goal winner in extra time. Domestically, there was just one top-flight men’s game, but a cracker ensued at Garryduff, with UCC edging out C of I B 3-2. The students were keen to make amends for a collapse in Bandon before Christmas, and got off to a flying start when Andy Gray volleyed in Stephen Sweetnam’s high reverse-stick cross. C of I netminder Billy Lynch did well to bat away a couple of corner efforts, but Gray found the bottom corner to give Neil Welch’s side a two-goal advantage. However, an all-too familiar pattern emerged thereafter, as College failed to press home their advantage, and two Adam O’Callaghan strikes at corner time had things back at level pegging. But Sweetnam ensured College would take the spoils, rebounding in from a corner. In the sole Munster Junior Cup tie to go ahead, Quins B strolled to an 8-1 win over Belvedere – Darren Farrell claiming a hat-trick – while Galway gave Limerick a walkover. Irish Senior Cup Rd 2 draw (January 30): Corinthian vs Cork C of I; Pembroke vs Glenanne; Raphoe vs Monkstown; Mossley vs Annadale; Three Rock Rovers vs Cookstown; Fingal vs Lisnagarvey; Kilkeel vs YMCA; Instonians vs Banbridge. To view Adrian Boehm’s photos from YMCA vs Quins, please click here. To view Deryck Vincent’s photos from TRR vs Bandon, click here, while Emer Keogh’s photos from the same game are available here.