Men’s divisional round-up

I hope to compile a women’s lower division round-up in the next few weeks, sorry for delay, final year in college takes up far too much time… Men’s Division 2 Little change at the top here, with C of I C still out on their own – with a ten-point buffer – although their sense of invincibility was somewhat shattered by Bandon B before Christmas. The west Cork club’s second string romped to a 4-1 win pockmarked by Trevor Martin’s double, handing the table-toppers their first defeat of the campaign and helping Bandon move up to third. They have three games in hand over C of I C, and could move just three points off the pace if they take maximum points. Second-placed Quins C have wobbled in recent week, dropping  points at Ashton in a 2-2 draw that saw the former’s Mark Stockil augment his rather impressive scoring record with both strikes, before crashing 7-2 at an ever-improving Limerick. C of I D and Limerick A are both chasing Ashton in mid-table, while an often-depleted UCC B continue to be the division’s Jekyll and Hyde outfit; a 3-1 loss at home to Limerick was followed up with a 12-0 hammering at the same side’s expense a week later. The students also gave Quins C a run for their money recently, Conor O’Kelly finishing off a fine team goal, but the hosts prevailed 3-1. Galway remain the division’s basement side, but have played four less games than UCC B, who are a point better off. The Connacht-based side did themselves no favours by failing to fulfil two fixtures in Cork recently, but they welcome the students next up on home turf at Dangan. Men’s Division 3A With the men’s Division 3 undergoing its’ customary post-Christmas split,the top tier crown looks set to be Catholic Institute’s to lsoe. They are very much in the driving seat, having yet to drop a point in nine games, with the experience being gained by a number of their players in Division One a major defining factor at this level. Quins D are three points behind having played a game less, and they may yet rue a 4-1 crash to a John Sweetnam-inspired Midleton side. The east Cork side’s ding-dong battles with Belvedere in recent weeks have highlighted the competitiveness of this division; Clive Seale and Andrew Jaworski gave Midleton a 2-1 win first time around, before Paul Desmond and Darren O’Sullivan inspired Belvedere to a 4-1 thumping in the reverse fixture. Men’s Division 3B UCC C showed few signs of a post-Christmas hangover, letting loose with a crushing 8-0 away win over Quins E, with Colin Manning and Phil Brennan starring and claiming doubles, along with South African utility man Andrew Keys. None could top the performance of that weekend; that went to Limerick B veteran Robbie Ryan, who claimed all of his side’s goals in their 4-1 home win over Ashton B. Indeed, it is the latter who are in the driving seat to win this league, with a six-point buffer over College, who have a game in hand. Limerick have nonetheless been the division’s Jekyll and Hyde outfit, losing every game on the road while winning comfortably at home, a perfect record punctured only by UCC, who ground out a 0-0 draw at Villiers a fortnight ago. College undid their good work that day by drawing a blank again at winless C of I F the following week – the Garryduff sixth string’s first point of the season – and allowing third-placed C of I E back into contention. Ashton B are a new presence in the division, but given they are starting from scratch, development is likely to be the buzzword there; they crashed 4-1 to Limerick in their opening outing, but subseqently routed Quins E 6-3 for their first points of the season. Munster Junior Cup Limerick have produced the shock of the  thus far, seeing off C of I C 3-0 largely thanks to a Llewellyn Mooney brace, to book their place in the semi-finals. They face a much tougher task in the last four in the form of C of I B, who routed Ashton 5-0 in the last eight. On the other side of the draw, Catholic Institute B are flying the flag for Division Three, twice knocking out higher-division opposition. Bandon B were overcome on penalty strokes after a 1-1 stalemate in round one, before Dara Crowe and Riyad McCormack gave the Rosbrien club’s seconds a 2-0 win over Harlequins C. They now face down Quins B in the last four, after the Division One side had a facile 13-1 win over a toothless UCC B, with Greg McClelland helping himself to three of those goals. McLean Cup Just one round has been completed in this competition; C of I E’s 5-0 defeat to Midleton was a fair reflection of both sides’ standing, though Bandon C’s 2-1 victory over Quins D raised a few eyebrows. Those sides will face each other in the last eight, with Institute B, Limerick B and Belvedere also fancied to advance to the semi-finals. Barber Cup UCC C’s quest to avenge last season’s final defeat to Belvedere remains on course thanks to a 3-1 quarter-final win at C of I F, with Stephen Murphy’s superb solo strike the highlight of a dogged win. They now face Quins E in the last four, while on the other side of the draw, Limerick B won on Cork soil for the first time this season, when Andrew Smith’s early double set them on their way to a 2-1 win over C of I E, who clawed one back through Ivan Coombes but couldn’t find an equaliser.