Institute see off stubborn Portrane

Catholic Institute and UCC gave their supporters numerous nervy moments before prevailing in dramatic circumstances to advance to the last 16 of the men’s Irish Hockey Trophy. Institute somehow survived three second-half yellow cards – for Ed Gleeson, Alan Swanton and Gary Acheson – in prevailing 3-2 against Leinster’s Portrane at Rosbrien. Cathal Duggan and Eric Callender both had efforts from play pegged back by Ralph Billings short corner goals, before Simon Brickenden’s drag-flick – coming after a slew of Institute corners – eventually won the day.

College, last year’s beaten finalists, similarly did things the hard way at the Mardyke, winning 4-3 against Antrim in a tie which saw the lead swapped three times, Roger Gray’s upright reverse-stick strike sealing victory with 30 seconds to go. Shrew Power buried a 30th-minute rebound after Andy Gray’s drag had hit a player on the line, before the roles were reversed and Gray was penalised for illegally blocking a goal-bound shot, Johnny McMeekin tucking away the stroke for 1-1 at the break. McMeekin then cut inside Gray off the baseline and squeezed home a reverse to give the visitors the lead, only for the College captain to exert some revenge in burying a short corner moments later. Ian Brownless put Antrim back in front with a second phase corner effort that looped over Kieran Healy, only for Stuart O’Grady to rebound well off Roger Gray’s corner flick for three each. Both sides were alternately reduced to 10 men during a frantic closing few minutes, but UCC won the day when Power led a quick breakaway and O’Grady pulled the ball back for Roger Gray to convert. Domestically, Cork Harlequins moved a point clear of Bandon at the top of the Munster league by virtue of a 2-0 win in an often testy encounter in west Cork. Quins won the corner count 11-3 but there was an element of fortitude about Dan Hobbs’ opener, as the Munster U21 centre-back failed to get hold of his effort but it rolled in nonetheless. His second, coming after the break, was more orthodox and beat Bandon netminder and skipper Ian Hosford low down his glove side, but the hosts could count themselves unlucky not to be closer at the final whistle, having been denied a penalty stroke for a body on the line. In the weekend’s other fixture, Quins seconds went down 5-1 at home to C of I seconds. Bandon won the battle of Munster in the women’s competition, captain Emma Peters leading the scoring in a 3-1 win over Cork Church of Ireland, but there was less luck for her sisters Stephanie and Laura as their UL side crashed out on penalty strokes to YMCA. Peters rebounded off Ciara Randles’ pads before setting up Sarah Sullivan to assist Ciara McCarthy’s tap-in. Amy Roberts pulled one back for C of I but Amy Roycroft then made two vital interventions, taking one off the line before beating a couple of players to set up former Munster U18 skipper Sullivan for Bandon’s insurance goal. Elsewhere, Sue Ryan’s goal wasn’t enough to prevent Waterford losing 2-1 at home to Naas but Ashton will join Bandon in the next round after being given a walkover by Knock.

That allowed Ashton to refix a league game away to Catholic Institute, but they won’t have fond memories of their visit to Limerick’s Munster league leaders, Eimear Cregan’s four goals helping the hosts win 9-1. In the refixed Irish Hockey League ties, Hermes once again saved their best form for this competition, Cork woman Audrey O’Flynn’s well-placed switched drag-flick proving the difference in a 2-1 win over UCD to halt that halted the students’ recent progress and saw Mary Logue’s side take control of Pool A. O’Flynn’s former UCC team-mates endured a harrowing afternoon at the hands of Railway Union, with another ex-College girl, Julia O’Halloran, among the scorers in a 9-0 rout at Park Avenue. Men’s Irish Hockey Trophy Rd 2 Raphoe 1 (G Leckey) Suttonians 0; Cliftonville P Armagh P; Portadown 3 Weston 2; South Antrim 2 (H Cartmill, A Glass) Campbellians 0; Bangor 3 (Hunter 2, Steen) Avoca 1 (Gallanagh); Rathgar Chiefs 2 (D Coady, B Cleere) Queens University 1 (G Killough); UCC 4 (A Power, A Gray, S O’Grady, R Gray) Antrim 3 (J McMeekin, I Brownless); Catholic Institute 3 (C Duggan, S Brickenden, E Calendar) Portrane 2 (R Billings 2); Munster Div 1 Bandon 0 Cork Harlequins 2 (D Hobbs 2); Cork Harlequins B 1 Cork C of I B 5. Women’s Irish Hockey League Rd 3 refixtures Railway Union 9 (J McDonnell 3, E Smyth 2, A Speers 2, K Lloyd, J O’Halloran) UCC 0; Hermes 2 (A O’Flynn, C McGilp) UCD 1 (A O’Flanagan); ESB Electric Ireland Irish Hockey Trophy: Weston 0 Dromore 1; Portadown 2 (S Hill, L Castles) Genesis 0; Waterford 1 (S Ryan) Naas 2 (K Henderson, I Gowing); Our Ladys 0 Greenfields 1; Bandon 3 (E Peters, C McCarthy, S Sullivan) Cork C of I 1 (A Roberts); Suttonians 0 Wexford 1 (M Lambert); Cookstown 2 (R Brown, L McAleece) Galway 3 (T Melvin, E Johnson 2); North Down 2 NICS 2 (NICS won 3-0 on strokes); Victorians 6 Greenisland 3; Bray 0 Clontarf 1 (N McMullan); YMCA 1 UL 1 (YM won 4-3 on strokes); Ballymena 2 (A Logan, R Reynolds) Newbridge 1; North Kildare w/o Kilkeel scr; Ashton w/o Knock scr; Fermoy v Larne – no result. Munster Div 1 Catholic Institute 9 (E Cregan 4, K Daly 2, C Sullivan, N Carroll, J Bourke) Ashton 1 (C McCarthy).