College walking wounded after bruising CIT encounter

Day two of the Intervarsities in Kilkenny proved to be a thoroughly eventful one for the girls of UCC, who are still to lose a game in the tournament but were ousted for top spot in their pool by UCD on goal difference. Their derby clash with Cork rivals CIT proved to be particularly incident-packed. Vicky O’Sullivan endured a trip to A&E with a suspected broken ankle – which thankfully turned out to be heavy bruising – skipper Jean Long departed with a bruised shin, while Orla Crowley and Emma Peters sustained facial injuries.

With the game already running behind schedule due to frozen pitches early in the morning, organisers and both captains agreed to halt the encounter prematurely with College winning 3-0, as the Mardyke girls were running late for their top-of-the-table clash with UCD. That game finished 0-0, and the Dubliners went on to defeat UL 2-0 to top the group on goal difference, thanks to the 16 goals they racked up against NUIG and CIT. Finishing second in their pool has ensured College have drawn the short straw in the semi-finals, where they will now face Pool A winners Ulster Elks, who struggled to a 1-0 win over DCU but routed RCSI 8-0. UCD will lock horns with Trinity in a Dublin derby after the city centre college progressed on goal difference at Queens’ expense. In the men’s Mauritius Cup competition, UCD look like the team to beat after posting a perfect four wins from four in their pool. Rob McFarlane bagged a hat-trick in a 4-1 over Trinity, with guest player Rob Lynch (Corinthians) completing the rout. McFarlane hit two more as they defeated a star-studded DCU side 2-0 in their pool decider, setting them up for a semi-final tie with defending champions and Pool B runners-up Ulster Elks, who advanced thanks to a 4-0 rout of Queens. DCU – who featured Irish international twins Conor and David Harte, the latter playing outfield instead of in his usual role between the sticks, had earlier ended UCC’s interest in the cup competition.

But they were made to fight all the way for a 3-2 win. College took the lead through a Dickie Barrett breakaway goal, and led again in the second half when Jay Muller deflected home. However, DCU had a trump card in Irish international hitman Alan Sothern, whose pace caused the College defence all sorts of problems. He bagged a double, with Gareth Watkins also getting on the scoresheet. DCU will now face Pool B winners CIT in the semi-finals, in what is set to be one of the tournament’s most intriguing games. Given they are not a senior club, the Bishopstown students are particularly strong as they can call on a number of Cork Harlequins, Cork Church of Ireland and Bandon players. They topped their pool with three wins from three, completing their pool with a 2-0 win over UL this morning thanks to goals from Philip O’Driscoll and Chris Scanlon. Intervarsities, Kilkenny (Day 1 & 2) Mauritius Cup (Men) Pool A: RCSI 0 Trinity 8; UCC 1 UCD 5; DCU 11 RSCI 1; Trinity 1 UCC 1; UCD 12 RSCI 0; DCU 2 Trinity 2; RCSI 0 UCC 8; Trinity 1 UCD 4; DCU 3 UCC 2; DCU 0 UCD 2. Standings 1 UCD 4-12pts (+21) 2 DCU 4-8pts (+11) 3 UCC 4-5pts (+7) 4 Trinity 4-5pts (+5) 5 RCSI 4-0pts (-38) Pool B: Queens 2 CIT 5; UL 1 Ulster Elks 7; CIT 2 Ulster Elks 1; CIT 2 UL 0; UL 0 Queens 8; Ulster Elks 4 Queens 0. 1 CIT 3-9pts (+6) 2 Ulster Elks 3-6pts (+9) 3 Queens 3-3pts (+1) 4 UL 3-0pts (-16) Semi-finals: Ulster Elks vs UCD; DCU vs CIT Chilean Cup (Women) Pool A: Ulster Elks 2 Queens 1; DCU 1 RCSI 0; Trinity 0 Ulster Elks 1; Trinity 8 RCSI 0; DCU 0 Queens 4; Trinity 0 Queens 0; DCU 0 Ulster Elks 1; RCSI 0 Ulster Elks 8; DCU 0 Trinity 8; RCSI 0 Queens 4. 1 Ulster Elks 4-12pts (+11) 2 Trinity 4-7pts (+15) 3 Queens 4-7pts (+7) 4 DCU 4-3pts (-12) 5 RCSI 4-0pts (-21) Pool B: CIT 0 UL 3; CIT 0 UCD 9; CIT 1 NUIG 2; UCC 2 NUIG 0; UCC 3 UL 0; NUIG 0 UCD 7; CIT 0 UCC 3; NUIG 4 UL 0; UCD 0 UCC 0; UCD 2 UL 0. 1 UCD 4-10pts (+18) 2 UCC 4-10pts (+8) 3 NUIG 4-6pts (-4) 4 UL 4-3pts (-6) 5 CIT 4-0pts (-16) Semi-finals: UCC vs Ulster Elks; Trinity vs UCD.