Impressive Ashton advance to last four

Ashton confirmed their passage through into the semi-finals of the 2012 All Ireland Schools Championships with a well-deserved 4-2 victory over one of Ulster’s best hopes, Sullivan Upper. The two in-form teams from this group started the game with good spells of attacking play in the first half but both sets of defenders were resilient. Ashton won a short corner and David Whitaker fired the Munster side into the lead with a drag flick into the top right corner of the net. Ashton then doubled their lead minutes later through a technically brilliant reverse stick shot from Phillip Brownlow, Ashton lead 2-0 at half time.

The pace of the game rose at the start of the second half with Sullivan piling forward in search of a goal that would get them back into the game. They won a short corner and it was scored by Connor Roberts after the ball was switched twice in order to fool the two Ashton runners. The game was very balanced for 10 minutes until a ball played into the Sullivan circle was picked up by Gary Wilkinson who rounded the goalkeeper and finished to make it 3-1 with 15 minutes to play. Sullivan went to a three man defence, with the game becoming more stretched Ashton countered and after David Perry in the Sullivan goal could only parry a shot from Wilkinson, Peter Daunt had an easy tap in to confirm the win. Sullivan to their credit continued to fight and in the dying minutes won a short corner which Matthew McCord scored. But it is Ashton who progress into the semi-finals from group C. Earlier, another impressive performance from Ashton, saw them beat last year’s finalists Cookstown 4-0. As soon as the whistle blew Ashton were gunning for the Cookstown defence with very high press, looking to win the ball in Cookstown territory. It proved successful early on as Simon Wolfe stole the ball and juggled the ball through three Cookstown defenders before hammering the ball on the half volley into the bottom corner. Ashton looked much sharper than Cookstown in every aspect of the play, and once again with Cookstown unable to get the ball fully clear, it was crossed from right to left and David Treacy finished it with a first time slap. In the second half Cookstown continued to cause problems for themselves giving the ball away on their own 25, the ball was crossed the top of the circle where Richard Lynch spectacularly hit it to the top corner. Cookstown offered very little offensively throughout and the game was finished off with a simple goal for Gary Wilkinson. The day ended on a high for Munster’s other representatives too, even though neither made the last four. Villiers, also in Ashton’s group, finished up with a 1-1 draw against Cookstown that could have been a victory, the northerners equalising with two minutes to go after Nathan Eacrett had burned off the last defender to poke home the opener. A Fred McElroy goal gave Bandon Grammar a 1-0 win over Bangor, having earlier gone down 4-0 to holders Banbridge Academy, who eventually progressed from the group at Sutton Park’s expense on goal difference. All-Ireland Schoolboy Championships, day two Group 1: St Columba’s 1 (H Morris) Friends 1; Wesley 3 (K Shimmins, I Stewart, J Roberts) Campbell 0; Wesley 2 (I Stewart, J O’Donovan) Friends 0; St Columba’s 1 (W Purcell) Campbell 5 Standings: 1. Wesley 9pts (+7) 2. Friends 4pts (0) 3. Campbell College 3pts (0) 4. St Columba’s 1pt (-7) Group 2: Banbridge 4 Bandon 0; Sutton Park 4 Bangor 0; Bandon 1 (F McElroy) Bangor 0; Banbridge 3 Sutton Park 3 Standings: 1. Banbridge 7pts (+7) 2. Sutton Park 7pts (+6) 3. Bandon GS 3pts (-5) 4. Bangor 0pts (-8) Group 3: Cookstown 0 Ashton 4 (S Wolfe, R Lynch, D Whitaker, K Byrne); Sullivan Upper 4 Villiers 0; Ashton 4 (G Wilkinson, P Daunt, P Brownlow, D Whitaker) Sullivan Upper 2; Cookstown 1 Villiers 1 (N Eacrett) Standings: 1. Ashton 9pts (+11) 2. Sullivan Upper 4pts (+2) 3. Cookstown 2pts (-4) 4. Villiers 1pt (-9) Group 4: St Andrew’s 4 (L Cole 2, R Couse, B Campbell) Mount Temple 0; RBAI 1 Wallace 1; St Andrew’s 3 (L Cole 2, E Buttanshaw) Wallace 1; RBAI 2 Mount Temple 1 Standings: 1. St Andrew’s 9pts (+12) 2. Wallace 4pts (+2) 3. RBAI 4pts (-5) 4. Mount Temple 0pts (-9) Semi-final (both at 9.30am in Lisnagarvey: Wesley vs Ashton; St Andrew’s vs Banbridge Academy Final: 2.30pm, Lisnagarvey