Ireland U21 star Aine Curran showed off all her camogie skills in netting a brutal strike from a tight angle to help ease UCC’s nerves in a 3-1 Irish Senior Cup victory over Trinity on Saturday.
Miriam Crowley and Kate Humphreys had College cruising against a side they’d beaten 6-0 at the varsities a couple of weeks back, but Kylie Deverell hit back for Trinity to suddenly make a game of it.
But Curran found herself central to a baseline raid and although the Kilkenny woman had passing options, she instead pulled hard on a bouncing ball to beat the Trinity keeper through the tightest of gaps at the near post.
UCC have had a tough time in the ISC in recent years but the draw has been relatively kind to them this time, pitting them against either Ards or Ulster Elks at the Mardyke in the quarter-finals.
They’ve avoided big guns Railway Union, who underlined their credentials with a 2-1 win over Loreto at Beaufort. Mick McKinnon’s side were rocking somewhat when Nikki Keegan’s penalty stroke made for a rollercoaster closing ten minutes in their Irish Senior Cup second round tie.
But they got the benefit of a final hooter corner that the hosts looked set to initially clear but only found another defender’s foot, leading to a second bite. And Lucey slammed home a straight hit to takes the spoils.
It earned an away date at either Hermes or Armagh after the pair’s game was frozen out, McKinnon’s team potentially facing his wife Shan in round three. It was one of three ties to be frozen off with the marquee date between Catholic Institute and Pegasus in Rosbrien while Ards against the Ulster Elks was also called off.
Corinthian were one of the other derby day winners as Sara Quill’s tidy finish, chipping Niamh Sweeney’s reverse into the roof of the net the sole goal that put paid to Pembroke’s run in the competition.
Nikki Evans and Jeamie Deacon each picked out the top left corner for UCD to run up a second win against Old Alex out of their four-match series before Christmas.
Both were quality finishes with the former rocketing one on her reverse after Anna O’Flanagan’s good work while the second was similar in position and nature. Ballymoney, meanwhile, swept aside the challenge of North Kildare 7-0.
In the Irish Hockey Trophy, there were contrasting fortunes for Limerick sides in Dublin.
John Meyler’s Limerick girls scored through Sandra Hedigan and Jenni Lyttle but it wasn’t enough to prevent them falling 3-2 against YMCA at Milltown, but UL raided Suttonians in style, winning 1-0 on their smurf turf.
Bandon notched what is easily the best result of their season so far when they sent Three Rock Ladies packing 3-1 in west Cork. John Dennis’ girls had lost 3-2 to the Grange Road outfit a couple of seasons back and few would have pitted them as favourites given they are now a much younger side.
Loraine Copithorne, Amy Hosford and Roisin O’Mahony did the damage as they join UL in the next round to fly the flag for Munster; Ashton had a nightmare at home to Belfast Harlequins, going down 6-0, while Fermoy gave Greenfields a walkover.
Cork C of I’s all-Munster clash with Waterford was one of three ties postponed; falling in between the boys interpros schedule, the tie was re-arranged a couple of times as frost affected the schoolboys games, but ultimately did not go ahead despite both sides being present at Garryduff.
Electric Ireland Irish Senior Cup, round two: Pembroke Wanderers 0 Corinthian 1 (Sara Quill); Old Alex 0 UCD 2 (N Evans, J Deacon); Ballymoney 7 (A Huey, N Parke, J Lynch, J Moore, K Minihan, L McCurdy) North Kildare 0; Loreto 1 (N Keegan) Railway Union 2 (E Lucey, J McDonnell); UCC 3 (A Curran, M Crowley, K Humphreys) Trinity 1 (K Deverell)
Postponed to December 8: Catholic Institute vs Pegasus; Ards vs Ulster Elks; Armagh vs Hermes
Round three draw: Armagh/Hermes vs Railway Union; UCC vs Ards/Ulster Elks; UCD vs Catholic Institute/Pegasus; Corinthian vs Ballymoney
Electric Ireland Irish Hockey Trophy, round two: Bray 3 (S Rush 2, K Burgess) Raphoe 0; NUIG 2 (A O’Connor, S Johnson) Our Lady’s 0; Muckross 4 Clontarf 2; Botanic 1 (A Nolan) Dromore 0; Bandon 3 (L Coppithorne, A Hosford, R O’Mahony) Three Rock Ladies (R Foley); Ashton 0 Belfast Harlequins 6; YMCA 3 (L Jenkinson, S Hinds, A Powderly) Limerick 2 (S Hedigan, J Lyttle); Avoca 3 (R McDonagh, M O’Neill, A Sutton) Weston 0; Suttonians 0 UL 1; Lisnagarvey 1 (S Colgan) Ballymena 0; Grosvenor 3 (L White, N Wallace, L White) Galway 2 (C Heskin, E Glanville); Greenfields w/o Fermoy scr
Postponed: NICS vs. Genesis; Cookstown vs Armagh, Cork C of I vs Waterford; Ballyclare vs Rathgar