Quins continue to move on up

Women’s Division 1 Cork Harlequins 3 (Orlagh Cotter, Louise Mills, Kay Gaffney) Bandon 0 Bandon were left to rue a handful of crucial defensive errors as Cork Harlequins supplanted UCC from the top of the table with this victory.

John Dennis’ side had more than an even share of first-half possession but went in two down at the break as Orlagh Cotter and Louise Mills capitalised on a couple of mistakes at the back. Cotter finished off Kate Herbert’s handiwork before turning provider for Mills, who rounded Claire Hayes and finished from a tight angle. Siobhan Sexton and Roisin O’Mahony battled hard to keep Bandon in the game but Cliodhna Sargent and Acacia Taylor starred for Quins, who made it safe in a much more comfortable second half through a Kay Gaffney corner bash. Cork C of I 5 (Amy Roberts 3, Claire Hickey, Ali O’Regan) Limerick 1 (own goal) C of I’s corners clicked to help them eventually shake off a stubborn Limerick outfit at Garryduff. It looked set to be plain sailing when they went ahead on 11 minutes through Ali O’Regan, who touched home after a corner had been slipped left and worked across goal. But Limerick had no intention of battening down the hatches and continued to press high to good effect, equalising just before half time when a crash ball took a C of I stick and beat Holly Moore. Amy Roberts put C of I back in front from the injector spot before Claire Hickey rattled home another corner to give Eddie Kirwan’s troops some breathing space. Roberts’ second was the best of the game, battling along the baseline before lobbing Anne-Marie Byrne from an acute angle, and she finished things off with a reverse-stick deflection for her hat-trick just before the full-time whistle. UL 0 Ashton 7 (Caroline McCarthy 2, Sarah Clune 2, Mary-Claire Cummins, Kate Harvey, Michelle Barry) Debutant Sarah Clune shone as Ashton took full advantage of UL being down a number of bodies to notch their biggest win of the season. With the new college term not starting until January 28, many of UL’s first-teamers are on holidays or have yet to return from Erasmus, while Steph Peters is in Barcelona with the Irish Unis. Ashton were missing five players of their own but Clune – newly returned from UCC – and former Munster U18 Karen Coombes, a recent signing from C of I did the business in their absence. Four of the light blues’ goals came from corners, including a peach of a drag from Kate Harvey and a sweet deflection from Munster U16 Michelle Barry. The goal of the game came when Cliodhna Murphy’s reaching pass split the UL defence and Clune dragged her marker wide before squaring for Caroline McCarthy to finish well. Clune went on to grab two goals of her own on a memorable return to her childhood club.

Men’s Division 1 Cork C of I B 1 (Simon Wolfe) Cork Harlequins 3 (John Sweetnam, Darren Beamish, Sam Thompson) C of I’s second string have been on an upward curve all year and proved it once again by making Quins work hard for this victory at Garryduff. John Sweetnam gave the Munster champions the lead when he finished off after being picked out by a sublime Paul Lombard pass on a Quins counter. Darren Beamish doubled that advantage when pulling on the ball with a powerful upright reverse. But Simon Wolfe got a deserved goal for the hosts when his backhand shot arrowed into the top corner from the left of the D, meaning Quins were pleased to get some breathing space off a Sam Thompson goal from play. Cork C of I 8 (Ali Smith 4, Stephen Sweetnam 2, Alec Moffett, Gary Wilkinson) Cork Harlequins B 1 (Philip Burns) An quickfire hat-trick from Ali Smith highlighted an easy win for C of I, who blew away the Christmas cobwebs in style. The former Bandon man had his treble wrapped up by the eighth minute before the in-form Stephen Sweetnam rocketed home a reverse to kill the game as a contest by the 14th minute. The blues didn’t score again for half an hour, Gary Wilkinson netting on his backhand from close range after rounding the keeper. Smith nabbed his fourth and Sweetnam his second before Phil Burns hit back for Quins B. Skipper Alec Moffett wrapped it up for C of I with a minute to go.