Greg Thompson’s goal three seconds before the final hooter denied Cork C of I a second successive draw at the start of their men’s Irish Hockey League campaign as last season’s finalists Lisnagarvey grabbed a last ditch 2-1 win.
It was the second time the Garryduff side – reeling from the loss to an ankle injury of talisman John Jermyn – have given up a leading position as they were unable to build further on Gary Wilkinson’s goal.
The Ashton schoolboy snapped up a sharp rebound for a first half lead but Timmy Cockram’s reverse-stick effort set up the Hillsborough side and they dominated for long periods of the second half.
And they pounced right at the death when Thompson, recently back on the pitch following a five-minute sin-binning, snagged the winner from a penalty corner switch.
Following their 2-2 draw in the first series of games, having led 2-0 against Pembroke, it leaves C of I in fourth place and off the pace set by by Garvey, Pembroke and YMCA.
Pembroke got the better of Three Rock Rovers in the Dublin derby but a late Peter Blakeney drag-flick denied them a bonus point, ending the tie 4-2. YM, meanwhile, bounced back from a 4-1 defeat to Annadale in the Irish Senior Cup to reverse the result with an emphatic showing at Milltown.
Cork Harlequins prop up Pool A following a chastening trip to Banbridge. The national champions were too hot to handle as Scott Caruth, Drew Carlisle, Ross McCandless and Stephen Dowds all registered to get their campaign back on track. Two goals in each half was the Farmer’s Cross sides undoing.
Monkstown top the group ahead of Cookstown after the sides played out a 2-2 draw with Robbie McFarlane getting the equaliser for the Dublin side. Glenanne let a 2-0 lead slip against Instonians, losing 3-2 as William Robinson’s corner goal won the day.
On the women’s side, Catholic Institute are back in the mix in Pool A as Eimear Cregan and Jane Bourke were on the mark to beat Armagh 2-1, the winner coming just four minutes from time.
Played in pouring rain, the tie was delayed briefly due to the deluge but it was the Orchard women who handled the conditions better to start with as Clare Hanna pounced on Katherine Steenson’s rebound in the 22nd minute.
Into the second half, Insta bounced back when Cregan grabbed a loose ball and spun a defender before firing home a reverse-stick effort to level the game. And that was how it stayed until very late in the game before Armagh were pinged for a free on halfway and the Limerick side reacted quickly to counter with Jane Bourke popping up to fire shot across Rhiannon McNally into the corner.
With Hermes and UCD’s game postponed, it leaves the Limerick side in a share of second place with Pegasus heading up the table after a 3-1 win over Old Alex.
Harlequins fell to a second defeat of their Pool B campaign, falling 3-2 to Ulster champions Ballymoney. Loreto head up that section with a second successive bonus point win, thumping Lurgan 6-0 with Irish international grabbing a hat-trick.
Men’s Irish Hockey League
Pool A: Banbridge 4 (S Caruth, D Carlisle, R McCandless, S Dowds) Cork Harlequins 0; Instonians 3 (J Watson 2, W Robinson) Glenanne 2 (B Parsons, G Shaw); Cookstown 2 (G Allen, T Smyth) Monkstown 2 (G Watkins, R McFarlane)
Pool B: Cork C of I 1 (G Wilkinson) Lisnagarvey 2 (T Cockram, G Thompson); Three Rock Rovers 2 (P Blakeney 2) Pembroke 4 (A Sothern, M O’Connor, M Brown, T Hill); YMCA 4 (D Robinson 2, J Bruton, M Richardson) Annadale 1 (F Mills)
Women’s Irish Hockey League
Pool A: Armagh 1 (C Hannah) Catholic Institute 2 (E Cregan, J Bourke); Old Alex 1 (H McDermott) Pegasus 3 (S Quinn, V Surgeoner)
Pool B: Harlequins 2 (Y O’Byrne, A Taylor) Ballymoney 3 (N Parke 2, E Lynch); Loreto 6 (N Daly 3, S Clarke 2, N Small) Lurgan 0