All too easy once again for the big guns

It was another day of cricket scores in the Munster men’s and women’s leagues, as the gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen. Six sides were defeated to nil in a series of games sadly lacking in competitiveness. Happiest of the bunch in the women’s league are likely to be UCC, who overcame a slow start for the second week in succession to overcome Bandon 4-0 in west Cork. Trips west to take on Munster’s best-equipped underdogs are tricky at the best of times, and the hosts easily had the measure of the below-par students in a dour and utterly forgettable first half, in which clear openings were hard to come by. Rachelle Nyhan was in imperious form for Bandon, but even she was unable to stem the tide as College woke from their slumber after the break. Audrey O’Flynn broke the deadlock with a low, 37th-minute drag-flick that was by no means out of the top drawer, but nonetheless found a way past the Bandon rearguard. Despite some enterprising moments from Louise O’Flynn, Sarah Sullivan and Jane O’Higgins, Bandon struggled to create anything of note up front, where the skills of Olivia Roycroft were sorely missed. The former Ireland U18 star is now, of course, starring in the College midfield, and her vision and ability to almost always pick the right pass marked her out as one of the game’s leading lights. With College pressing with more gusto from the front, Bandon simply found it impossible to get out of their half, routinely being pickpocketed by hungry College forwards.

One such incident in the 58th minute yielded a second strike for the students; Eibhlín O’Donoghue played in Julia O’Halloran, who despite having plenty of time to bring the ball onto her open side, proffered a reminder of her class by arrowing an unstoppable rising reverse past Eimear White. White had earlier done well to thwart Ali O’Regan and Miriam Crowley, but luck wasn’t on her side for College’s third, which arrived on 65 minutes. Crowley drifted across the top of the circle and aimed a standing reverse at goal which seemed to offer little threat, but White was wrongfooted and watched helplessly as the ball trickled into the corner. If Crowley had looked embarrassed by that strike, there was nothing fortuitous about her second three minutes later, as she clinically finished off a one-on-one for 4-0. Plenty to work on the for both sides then, as there is for Cork C of I, who won 3-0 at UL but should have had a hatful more. Mel Ryan’s reverse – her second on the trot – put them on their way before Amy Roberts profited from great build-up play from new recruit Sue O’Connor. Jenny Barry claimed the third from a corner, but the visitors couldn’t breach a massed UL defence any further. Defending champions Cork Harlequins and Catholic Institute will hardly have learned much about themselves as they went goal crazy against Waterford and Ashton respectively. Karen Bateman, Rachel McSharry and Leslie-Ann Daunt all claimed braces as Quins dismantled the Déise girls 8-0 at Harlequin Park, with Hilary Chapple and Jane Bourke getting the others. Institute continue to look the part too, and there was seemingly little weariness in their legs as they journeyed to Ashton, showing their hosts no mercy in a 9-0 thrashing.

Rosie Pratt and Naomi Carroll were both on the double, with Rebecca Barry, Elaine Bromell, Ali English, Caroline Hutchinson and Keely Cantrell also scoring in a one-sided affair. Ashton’s youthful side have now shipped 16 goals in two games and must surely stem the tide soon to have any hope of survival. It was business as usual in the two inter-club derbies in the men’s league, with C of I and Quins predictably running out easy winners over their own seconds. C of I’s John Jermyn hit four in their 6-0 win, with Nick Burns and Stephen Parker also on target for the second consecutive week. Jermyn’s feat was matched by David Egner for Quins in their 11-0 win over Quins B – Jason Black and Paul Murray hit two each, with David Lombard, Paul Lombard and Brian Hayes Curtin rounding off the scoring.