Ashton and Institute left flying Munster flag

Two Munster sides have progressed to the last eight of the women’s Irish Hockey Trophy following comfortable home victories earlier today. Ashton progressed via a 3-0 defeat of Greenisland, in a game switched to Ursulines Blackrock after flooding affected their own pitch. Having weathered some early pressure, with Vanessa Sargent called upon to make a couple of saves, Ashton hit the front through a Barbara Casey short corner strike. Cliodhna Murphy gave them another boon heading into the break when she finished off a one-on-one for 2-0, with Ciara O’Herlihy putting the icing on the cake in the second half. Last year’s finalists Catholic Institute once again lived up to their billing as tournament favourites as they easily disposed of Clontarf, routing the Dublin outfit 6-1 at Rosbrien. Elaine Bromell’s double was the highlight for Ger O’Carroll’s free-scoring side, with further strikes coming from Edel Higgins, Naomi Carroll, Rosie Pratt and Katie Campbell. West certainly wasn’t best for Bandon, who were left heartbroken by a 2-1 defeat to Connacht league leaders Galway at Dangan. Despite Louise O’Flynn finding the target for the second week in a row, strikes at the other end from Eavan Murphy and Maeve Fatherty secured victory for the hosts. Ashton and Institute must wait until the new year to find out who their opponents will be in the last eight, once the three outstanding third round ties, down for decision on January 16, have been completed.

Meanwhile, UCC’s national ambitions were halted in frustrating fashion, as a second-half collapse saw them go down 4-3 at Belfast Harlequins in the men’s Irish Trophy. A sublime Steve Sweetnam hat-trick – two corner efforts plus a lovely dinked lob off a deep Andy Gray aerial – helped College to a 3-1 lead at the break, but they imploded defensively after the break, allowing the Ulster outfit to progress to a last eight meeting with Catholic Institute on January 16. NICS must already be hot favourites for that crown though, after the runaway Ulster Senior One leaders’ spectacular 11-0 dismissal of Cliftonville put them into the last four. In the sole Division One league clash of the day, Bandon laid down an important marker in the race for third spot by hammering Institute 6-0 in Limerick. The west Cork side’s struggle for form up until now – and the emergence of a stubborn streak in Institute – suggested this would be a close-run thing, but Bandon made a mockery of that assumption as an Andrew Scannell hat-trick, two from Graham Kingston and another from Ali Smith did the damage.