Cork C of I’s unstoppable form continued in the men’s Division 2 this weekend, as they left Limerick rooted to the bottom of the table with a 7-2 win at Garryduff.
Davy Herbert continues to score goals for fun since his return from UCC and netted a hat-trick inside the opening 20 minutes, but their tormentor-in-chief was Neville Foott, who also claimed a treble and had a hand in all his side’s goals. Tom Clarke’s double at the other end proved a mere consolation.
They were joined at the summit by Quins C, who put seven past an out-of-sorts UCC B at The Mardyke, Eoin Kennedy weighing in with a hat-trick. Mark Stockil’s quartet of goals got Ashton off the mark with a 5-2 defeat of C of I D, while Bandon B were held to a 1-1 draw in Galway.
Quins D took full advantage of Institute’s inactivity this weekend, opening up a three-point lead at the top of Division 3 via an 8-0 hammering of Limerick B, which featured a hat-trick for Stephen O’Donovan and a Stuart Egner double.
Midleton are also just three points off the pace, chalking up their third win from three with a 3-0 win over UCC C. Both sides were far from full-strength, but Mark Hornibook’s third-minute effort set the tone before Gary Alcorn pounced when the students made a hash of clearing the ball at corner times.
The hosts settled down thereafter, with Brian Egan, Stephen Murphy and Cormac Moloney – in his last appearance for the club before a move Stateside – winning the midfield battles, but David Stead guided the ball home from a tight angle to seal the win with ten minutes to go.
Bandon C put their indifferent start to life in Division 3 aside in style with a 5-0 dismantling of Quins E, Trevor Gray and Ron Beare weighing in with two each.
Quins lead the way in the women’s Division 2, after goals from Claire Bergin, Emily O’Leary, Kay Gaffney and Orla Cotter helped them to a 4-2 win over Ashton, the third on the trot for Dave Egner’s charges. Catherine O’Brien and Brid Sheehan replied for the light blues.
Bandon, C of I and Institute are next in line on six points, though only the latter were in action this weekend, Aine McCarthy’s goal salvaging a 1-1 draw at Belvedere, for whom Liz Clifford continued her recent prolific form since moving from Midleton.
Fermoy are still top of Division 3 despite not playing this weekend, though Clonmel cut their lead to just a point as Dawn Grace and Meave Murphy helped them to a 2-0 win over Waterford.
UL put some distance between themselves and the bottom three, Susie McDonagh, Laura Davis and Aimee Read propelling them to a 3-1 win over Belvedere.
Cork Harlquins are still looking for their first win of the season after being held to a 3-3 draw at a sodden Dungarvan. Rachel O’Byrne, Katie O’Meara and Ellen O’Connor were each on target for the visitors, but Linsey Keane’s hat-trick gave the Co Waterford outfit a share of the spoils.
Ashton remain top of Division 4 despite dropping points at home to Cobh in a 1-1 stalemate. Tipperary kept the pressure up but were put to the pin of their collars in a thrilling 4-3 win over Limerick, in which Claire Ryan’s brace proved the difference.
Vicky Sheehan’s goal ensured UCC recorded their third draw from as many outings at Mallow, cancelling out Noelle Sheehan’s effort, while Marie Flaherty gave Fermoy their first win of the season, a 1-0 success at home to Bandon.
Combined Cup action dominated the agenda in the lower divisions, with Limerick’s 7-0 win over their Division 5 counterparts Ashton the most eyebrow-raising result – Sinead McLoughlin hitting four en route.
Belvedere’s Div 5 team won 3-0 over their Div 6 counterparts in an inter-club derby, while C of I’s Div 5 side eventually broke the resistance of UCC’s Div 6 girls in a 4-1 win.
In the only Division 6 league game, Bruff won 2-1 at home to Dungarvan thanks to strikes from Elaine Hall and Sharon Duggan.
