C of I out in front at halfway stage in men’s Division 2

Bandon B’s hopes of emerging triumphant in the men’s Division 2 suffered a blow last weekend when they went down to a shock 2-1 defeat to UCC B. That was just the west Cork men’s second loss of the campaign, and hands the initiative back to Cork Church of Ireland C, who have a four-point lead over Bandon and Limerick following some big results in recent weeks. Chief among those was a 4-3 defeat of the west Cork men, followed up by a 4-1 dismantling of Limerick. David Herbert is the go-to man for the Garryduff outfit, with Gavin Jeffrey and Clifford Sweetnam holding the fort at the back.

Their sole loss came at Villiers early in the campaign as Limerick won out in a nine-goal thriller that’s been symptomatic of their season – goals raining in at both ends. Robbie Ryan is still going strong for them with Tom Clarke starring in midfield, although his fellow Munster Junior representative Matt Shine’s move across the Irish sea has cost them some defensive solidity, with 23 goals shipped in nine outings. Munster U18 Nathan Eacrett’s searing pace has also caused every team in the division problems. The top three must all meet again before the season is out, making each game a six-pointer, particularly for Bandon,  who must travel for both encounters. 10-goal Melvin Beamish has been their main dangerman while Munster U18 pair Fred McElroy and Ricky McMahon – a new signing from Belvedere – are progressing well, all under the stewardship of captain Trevor Martin and coach Mark Kingston. That three-team mini league of sorts is split by seven points from the bottom three, with Cork Harlequins C best off there on 12 points despite some indifferent recent form. Stuart Egner and captain Moray Russell are  the heartbeat of that side while the return of former Bandon Grammar defender Ben Hale to hockey has been a big boost for them, particularly given Rob Morris’ work has taken him to Kilkenny while John Duggan is out with a broken ankle. A number of regulars have been drafted up to the seconds too, but Munster Juniors vice-captain Alex Newenham is still a regular source of goals –  he claimed a hat-trick in a 4-1 defeat of Ashton – while Killian Deasy is a major player for them when available. Quins have a fou-point buffer over UCC B, who have undergone a mini-renaissance in 2012 after a dismal opening half of the campaign. A 2-2 draw with Quins C was their only positive result in the first seven games – just two of which were at home –  although two narrow 2-1 defeats to C of I C suggested the Colin Manning-skippered side weren’t that far off the pace. Their fortunes have improved since the Christmas break, with Graham Catchpole, Scott Hornibrook and Malcolm Coombes inspiring them to a 3-0 win over Quins C and that shock win over Bandon – the catalyst for which was  a wondergoal from fresher David O’Farrell, who has starred at this level despite only taking up hockey as a beginner in October.

College nonetheless still have four points to make up on Quins, with Ashton three further behind. Their sole victory of the season was a 4-2 win over the students back in round two, and they have lost heavily at times – to C of I C (10-0) and Limerick (9-1 and 5-1) in particular. It’s not all doom and gloom on the Blackrock Road, however; resilience has been shown in patches, notable the 3-3 draw earned away to Bandon B, and the side is littered with promising young talent such as Brian Stockil of Munster U16s. His father Mark is a mainstay of the side along with midfielder Phil Oakley, ably assisted by Zach O’Callaghan, Paul Holland and Shane O’Halloran. With UCC in their sights in two of their next four games, Ashton will be hoping a revival is around the corner. The Division 2 league table can be viewed here, with cup results available here and here. Thanks to Moray Russell (Cork Harlequins), Melvin Beamish (Bandon) and Ian Buckley (Ashton) for their help in compiling this report.