Final spots for Crescent, Thurles and Villiers

Munster Senior Schoolgirls Cup semi-final  Crescent Comprehensive 3 (Ciara Leahy 2, Megan Mawhinney) Mount Mercy 1 (own goal) An impressive showing from a Crescent side who seem to be coming to the boil at just the right time; they’ll play Ursulines Thurles in an all-north Munster final. Crescent won six first-half corners and scored from the fourth of them, Ciara Leahy redirecting Clodagh Moloney’s straight hit to the backboard. Leahy then got the vital touch in a goalmouth scramble for 2-0 before they all but ended the game as a contest before half-time when Megan Mawhinney scored off a corner switched back to her at the injector spot.

Moloney saw another corner strike chalked off for not hitting the backboard while at the back, Susan O’Hanrahan dealt adroitly with everything Mount Mercy could throw at her. The Cork girls did notch a late consolation with three minutes to go from their only corner, the ball going in off a Crescent stick for an own goal. In the other semi-final, Ursulines Thurles exacted some revenge for missing out on the senior league title by ousting Scoil Mhuire on a 2-0 scoreline. Eimear Cregan’s troops finished third in the league with Scoil Mhuire and Crescent tying at the top, which will necessitate a title playoff. But backed by the likes of Ireland underage international Edel Nyland, Eimear O’Herlihy and Laura Costello, they recorded a fine cup victory. Munster Junior Schoolgirls Cup semi-final Regina Mundi 0 Bandon Grammar 1 (Aoife Roche) Ingrid Burns’ superb defensive performance masterminded a gritty victory for Bandon Grammar during a miserable afternoon on the sand-base at Garryduff. Regina Mundi had been impressive 3-0 victors over St Angela’s in the quarter-finals and in captain Judy Mills they have a prodigious talent; she ran the show again here and her side were unlucky not to score as they forced half a dozen short corners. For her part, skipper Burns displayed a range of passing that are hallmarks of elder sister Vicky and father Ger, driving Ciara Harte’s Bandon side on when it mattered. The crucial intervention came when Aoife Roche turned sharply to add just enough power to a pass into the circle and find the backboard. Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup semi-final Newtown 1 (Ruairi Finnegan) Villiers 6 (Johnny Powell 2, Nathan Eacrett 3, Andrew Smith) Villiers survived a couple of early scares to eventually book a rare Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup final appearance with this victory in Waterford.

The Limerick school have had a fine year, qualifying for the Irish Schools at Midleton’s expense and earning a draw with former champions Cookstown at the tournament itself. The Munster cup draw has been kind to them too with the ‘big three’ on the other side of the draw and they looked set to take full advantage when Johnny Powell rattled home a 10th-minute reverse after a bit of ping-pong in the circle. But Stuart Greene’s Newtown side had other ideas and caught Villiers on the break to win a corner five minutes later, which was switched left for Ruairi Finnegan to convert. A last-gasp tackle at full stretch from Glenn Morrow prevented another likely Newtown goal but Villiers’ nerves were eased when Andrew Smith found Powell to slip the ball under the Newtown keeper. Nathan Eacrett then took over for Villiers, bashing home from the top of the circle just before half-time before deflecting in his second and rebounding well to complete his hat-trick. Andrew Smith completed the rout when he took Andrew Tutty’s pass and out-paced the Newtown defence after just returning from a green card. Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup quarter-final Ashton 6 Midleton College 0 David Hobbs’ Ashton side found top gear in the second half to blow away Midleton College. The East Cork boys had soaked up all the pressure in the first half and were unlucky not to take the lead from a corner just before the break. But once David Whitaker dragged home five minutes into the second half, the floodgates opened. Simon Wolfe picked off a rebound and Clyde Buttimer finished well on his backhand with Midleton caught high. Three short corner goals finished the job for Ashton; Whitaker flicked home the fourth and Richard Sweetnam the sixth with Wolfe cracking home one from the top in between. Ashton will now meet Bandon Grammar for a final berth against Villiers. Munster Junior Schoolboys Cup semi-final Newtown 0 Villiers 7 (Daniel O’Sullivan, Luke Cardy, Roy Gleeson 2, David Cardy 3) A talented Newtown junior side had no answer to a dominant second-half performance from Villiers. The Limerick boys were two goals to the good at half time thanks to a Daniel O’Sullivan finish from close range and a solo goal from Luke Cardy. Roy Gleeson then got a quickfire double, his first a fine shot assisted by Conan O’Sullivan before he applied a nice touch to David Cardy’s crash ball. Munster U18 Cardy then took over to fire a 15-minute hat-trick comprising two reverse-stick shots and a drag-flick. Munster Junior Schoolboys Cup quarter-final Midleton College P Bandon Grammar P  Today’s deluge of rain in Cork county claimed this quarter-final clash, with the pitch at Midleton College deemed unplayable as the sides were warming up. The game has been re-fixed for March 13, the delay owing to mock Junior Certificate exams and February mid-term. Munster Boys Cup draws Senior: Newtown 1 Villiers 6; Bandon Grammar v Ashton; Senior B:  Villiers v (Bandon v Newtown), Ashton v Midleton; Junior: Ashton v (Midleton v Bandon), Newtown v Villiers; Minor: Ashton v (Villiers v Midleton), Bandon v Newtown. *If you have any information on schools games – particularly the other junior girls’ semi-final! – please let me know by emailing alan(at)southernfriedhockey.com