Annadale’s stunning elimination of Glenanne in Tallaght on Saturday has resulted in one of the most open men’s Irish Senior Cups in recent years, as the competition heads for the quarter-final stage.
Ian Hamilton’s hat-trick inspired the Belfast outfit, who have been struggling for form this term, to a 5-4 golden goal victory at Glenanne Park, defying a stunning Glens’ comeback which had seen them bounce back from a 4-1 half-time deficit.
With Glens gone, the mantle of favourites has now passed to Lisnagarvey, for whom Timmy Cockram notched a brace as they did for a fancied YMCA outfit, also away from home, on a 3-2 score-line in a tetchy game that saw seven yellow cards issued.
The two Ulster sides will now meet at the Dale’s Lough Moss home in the last eight, where ‘Garvey will be hoping to repeat their 1-0 home victory in league action back in October.
Cork Church of Ireland will be pleased at how the draw has unfolded for them too after they saw off Kilkeel 8-1 on an emotionally-tinged day at Garryduff.
The initial first-round meeting of these sides paled into significance in November when C of I player/coach Andy Chambers tragically collapsed and died on the pitch prior to the game, but the hosts paid tribute in the best possible way after taking advantage of a bizarre serious of circumstances.
The hosts’ netminder Billy Lynch had made at least five saves to keep Kilkeel out, but the game turned when the visitors’ goalkeeper was yellow-carded for a dangerous challenge outside the circle.
With no specialist replacement in situ, John Jermyn took full advantage by notching a drag-flick for an undeserved half-time lead. But the second-half saw C of I suddenly turn on the style to run riot, with Jermyn bagging four more, while Nick Burns, Karl Burns and Andrew Daunt grabbed goals from play to shell-shock the visitors.
They now face Cookstown — who they have beaten on the road in Tyrone earlier this term — at home in round two; another home tie against Fingal awaits the winner in the last eight.
The improving airport side recorded an eyebrow-raising 5-2 trouncing of Three Rock Rovers at the ALSAA, with paceman Adrian Sweeney netting four of those.
With Rovers, Glens and Pembroke Wanderers all having bowed out, there will now be a new Irish entrant in the EuroHockey League in the 2011/12 season — the reward for the competition winners.
Elsewhere, Monkstown’s hopes of repeating their 2008 final appearance will have been galvanised by their victory over Mossley on penalty strokes.
New Zealander Andy Ewington’s double kept them in a tie that ended 2-2, with the Dun Laoghaire outfit — who are lookinggunning to end a 97-year drought for Irish Senior Cup glory — taking the shootout 4-1.
They are at home again in the quarter-finals to Instonians, who increased the Ulster majority in the last eight by seeing off UCD 5-1, Steven Redpath netting twice.
NICS are the competition’s main surprise package, as they saw off Bandon 3-1, a brace from veteran sharpshooter Chris Barnes helping them to outgun the west Cork men at Stormont.
Bandon edged the first half and took the lead when Aaron Beamish popped up at the back post to convert David Smth’s cross a minute before half-time. But things unravelled in the second half, with Barnes slamming home a controversial corner rebound to equalise for NICS.
The hosts then took the lead when Andrew Scannell was shunted off the ball in the Bandon 25 by Paul Johnston, who fired in a reverse, before Barnes completed victory with a drag-flick. NICS will now host Banbridge — routine 3-0 winners over Weston — next up.
Elsewhere, the frosty weather claimed the majority of the top-tier league games in Munster, though Cork Harlequins B continued their excellent recent form with a 4-0 rout of Catholic Institute in Rosbrien.
Playing their fifth game in three weeks, Quins’ seconds got the go-ahead through a well-worked Eddie Gash corner goal before turning on the afterburners in the second period.
Adam Daunt-Sheehan finished sweetly from the edge of the circle before Luke Daunt’s close-range effort, finishing off a team move, made the result safe.
Despite Brian Downes offering a regular threat, Institute couldn’t engineer enough pressure and Rob Morris’ drag-flick put a gloss on the scoreline for Quins, after the hosts’ Tristan Murphy had made a string of saves.
The other men’s league game, between C of I B and UCC, was abandoned at half-time due to a frozen pitch, with the same ailment also putting paid to the two women’s Division 1 games, Institute’s trip to Belvedere and Bandon vs UCC, and Ashton’s IHT clash with Wexford.
Nationally, Munster sides claimed a clean sweep of their ties in the Irish Hockey Challenge, with Tipperary’s 2-1 victory at Athlone arguably the highlight. Ciara O’Sullivan cancelled out a goal from Athlone’s Gerogina Fagan, before Emily Hayden hit the winner.
A similar scenario unfolded for Dungarvan, who saw off Wexford 2-1 with Linda Keane and Maria Conroy on target, while Clonmel goal machine Maeve Murphy claimed a hat-trick in her side’s 4-0 defeat of Mallow, with Dawn Grace completing the scoring.
ESB Irish Hockey Trophy, Rd 2 (Munster results only)
Ashton P Wexford P;
ESB Irish Hockey Challenge Rd 2 (Munster results only)
Athlone 1 (G Fagan) Tipperary 2 (C O’Sullivan, E Hayden);
Dungarvan 2 (L Keane, M Conroy) Wexford 1 (M O’Connor);
Clonmel 4 (M Murphy 3, D Grace) Mallow 0;
Men
Irish Senior Cup Rd 2
YMCA 2 (P Marshall, J Bruton) Lisnagarvey 3 (T Cockram 2, G Thompson);
NICS 3 (C Barnes 2, P Johnston) Bandon 1 (A Beamish);
Weston 0 Banbridge 3 (R McCandless, S Magowan, D Ward);
Fingal 5 (A Sweeney 4, M Ryan) Three Rock Rovers 2 (P Blakeney, G Bourke);
Mossley 2 (J Robinson, R Beattie) Monkstown 2 (A Ewington 2) (aet, Monkstown win 4-1 on penalty strokes);
Instonians 5 (S Redpath 2, Stuart McWilliams 2, James Corry) UCD 1 (B Dobson);
Glenanne 4 (J Brennan 2, S O’Donoghue, J Kane) Annadale 5 (A Williamson, I Hamilton 3, C Campbell);
Rd 1: Cork C of I 8 (J Jermyn 5, N Burns, K Burns, A Daunt) Kilkeel 1 (G Russell);
Quarter-final draw: Cork C of I / Cookstown vs Fingal; Annadale vs Lisnagarvey; NICS vs Banbridge; Monkstown vs Instonians.
Men’s Div 1
Catholic Institute 0 Cork Harlequins B 4 (E Gash, A Daunt-Sheehan, L Daunt, R Morris);
Cork C of I B P UCC P (Abandoned at half-time due to frozen pitch);
Women’s Div 1
Belvedere P Catholic Institute P;
Bandon P UCC P;
ESB Irish Hockey Trophy, Rd 2 (Munster results only)
Ashton P Wexford P;
ESB Irish Hockey Challenge Rd 2 (Munster results only)
Athlone 1 (G Fagan) Tipperary 2 (C O’Sullivan, E Hayden);
Dungarvan 2 (L Keane, M Conroy) Wexford 1 (M O’Connor);
Clonmel 4 (M Murphy 3, D Grace) Mallow 0;
