Irish retain men’s Celtic Cup as women downed by rampaging Scots

An experimental Ireland men’s side retained their Celtic Cup title with a 3-3 draw against hosts Scotland in Edinburgh today, ending a very satisfying weekend’s work for coach Paul Revington. The South African handed eight players their debuts at the tournament and left the big guns at home, so has every right to be pleased that his youthful side showcased Ireland’s strength in depth by bettering three full-strength international sides. Gareth Watkins got them off to a dream start with two goals inside six minutes, before corner expert Mark Ralph reduced the arrears before the break.

Gavin Byers tapped in to level after good work from Chris Grassick, but Brian Doherty beat Great Britain goalkeeper Ali McGregor all ends up with a drag-flick inside a minute. Ralph notched his second of the game to tie it up once more, before Iain Walker pulled off a series of top saves and saw Byers’ late lob land on the roof of the net. However, hindsight will pinpoint Ireland’s back-from-the-dead 3-2 win over the Welsh on Saturday as the key to victory. Two Rick Gay drag-flicks – sandwiching a Simon Todd effort for the Irish – had Wales 2-1 to the good with three minutes to go, but a red card for Gay began a spectacular collapse. Doherty blasted home a corner with 120 seconds to go, before David Ames popped up in the last minute to net a dramatic winner that said everything about the Irish resolve. That gave them the comfort of knowing that they could win the tournament by avoiding defeat against the Scots. There was less good news however for the Ireland A women’s side. Coach Guy Garrett had waxed lyrical about the progress made by his charges in Friday’s 2-1 win over the French and Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wales, which saw Ireland twice come from behind through Kate McConnell and Katherine Steenson. Armagh starlet Steenson was on target against the Scots too, but it mattered little as Ireland’s collective inexperience finally told against a rampant Scotland side looking for a third successive title. A 7-1 defeat was certainly excessive, but Ireland could have few complaints as the ruthless Scots took their chances with aplomb. To view pictures from the Celtic Cup tournament, click here.