Eight-goal romp not enough for C of I as Kelburne claim Tempest Trophy

Scottish champions Kelburne claimed the Tempest Trophy thanks to a last-gasp 2-1 win over hosts Three Rock Rovers at Grange Road on Sunday afternoon. Gareth Hall fired the winner after a goalmouth scramble four minutes from the hooter, ending the hopes of both Three Rock and Cork Church of Ireland, who had put themselves in contention for the title by dismantling YMCA 8-2 earlier in the day. Following their 2-1 defeat to Kelburne on Saturday, the Munster champions had been relying on Three Rock to provide the improbable three-goal winning margin required for C of I to take top spot.

The hosts, who fielded recently-signed Munsterman Patrick Shanahan, needed to achieve the even less likely feat of winning by eight to win it outright themselves.But the Scottish EHL outfit weren’t looking to win any friends on Irish soil, and took a sixth-minute lead through 16-year-old sensation Josh Cairns. Eight players were sin-binned during a niggly encounter, with the game reduced to nine versus nine for five minutes during the final quarter. Before that spate of cards, Venezuelan international Lucas Piccioli had volleyed home an equaliser off Ali Haughton’s cross, but Hall struck to ensure Kelburne took the spoils with a perfect record of three-from-three for the weekend. Despite losing out on the title, there was plenty for C of I fans to be cheerful about, in particular the sharpness of the returning John Jermyn. The experienced Irish international took his tally to six in just three games as he crashed home four goals in the 8-2 romp over YM, with Alec Moffett (2), Karl Lynch and Philip Smith also getting on the scoresheet. Richie Margetson and Ger Butler replied for the Dubliners. It was also a productive weekend for C of I gust keeper, Stephen O’Keeffe, on loan from Pembroke Wanderers, who earned himself €500 by taking the player of the tournament title. Meanwhile, Old Alex claimed the women’s title thanks to a 5-2 win over Ards. Tempest Trophy Day 2 & 3 Kelburne 2 (A Forsyth 2) Cork C of I 1 (J Jermyn) Three Rock Rovers 3 (P McConnell, A McConnell, T Hill) YMCA 0 Kelburne 2 (J Cairns, G Hall) Three Rock Rovers 1 (L Piccioli) Cork C of I 8 (J Jermyn 4, A Moffett 2, K Lynch, P Smith) YMCA 2 (R Margetson, G Butler) Final Table 1. Kelburne 9 pts, +11 2. Cork C of I 6pts, +7 3. Three Rock Rovers 3pts, 0 4. YMCA 0pts, -18