O’Byrne treble keeps Quins on top

Women’s Division 1 Cork Harlequins 5 (Yvonne O’Byrne 3, Cliodhna Sargent, Abby Oakes) Ashton 0 Yvonne O’Byrne’s excellent treble helped leaders Cork Harlequins make it 10 wins from 10 with a straightforward dismissal of Ashton. The Ireland A international has notched a remarkable amount of goals for a defender this years and the pick of her treble was a rising deflection which flat-footed Niamh Stockil in the Ashton goal. The visitors had their moments in attack with Emma Harrington and Shauna Fagan looking dangerous but their cause wasn’t helped when Harrington received a captain’s yellow card due to verbals from her coach Alan Dobson.

Ireland U18 international Abby Oakes’s fine swivelled finish capped things for Quins as their fine season continues. Catholic Institute 11 (Elaine Bromell 2, Christine O’Shea 2, Roisin Upton 2, Naomi Carroll 2, Steph Hall 2, Eimear Ryan) Fermoy 0 Roisin Upton signed off on her brief Christmas cameo with Institute as one of five players to score twice in a facile win over Fermoy. Upton returns to her studies at the University of Connecticut later this week and Ger O’Carroll would have likely preferred to take on title rivals UCC and Quins while the former youth Olympian was in situ. Fermoy were unlucky to run into an Insta side gunning for goals after a frustrating outing against Pegasus last weekend. Despite missing Eimear Cregan, Kym Daly and Katie Campbell through injury they scored five short corners out of five in the first half, while Elaine Bromell’s volleyed finish and Upton’s fine drag lit up the second. UL 1 (Sorcha Carey) Cork C of I 2 (Amy Roberts, Ali O’Regan) Cork C of I got out of jail as UL were left frustrated once more in a season where little seems to be going their way. George Blackwell’s side were almost at full strength for the first time in 2013, with Elaine Breen and Eadaoin Moore returning from Erasmus stints in the USA although Laura Peters missed out through illness. They went in front on the 10 minute mark when Sorcha Carey mopped up after Steph Peters’ shot had wrong-footed Holly Moore but C of I’s top goalscorer Amy Roberts picked up a rebound and lifted it over Elaine O’Flynn 10 minutes later for a half-time stalemate. Emma Barber starred at right-back for the visitors, who were minus Mel Ryan and Julie O’Sullivan but welcomed former UCC and Munster centre-back Orla Crowley into their ranks for her debut. Ali O’Regan reversed under O’Flynn for the winner 15 minutes from time.

Munster Senior Cup quarter-final Cork C of I 6 (Ali O’Regan 2, Claire Hickey, Ali O’Connor, Michelle Egan, own goal) UL 1 (Jean Devoy) UL’s performance levels dipped significantly in round two of their C of I double-header, this time going down to a heavy defeat at Garryduff. C of I will quietly fancy their chances of a shock return to the MSC final — it would be their first since 2008 — as they have been drawn away to UCC in the last four, with Institute and Harlequins hitting out in the other tie. Women’s Electric Ireland Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals Anna O’Flanagan’s stylish hat-trick left Pegasus reeling as UCD made a serious statement of intent with a 5-2 victory at Belfield. The holders continued their winning ways in the Senior Cup against Ulster’s finest, adding to their win last year at the same stage of the competition and the 2009 final victory. Railway Union had too much cohesion for Hermes as a 2-0 win, highlighted by Kate Dillon emphatically firing a penalty stroke in off the crossbar, saw them book a semi-final berth. The final clash between UCC and Ards was postponed to February 16; although Cork and the Mardyke was free of ice, adverse conditions up north prevented Ards from travelling.