Old and new do the business for Quins

Men’s Irish Senior Cup Rd 2 Cork Harlequins 1 (Darren Beamish) Cookstown 0 Darren Beamish enjoyed a Cork Harlequins debut to remember as he struck the only goal of the game to help the Irish Senior Cup champions see off Cookstown at a freezing Farmer’s Cross on Saturday.

Former Bandon man Beamish had initially decided to step away from hockey this year but jumped at an invite to join the Quins setup. And he found room in a crowded circle to reverse home a second-half winner in a patchy clash interrupted by a serious head injury to Cookstown’s Greg Allen, who was taken by ambulance to hospital. Allen stayed overnight in Cork but returned to Cookstown yesterday and thankfully is set to return to hockey after three weeks. His father, Les, sent us this lovely message thanking Cork Harlequins for their help. It was also a memorable day for Quins’ veteran goalkeeper Nigel Bryan. With Chris Daunt now working in Sweden and talented Munster U16 Jack Ryan still considered too green for this level, Bryan donned the goalie pads for the first time in a decade and made a number of fine saves to keep his side’s title defence motoring on. They have Banbridge – who edged out Fingal 2-1 at the ALSAA – at home on Saturday in the quarter-finals, a repeat of a tie won 2-1 by Quins last year. YMCA 9 (Kristyan Makowski 3, Declan Spencer 2, Ian McHugh, Jamie Tobin, Phil Powderly, Ben Campbell) UCC 0 The effects of five games in three days during UCC’s memorable intervarsity victory in midweek showed as they were cut apart by a clinical YMCA, who won 9-0 in Milltown. Neil Welch’s side were off the pace from the outset as Polish set-piece speclialist Kris Makowski whipped in three drag-flicks and Declan Spencer added one from play to kill off the tie in the first half. And the students had no answer in the second half either as four more players got on the scoresheet for the impressive hosts. Men’s Irish Senior Cup round-up UCD were also affected by a varsity hangover as they went down 4-2 to Monkstown in a cranky tie at Belfield. ’Town will host Railway Union — 7-0 winners at NICS — next up while YM will be at home again in the last eight, taking on Pembroke who claimed a memorable scalp in Ulster, ousting IHL champions Lisnagarvey on penalty strokes. Kilkeel, 5-1 winners over Avoca, must leave their McAuley Park fortress and go to a Three Rock side buzzing from their topsy-turvy 6-5 win at Instonians, which owed a lot to Peter Blakeney’s four goals, including a four-minute hat-trick. Irish Senior Cup Rd 2: Instonians 5 (P Gleghorne, own goal, M Irwin, W Robinson, A Paterson) Three Rock Rovers 6 (P Blakeney 5, M Darling); Lisnagarvey 1 (T Cockram) Pembroke 1 (A Sothern), Pembroke win 3-1 on strokes; Cork Harlequins 1 (D Beamish) Cookstown 0; Kilkeel 5 Avoca 1 (A Addison); NICS 0 Railway Union 7 (P English 3, R Abbott, M English, K Chapple, R Devlin); UCD 2 (P Shanahan, D Watkins) Monkstown 4 (G Watkins 2, L Cole, F Ryan); YMCA 9 (K Makowski 3, D Spencer 2, I McHugh, J Tobin, P Powderly, B Campbell) UCC 0; Fingal 1 (L Hayden) Banbridge 2 (D Ward, B McCandless). Quarter-final draw (November 10): Cork Harlequins v Banbridge; Monkstown v Railway Union; Three Rock Rovers v Kilkeel; YMCA v Pembroke Wanderers. Women’s Electric Ireland Irish Senior Cup Rd 1 Cork Harlequins 0 Railway Union 6 (Alex Speers 2, Kate Lloyd 2, Sinead Dooley, Zara Delany) Railway Union coach Mick McKinnon hailed his side’s clinical showing at Farmer’s Cross as their best of the season so far as they cruised into round two. Quins had no answer to the pace, movement and accuracy of Railway’s attack as they rattled off four unanswered first-half goals, Irish skipper Alex Speers nabbing two while Zara Delany deflected over Vanessa Sargent and Kate Lloyd also found the net. Sinead Dooley planted home a penalty stroke before Lloyd drifted one way and reversed the other for number six. Quins mainly relied on Yvonne O’Byrne’s forays down the right to gain traction but found clear-cut chances hard to come by. Women’s Irish Senior Cup roundup UCC will hope to repeat their intervarsity success over Trinity after being drawn at home to them in round two on November 24. Catholic Institute are also on home turf but have daunting opposition coming in Pegasus coming to Limerick, with the hosts feeling they owe the Belfast girls one. In the tie of the first round, Loreto were pushed all the way by Queens’ University before prevailing 2-1 in a repeat of last year’s semi-final. Electric Ireland Irish Senior Cup Rd 1: Loreto 2 (S Clarke, C McKean) Queen’s 1 (C Buchanan); Armagh 4 Lurgan 3 after extra time; Old Alex 5 (S McLeod 2, E Duncan, E Hinkson, A Roopnarinesingh) Portadown 2 (own goal, Guiney); Cork Harlequins 0 Railway Union 6 (K Lloyd 2, A Speers 2, Z Delany, S Dooley); Hermes 2 (C Quinlan, S McCarthy) Randalstown 0; Ulster Elks 2 (R King, D Wilson) Glenanne 1; Greenfields 1 Corinthian 2 (C McGowan 2) Rd 2 draw (November 24): Ards vs Ulster Elks; Armagh vs Hermes; Ballymoney vs North Kildare; Catholic Institute vs Pegasus; Loreto vs Railway Union; Old Alex vs UCD; Pembroke vs Corinthian; UCC vs Trinity.