Quins see off stubborn UL

Women’s Division 1 UL 0 Cork Harlequins 3 (Cliodhna Sargent 2, Acacia Taylor) Perhaps mindful of their shock defeat in this fixture last year, Quins took their time to break the deadlock but stuck to their playbook and methodically unwound UL in the final 15 minutes of this tie.

The Limerick students took advantage of some early Quins sluggishness — presumably leftover from their Thursday night encounter with UCC — to force a corner but the hosts, missing Abby Oakes and Leanne Mullins, took a grip on the game thereafter. UL’s excellent defensive organisation meant their line wasn’t breached until the 55th minute, when Cliodhna Sargent rattled home a carbon copy of her short corner strike that saw off UCC two days previously. Erica Breen then stole down the line from right back and crossed for Acacia Taylor to touch in for 2-0, before Sargent bashed in another set-piece goal to put a gloss on the scoreline and send Stephen Dale’s side three points clear at the table’s summit. Bandon 1 Cork Church of Ireland 3 (Julie O’Sullivan 2, Ali O’Regan) Three points were worth braving the freezing conditions and horizontal rain in west Cork for C of I, who join Ashton in fourth place. Julie O’Sullivan redirected a short corner to the backboard for an ideal start five minutes in, before repeating the trick before half-time for a comfortable advantage. Bandon hit back in the second period but Ali O’Regan found a path into the danger zone and fired home to give C of I enough breathing space to see it out. Fermoy 0 Catholic Institute 14 (Naomi Carroll 4, Eimear Cregan 3, Katie Campbell 2, Elaine Bromell, Nikki Sterritt, Clodagh Moloney, Kym Daly, Eimear Ryan) Neither side will have learned much as Catholic Institute racked up the biggest Division One victory anywhere in Ireland this season in north Cork. Insta had prepared well for a physical battle but Fermoy had no answer to the pace, skill and cohesion of their forward play in particular, with Insta’s front trio of Naomi Carroll, Eimear Cregan and Katie Campbell sharing nine goals between them. Whether it serves as any kind of preparation for Pegasus’ visit to Rosbrien in the Irish Senior Cup next weekend remains to be seen; for Fermoy, they have two trips to the Treaty city to contend with next but will be targeting taking points off Limerick and UL as they bid to avoid getting cut adrift at the bottom of the table.

Men’s Division 1 UCC 4 (Stuart O’Grady 2, Cian Kavanagh, Greg Chambers) Bandon 0 The one-sided nature of this encounter was a pity for those who have watched these clubs play out some tense, tight battles over the past few years. Bandon aren’t to blame for that — few clubs could cope with the quality and volume of players lost over the summer — and they should have been in front early on, when Rob Smith somehow dinged the post when well placed to fire into an unguarded goal from five metres out. That awoke UCC from their slumber and former Bandon man Andrew Scannell’s pinpoint cross found an unmarked Cian Kavanagh to touch home the opener shortly after. Having seen Ian Hosford somehow get to a drag bound for the top corner, Andy Gray changed tack and re-routed the ball back to Stuart O’Grady in the injector spot for 2-0. A slip by Adam O’Callaghan at the back let David Smith in for a great chance, but Brian Corcoran was out fast to tip his effort around the post. In the second half, O’Grady combined with Greg Chambers down the right to eventually tap in number three, before Chambers made no mistake after being teed up by Kavanagh. The game petered out thereafter, memorable only for some adroit reaction saves from Corcoran as Bandon sought a consolation that never came. Cork Harlequins B 1 (Mark Lombard) Cork C of I 5 (Stephen Sweetnam 2, Ali Smith 2, Andy Herbert) A routine win but nonetheless a landmark day for C of I as Ali Smith scored his first goals for the club while Andy Herbert put his injury woes behind him to get back among the goals. Most of the damage was done in the opening half by Irish international Smith — who wouldn’t have expected to wait until mid-November to open his account after moving from Bandon in the summer — and marksman Sweetnam. A four-goal advantage at half-time had the result beyond doubt but the second half was a closer affair, Mark Lombard finding the net for Quins with Herbert replying for the Garryduff men. Players from both clubs subsequently decamped to the Rochestown venue for the Andrew Chambers Memorial match, while the tributes to the former C of I player/coach continued long into the night. Irish Hockey Challenge Rd 1 round-up Cashel New Inn scored the result of the weekend as they raided Dangan in style, winning 3-2 at NUIG. The Galway students would have started as firm favourites on the back of an excellent varsity showing but the Tipp girls, among the pace-setters in Munster’s Division 3, did enough to pull off a shock result. Dungarvan completed a great weekend for Munster by seeing off Monkstown 1-0 on the grit in the west Waterford town, while in the men’s competition, Catholic Institute thumped St James Gate 7-1 at Rosbrien to join neighbours Limerick in the second round draw.