Quins succumb to rampant Railway

Railway Union ended a 106-year wait for a first national outdoor title as they routed Cork Harlequins 4-0 to win the ESB women’s Irish Hockey League in some style at Grange Road yesterday. Jean McDonnell’s first-half corner double laid the groundwork, and Nikki Evans sealed it with a bizarre third before Kate Dillon finished the job from the penalty spot late on.

Railway were deserved and emphatic winners, with Quins never hitting the heights after a draining and emotional extra-time, semi-final victory over Pegasus 24 hours earlier. While they were denied a treble, Eddie Gash’s side can be proud of a season that saw them complete a Munster double and become the first non-Leinster side to reach the IHL decider. Railway had come through a breakneck semi-final of their own against Hermes — which also went the distance — and will be ecstatic to have made amends for a heartbreaking Irish Senior Cup final defeat to Loreto on penalty strokes a week beforehand. The omens didn’t look good for Quins when Karen Bateman went down with what looked a nasty injury inside 15 seconds as Railway initially imposed themselves physically. Bateman returned to the fray but was unable to carry the threat as the Park Avenue club had control from the off. After fronting up well initially, the spaces began to open up for their speedy brand of hockey, flying down the left flank through the triumvirate of Isobel Joyce, Emma Smyth and Jean McDonnell. The latter created the only chance of the first quarter, burning down the right end-line for Kate Dillon – another key player on the day – to draw an excellent diving save from Amy O’Neill. But, with the tempo upped in the second period, Jean McDonnell gave her side the clear advantage. Emer Dillon and Emma Smyth had both served green card suspensions but, back with the full complement, they took the lead their dominance deserved. The goal itself was a repeat of last Sunday’s ISC final corner switch, first left and then right opening the space for McDonnell to drill past O’Neill’s defences.

Jane Chapple deflected one corner effort just wide but, when another flowing move yielded the fourth penalty corner of the half, McDonnell banged home off O’Neill’s pads for 2-0 on the half-time hooter. It was a killer blow from which Quins struggled to recover. Rachel McSharry was green-carded inside eight second half seconds before returning only to be shown a yellow – following McDonnell’s turn and burn – during which time Railway moved further ahead. Nikki Evans hit the third in the 46th minute, and only she will know whether it was intended or not. Isobel Joyce took on a long corner, chipped across at shin-height about a stick-length behind Evans but she flung out an arm, and her control dragged home at the near post, completely wrong-footing O’Neill. At this stage, Railway were running riot and could have extended their advantage on numerous occasions but for the brilliance of Sinead McCarthy and cohort Cliodhna Sargent. The one effort to find the net was Kate Dillon’s stroke, firing home to the same spot she found a day earlier in the 63rd minute after Smyth was checked while in her shooting stride. Pushed into midfield, McCarthy was denied a consolation when her flick was blocked on the line by Isobel Joyce, preserving the clean sheet.

RAILWAY UNION: Helen Stevenson, Holly Jenkinson, Emer Lucey, Eimear Dolan, Isobel Joyce (capt), Sinead Walsh, Kate Dillon, Emma Smyth, Jean McDonnell, Nikki Evans, Cecelia Joyce Subs: Sarah McDonald, Kate McKenna, Emer Dillon, Ruth Hutchinson, Hannah de Burgh-Whyte, Patricia O’Dwyer, Sinead Dooley CORK HARLEQUINS: Amy O’Neill, Cliodhna Sargent (capt), Yvonee O’Byrne, Hilary Chapple, Karen Bateman, Rachael Kohler, Rachel McSharry, Antonia McGrath, Sinead McCarthy, Jane Chapple, Cliona O’Connor Subs: Jessie Morris, Claire Bergin, Jane Bourke, Edwina McGrath, Laura McSweeney, Leanne Mullins, Leslie-Ann Daunt The day before, Quins had ended their Pegasus hoodoo in dramatic fashion, twice using penalty corner overtime to progress to their first national final since 2003. Cliodhna Sargent battered home a corner on the extra-time, full-time hooter to set off chants of “you ain’t seen nothing like the mighty Quins”.

It had looked an unlikely scenario when the Farmer’s Cross side trailed 2-1 going into the final seconds of normal time. But a clearance fell to Antonia McGrath and she proved the unlikeliest of heroines, scoring her very first goal for the club. She looked stunned, initially when she picked up the loose ball but steadied herself and her second shot was pure dynamite, cracking the backboard from eight yards on the left of the circle. Quins’ bench initially invaded the pitch before regaining composure to contest extra-time and their final fantasy was complete ten minutes later. Early on, Pegs had whipped up an early storm, Suzanne Beaney pulling the trigger inside 50 seconds before Cork’s Jane Chapple squeezed just wide. Her namesake, Hilary, was the one to break the deadlock in the 10th mnute, flicking home from a narrow angle as she blocked Arlene Boyles goal-line clearance to give Harlequins the lead from the quarter’s only corner. After the goal, Kirsty McCollum aerialled just wide while a sublime Hilary Chapple diagonal ball from left to right found Cliona O’Connor in space but her shot skipped across the face of goal. The second period was pitched at a slightly low key quarter with big defensive interventions defining the key moments. Rachael Kohler’s was the first, intercepting after Claire McMahon had raced down the right wing; her pull-back found a dangerous zone but Kohler was calm to clear.

Sweeper Sinead McCarthy produced the first of a never-ending string of vital touches while Arlene Boyles was similarly alive to keep Quins outside the 22. Cliodhna Sargent was sin-binned for disputing a corner decision – following a back-stick outside the circle – while Quins had one corner saved by Sharon Moffett, struck by Rachel McSharry. The game’s momentum switched fully the Belfast side’s way, though, in the third quarter. Suzanne Beaney’s double – coming within four minutes of each other – turned the tie on its head. She did brilliantly for her first, a right-wing bash got stuck in Amy O’Neill’s pads but the former international whipped the ball out to the left of the goal and, on the slide, reverse-swept by the despairing lunge of two defenders. Her second was a touch to a crash ball from the 25 and that looked like it might have been enough. But the marauding Yvonne O’Byrne and Rachel McSharry combined to earn a spate of corners in the final period to pile on the pressure. With time up, they got their eventual reward. Sargent tamely shot but the clearance off Sharon Moffett – who made a string of fine saves – found McGrath and she did the rest. For the full set of Adrian Boehm’s photos from Quins vs Railway, click here. For his photos from Quins vs Pegasus, click here. Reports and videos produced by – and with huge thanks to – the tireless Stephen Findlater, as exam preparations prevented me from being in Dublin this weekend to witness everything first hand. You can read more extensive reports on the other women’s semi-final and both men’s semis on The Hook. To listen to Cliodhna Sargent’s post-match thoughts after the Pegasus game, click on the video below.