Seventh heaven for C of I and Bandon

The rain dried up for once but the goals certainly didn’t on a crazy day of men’s hockey, which saw 26 goals scored in the three top-level men’s games. Goals are never usually in short supply in Cork Harlequins’ encounters with Cork C of I, but no-one could have predicted that the blues would emerge from today’s Peard Cup semi-final scrap with a mind-boggling 7-4 victory. In a hugely open, entertaining – and, as usual, niggly – clash at Harlequin Park, both sides could have had another two or three strikes each and nobody could have complained. Much of that was down to lacklustre defending as it was forward brilliance, but C of I coach Stephen Jackson in particular can have plenty of reasons to be pleased.

His side’s fluency was far better than it had been in recent weeks – so much so, that they led 6-1 at one stage, with John Jermyn amazingly claiming the first five of those – while the star turns came from two of the side’s young guns, full-backs David Harvey and Karl Lynch. The form of goalkeeper Billy Lynch, given Mark Ruddle’s ongoing absence, was another major plus. He produced two of the saves of the season so far; one a repeat of his off-the-ground reaction stop to tip over David Egner’s lofted rebound, the other coming when he pushed a Dan Hobbs rocket onto the bar. For Quins, there’s still much to work on, but they were much improved from their IHL loss to Corinthian in an offensive sense, arguably creating more chances than their visitors and winning the corner count 8-3. In mitigation, they can also point to the loss of the talismanic Jason Black after ten minutes. The decorated Irish international was struck in the side of the head by the ball after a Quins drag-flick came off the runner’s stick; he left the field blooded but unbowed, and with a possible fractured cheekbone. Quins were already one up at that stage – a John Hobbs switch-flick coming after 90 seconds – and should have had a couple more as they got in behind the C of I defence four times in the opening four minutes. Things settled down for the remainder of the first quarter, but on 23 minutes, Jermyn claimed the first of what was to be a nine-minute hat-trick, finding the bottom left corner from C of I’s first short. He added a second from play, an instinctive finish after some patient build-up, and completed his treble from the flick spot after Stephen Parker was bundled over in the circle as he shaped to shoot. Their fourth arrived just after the break – another low corner – before Karl Lynch embarked on an arced solo run that took him past five players, only be denied by a last-ditch tackle.

The dander was up for C of I, who were continually exposing a lack of pace at the back for Quins, and Jermyn went high with his next corner for his and his team’s fifth on 50 minutes. Number six arrived inside a minute – Peter Catchpole and Stephen Parker took Mensink out of the equation on the left, before the latter squared for Nigel Buttimer to touch into an unguarded goal. To their credit, Quins went for the jugular, in spite of running the risk of conceding more with the holes left at the back, and hit back with two in as many minutes. Mark Black skilfully deflected a John Hobbs drag over the grounded Lynch, before Paul Lombard’s improvised corner shot went in off a C of I foot. Things got even weirder when Billy Lynch left a harmless-looking through ball roll past him only to see it come back into play off the upright to Egner, but the C of I netminder recovered well to smother at the forward’s feed. A succession of corners saw Lynch turn one Dan Hobbs effort onto the bar, but the centre-back made it third time lucky for 6-4 with eight minutes remaining, and thoughts of a most famous comeback were suddenly a reality. But C of I stepped up to the plate in the final minutes, Andrew Daunt working a fine 1-2 with the industrious Alec Moffett to go clear on Mensink, and he calmly slipped the ball under the keeper to let the visitors breathe easy again. C of I will now meet Catholic Institute in the final, after the Rosbrien outfit bounced back from their recent haemorrhage at home to Bandon with a 4-2 win over C of I B in the other semi-final. Eric Calendar’s brace was the catalyst for victory, with Justin O’Sullivan and Albert Valls also hitting the target, while Wes Brownlow and David Herbert replied for a depleted C of I B outfit.

Meanwhile, Bandon laid down another marker in the race for an IHL wildcard playoff spot by demolishing UCC 7-2 at the west Cork venue today. Following a poor start to the campaign, Ger Burns’ side have found form and confidence in a major way in recent weeks; they have now hit 13 past their two main rivals for that third place, and all seven of their strikes today came from play. The signing of Andrew Scannell from C of I has made a major difference in this regard; his range of passing and movement from centre midfield was something College sorely lacked, as they once again spent too much time dribbling down blind alleys. Ali Smith gave them the perfect start, dinking over UCC keeper Kieran Healy and in off the post after Graham Kingston found him all alone in the circle. That set the tone for the afternoon; pace and precision from Smith and Kingston, poor marking from College. The students had the better of the first quarter – Mark Barry and Stephen Sweetnam both finishing weakly after creating good openings for themselves – but Bandon were far more clinical, patiently pulling the visitors’ defence apart before blasting their pacemen through the open channels. They doubled their advantage in such a fashion on 21 minutes, Scannell producing a nifty turn and go before feeding Aaron Beamish, who had his back to goal but unleashed a peach of a reverse into the top corner. And when Graham Kingston deflty lofted the ball over Healy for number three – after he was played in by Rob Smith – on the stroke of half-time, it seemed like curtains for College. Bandon soon realised that joy was to be found down the flanks, with Edgar Rice’s aerials continually sending Darren Beamish into space on the right. In the 42nd minute, the latter combined with Smith to create an opening for Kingston, and his reverse was hard and true for four-zip. College did give themselves hope soon after, Barry tucking home a rebound after Stephen Sweetnam and Graham Catchpole had both been denied by Ian Hosford.

Another Bandon raid down the right saw Smith find Dave Smith at the back stick for number five, before Andy Gray – again UCC’s most accomplished performer – cut in from the left and rifled home from the top of the circle to put College on the board again. But the pendulum swung again in the closing minutes, Smith claiming his second with another ruthless reverse from an angle, before the former Ireland U18 man burned the College defence down the left to square for Scott Sullivan to tap in their seventh.