Small margins and big results

It was an afternoon of near misses in the women’s league – while the men’s was anything but – as Catholic Institute, Cork Harlequins and Bandon all prevailed by the minimum margin in nip and tuck affairs. Institute edged out UCC 2-1 at Rosbrien, a zesty encounter but one lacking the quality of a top-of-the-table clash as it might have been later on in the season. As it was, both sides were off-colour for different reasons. Insta are still welcoming back a phlanx of players from injury and were without the unavailable Róisín Upton and Katie Campbell, while College were playing the first game of a campaign with an almost entirely new-look team and missed arm injury victim Ali O’Connor. The hosts nudged themselves in front on the 20 minute mark, Naomi Carroll’s superb pass splitting the UCC centre-backs and finding Kym Daly to apply the finish. But the students levelled it six minutes later in scrappy fashion, edging down the right with a series of frees before the ball was eventually put in the mixer, Wexford native Steffi Bowe – a South East interpro representative – getting the vital touch.

Defences were largely on top thereafter but Eimear Cregan shattered the stalemate with a second-half short corner strike – that’s five in two games for her now – while Ciara Ronan pulled off a smashing stick-save from an Olivia Roycroft drag-flick at the other end. Institute held on to take maximum points – surviving a final-whistle corner in the process – and surge to the top of the table as they only side with a 100% record from two games. Elsewhere, Ashton were left to rue another game of missed chances, a late flourish failing to mask the deficiencies in their performance as they were gunned down 3-2 by Cork Harlequins. The Blackrock Road side were anticipating a backlash after Quins’ shock loss to UL on day one, and that’s exactly what they got as Stephen Dale’s side controlled the opening quarter. The Ashton short corner defence has already thwarted two set-pieces when Claire Bergin sold a lovely dummy off a sideline ball deep in Ashton territory, before scurrying along the baseline to draw in the hosts’ defence, who failed to pick up Orlagh Cotter at the back stick. She applied the finish for 1-0. That spurred Ashton into life and an aggressive full press yielded huge dividends for them, as Quins struggled to escape their own half for a long period. Emma Harrington had the best of a number of gilt-edged chances, when Quins goalkeeper Vanessa Sargent miskicked a clearance straight to the forward at the top of the circle. She needed to sweep hard to find the gaping goal and did so, albeit with an open blade that took the ball just over the bar. Quins made Ashton pay by relieving the pressure and winning a corner against the run of play, which ex-UCD centre-back Elaine Collins dispatched a straight hit with aplomb to the backboard. And they made it three just after the interval, a goal of real quality as Cotter got a sweet looped deflection to a crash ball from skipper Yvonne O’Byrne, making an early return from a hand injury. That advantage didn’t reflect a game in which Ashton – for whom Yvonne Mangan and Kate Harvey stood out – had more chances, but Quins had Sargent to thank for brilliantly smothering one-on-one opportunities for Caroline McCarthy and Cliodhna Murphy.

Ashton did get back into it with 10 minutes to go however, Deirdre Keohane negating the first and second runners before squaring for Ciara O’Toole to convert. And when Ciara O’Herlihy first-timed a straight hit to the backboard a couple of minutes later, Ashton could see the end of the comeback trail. They engineered Murphy through on Sargent once more, but the ex-Ashton keeper got a vital stick to the ball as Murphy attempted to round her, to ensure Quins took the points. Meanwhile, there was a truly bizarre finale to a poor clash in west Cork as Bandon edged out UL 1-0 thanks to Ciara McCarthy’s strike. McCarthy popped up at the back stick ti turn home a short corner move initially worked left to Ciara Harte, but the game’s real story came in the final six minutes. That was prompted by UL coach George Blackwell’s decision to go for broke and remove goalkeeper Elaine O’Flynn from the fray in favour of an extra outfielder. It appeared to backfire as Bandon won a short corner, which was subsequently illegally blocked by Laura Davis on the goal-line. With no goalkeeper in situ, Davis donned only a mask and stood on the line as Amy Roycroft stepped up to address the ball from the penalty spot. Amazingly, she hit the post, but it was immaterial to the result, a welcome boost for John Dennis’ skeleton side, who have been ravaged by absentees and departures in recent months. Women’s Div 1 Catholic Institute 2 (Kym Daly, Eimear Cregan) UCC 1 (Steffi Bowe) Bandon 1 (Ciara McCarthy) UL 0; Ashton 2 (Ciara O’Toole, Ciara O’Herlihy) Cork Harlequins 3 (Orlagh Cotter 2, Elaine Collins)