Stroke of luck helps Quins into final

Cork Church of Ireland relinquished their Munster Senior Cup crown in dramatic circumstances at Harlequin Park today, with sudden-death penalty strokes required to separate the holders and Cork Harlequins in a tense finale. The sides were deadlocked at 2-2 following normal and extra time, but keepers Mark Ruddle and Chris Daunt both made three saves each to leave things level again after the regulation shootout. John Jermyn sent Daunt the wrong way with C of I’s sixth stroke, but watched in horror as his shot struck an upright and agonisingly rolled across goal, before Paul Lombard – who had seen an earlier effort saved – made no mistake second time round to seal the deal for Quins. That followed a very strange game that C of I, in truth, should have wrapped up long beforehand. Ultimately, a slack opening five minutes, in which they conceded two goals, proved their undoing. Paul Lombard fired Quins in front before a C of I player had even touched the ball inside 90 seconds, rifling into the bottom corner from the top of the circle after he was allowed to drift in from the left. And Quins doubled their advantage on four minutes, Philip McLaughlin forcing the ball home from close range after Ruddle had saved from Sean Nicholson following a short corner breakdown. C of I found their stride thereafter however, and didn’t give Quins a sniff of goal for the remainder of the half, with David Hobbs orchestrating everything for the visitors. Daunt had to be alert to repel two Jermyn drag-flicks, but it was third time lucky for the former HGC man as he found the bottom corner on 20 minutes.

Circle penetrations were nonetheless still at a minimum for both sides, largely thanks to some tidy defending at either end from Quins’ Jason Black and John Hobbs and C of I’s Adam Pritchard and Andy Chambers. But C of I upped the intensity in the final minutes, and Jermyn slotted another drag on 65 minutes to leave it all square. Pritchard got a great block in on Dan Hobbs and Daunt pulled a Jermyn drag out from underneath his own crossbar as both sides went in search of a winner, and things opened up in extra-time as tired legs became a factor. Ruddle did well to smother the ball at Eddie Dore’s feet after he had skipped past Pritchard, while David Egner almost touched home a Paul Lombard crash ball at the other end. But it looked to have a C of I win written all over it as they forced two shorts in the final minutes of extra-time, but Daunt was equal to Hobbs from one while Jason Black was out like a shot to block the other. A tense shootout saw Jermyn and Jonny Bruton convert for C of I, with John Hobbs and Sean Nicholson doing likewise for Quins. But Paul Lombard, Phil O’Driscoll, Nigel Buttimer and Phil Smith all saw their efforts repelled as the keepers more than earned their corn. Dan Hobbs scuffed Quins’ fifth effort to give Pritchard a chance to win it for C of I. But Daunt produced another quality stop, before the drama of sudden death saw the pendulum swing Quins’ way. They will face either UCC or Bandon in the final. Elsewhere, Quins will face plenty of northern exposure in the Irish Senior Cup after a Eugene Magee double propelled Banbridge to a nervy 3-2 win over Raphoe. They now travel to Harlequin Park next weekend, with Ulster champions-elect awaiting the winners after they earned a home quarter-final tie by seeing off Fingal by the odd goal in nine.

Munsterman Patrick Shanahan helped Three Rock Rovers end Bangor’s perfect home record with his side’s second goal in a 3-2 win that sets up a tasty all-Dublin quarter-final against Glenanne, 3-1 winners at North Down. Annadale gained revenge for last weekend’s league defeat to Lisnagarvey by winning 3-2, largely thanks to Peter Caruth’s double, while Brian Doherty’s hat-trick from corners helped Corinthians to a 6-2 win over Railway Union. Corinthians must go to Annadale in the last eight, while Mossley host Pembroke after defeating NICS 3-2. Meanwhile, a hat-trick of Roger Gray drag-flicks helped C of I b to a 5-2 league win over Catholic Institute. Gary Acheson gave Institute the lead, but Gray levelled before Philip Sweetnam and Eric Calendar swapped strikes to leave the sides deadlocked at 2-2. But C of I B pulled away thereafter, with Gray completing his hat-trick before Nick Burns’ deflection made it 5-2.