UCC edge thriller to force title playoff

A playoff will be required to decide the women’s Munster Senior League title after UCC claimed a thrilling 4-3 win over Cork Harlequins at Famrers Cross tonight. Both sides are deadlocked on 36 points following the completion of their league programme, after College continued their hoodoo over the champions. Having handed them their first league defeat in eight seasons last year, College have remarkably extended their unbeaten run against the champions to four games by doing the double over them this time around. They have now given themselves a chance to prise the title from Harlequin Park for the first time in 13 years in the process; the playoff is set to take place on Sunday April 26, with the clubs tossing for the venue. Quins can rightly point to the fact that they were nowhere near full strength either tonight or when they were beaten 3-0 at the Mardyke back in November, but they must nonetheless now regroup and show the winning mentality that saw them reach the IHL semi-finals at the weekend.

For College, it means their hopes of completing a unique treble – a feat that seemed so unlikely following two single-goal defeats to C of I before Christmas – are still alive, largely thanks to a recent improvement in their chance convertion ratio. But the biggest losers tonight were C of I, who now have nothing but pride to play for in their final two games against Catholic Institute and Bandon, as they will finish third no matter what. While College and Quins will both be present and correct when the pool stages of the IHL get underway next term, C of I must now negotiate the murky waters of the wildcard playoffs – where College came a cropper last term – if they wish to join them. For Quins and College, there is still a league title to play for. The former may yet come to rue a sloppy first-half performance tonight, where they played very deep and invited College to attack. Karen Bateman was bafflingly stationed out on the left and therefore not able to exert her usual influence, and College hit the front on 10 minutes from a short corner conceded by the decorated Irish international. Ali O’Connor’s straight hit was neatly saved by Amy O’Neill, but Audrey O’Flynn was on hand to flick the rebound over the grounded Quins keeper to mark herself down as the first of six different goalscorers on the night. The hosts should have equalised on 18 minutes when Mount Mercy schoolgirl Yvonne O’Byrne – who has come into some brilliant form at the tail end of the season – cut in from the right and surged 40 yards before finding Eimear Cregan in space. But the Irish international skipper, who has claimed three goals in two games since returning from a long-term injury, surprisingly fired wide.

College made Quins pay dearly for that miss on 25 minutes; Hollie Moffett’s free was worked around the circle by Fiona O’Connell to Julia O’Halloran, who hammered the ball across O’Neill to score against her old club. The visitors were full value for their 2-0 lead at the break and with Quins botching two short corners near the end of the half, the omens didn’t appear to be with the hosts. But Quins aren’t champions for nothing, and showed their mettle by coming flying out of the traps in the second half, and firing two goals in as many minutes to turn the game on its head. First, Cliodhna Sargent converted a penalty stroke on 39 minutes after Bateman was deliberately fouled in the circle, before a twice-switched ball at short corner time allowed skipper Rachel McSharry to blast home less than 120 seconds later. Quins bossed the game thereafter without looking particularly threatening, bar when Emily Kenefick got a vital touch to deny Emily O’Leary after the teenager was played in by Sargent on 45 minutes. But College then matched Quins’ earlier quickfire double to put another twist in the tale, as Miriam Crowley poked home both goals following goalmouth scrambles on 50 and 52 minutes Quins poured forward in hope of redressing the balance and gave themselves a lifeline four minutes from time, when recent returnee Jan Dillon was left with the simplest of tap-ins after slick build-up play from Cregan and Bateman. They needed just one more to grab the draw that would have given them a 14th consecutive title – and one they arguably deserved after being on top for the second period – but they couldn’t find a way through a determined College rearguard effort.

The students celebrated achieving their primary goal this term – automatic IHL qualification – at the final whistle, but both sides’ focus will now turn to the imminent playoff, in which there are sure to be plenty of twists and turns left in the most engaging women’s title rice in some time. Meanwhile, Munster players played impressive roles in today’s international action, with C of I’s Jonny Bruton and Nick Burns both scoring goals in the green shirt. Midleton College student Burns got Ireland U16’s only goal in a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, while Bruton was on target for Ireland A in a 3-2 defeat to the same nation. There was better luck for the U16 girls, who have C of I’s Amy Kate Trevor plus Institute duo Rebecca Barry and Roisin Upton in their ranks, as they defeated the Belgians 3-2.