UL revel in shock Quins raid

As shocks in Munster hockey go, this was more full-blown earthquake than minor tremor. University of Limerick captain Steph Peters had promised her side would be more competitive this term, but she couldn’t possibly have imagined they’d start the campaign with a 2-1 away win over Cork Harlequins. Quins may not be the same force that won 15 consecutive Munster titles and went unbeaten in league action for eight years between 2000 and 2008, but for them to fall on home turf at Farmer’s Cross against a side they thumped 12-0 in the corresponding fixture last season was nothing short of remarkable. UL – a far more organised outfit now George Blackwell has had time to impart his ideas – perhaps had three legitimate opportunities in the game and converted two of them, both finished off adroitly by Sorcha Carey. Conversely, Quins were incredibly wasteful at the other end, culminating in late drama as UL keeper Elaine O’Flynn brilliantly kept out Orlagh Cotter’s injury-time penalty stroke.

The Limerick students had other heroes too; Laura Davis produced one brilliant goal-line reaction clearance and was generally excellent alongside debutant Tara Whisker at the back, before departing early with a facial injury. Laura Peters re-emphasised her value to the side by picking out Carey for her first, while Elaine Breen consistently raided down the right flank to good effect. There are mitigating factors for Stephen Dale’s Quins; missing totems Cliodhna Sargent – on “active rest” from the Irish camp – and injured new skipper Yvonne O’Byrne, they were also trying to bed in a host of new signings. But they won the corner count 8-1 yet scored just once, and will lament the failure of their forwards to find a path to the back post to convert any number of searching balls from Rachel McSharry to that danger zone. Quins started in bullish mood and forced a couple of corners – one of which was taken off the line by Davis via O’Flynn’s pads – while Steph Peters flashed a cross-shot wide at the other end. But such was the hosts’ dominance of possession they were worth a half-time, single-goal lead, coming when McSharry found Leanne Mullins to convert Quins’ trademark switch-left corner move. But UL’s heads didn’t drop, and they levelled it on 45 minutes with a counter-attack goal of real quality. Breen engineered some space on the right and fed Laura Peters, whose cross-field pass found Carey all alone at the top-left of the circle. She swept hard and early to the near post, catching out Quins netminder Vanessa Sargent who seemed to be expecting a cross to the onrushing Steph Peters. UL scrambled a Lesley Ann Daunt effort off the line with Acacia Taylor waiting to pounce as Quins were stung into action, but they amazingly went in front a couple of minutes later, again on the break. Steph Peters bullied her way down the right and won a free 5 metres from the circle while Breen took quickly, squaring to the unmarked Carey who again found a gap at the near post for 2-1. That was the signal for UL to batten down the hatches, and the meagre possession they did collect in the last 20 minutes or so was ruthlessly hoofed downfield by influential debutant Rachelle Nyhan. Quins spurned a number of opportunities before Claire Bergin saw her rebounded effort hit UL postwoman Laura Griffin’s body on the line, having come up off her stick. Cotter stepped up to the flick spot and connected well, but O’Flynn got a boot to the ball low on her stick side to ensure it was the students’ day of days. That left champions Catholic Institute to take full advantage with a 6-0 win away to a depleted Bandon side. Eimear Cregan and Roisin Upton both converted short corners before Cregan added a fine individual effort to put Insta out of sight at 3-0 inside 20 minutes. She added two more – sandwiched by a Kym Daly effort – for a personal haul of four, as Institute gave debuts to three 15-year-olds in Clodagh Moloney, Eimear Ryan and Nicole Power. Elsewhere, Julie O’Sullivan notched a deserved late equaliser for Cork Church of Ireland, who rallied well to claim a 1-1 draw with Ashton, after Caroline McCarthy had rebounded to score the opener. The Garryduff girls bossed the opening exchanges without scoring before Ashton took over, McCarthy hoovering up a rebound off Ciara Randles’ pads. Munster U18 netminder Randles has recently moved to C of I from Ashton but had an excellent game on her debut against her former team-mates, thwarting a number of efforts.

Ashton saw their goalkeeper go off injured with 10 minutes to go before O’Sullivan rapped home a shot from the top of the D, a just reward for a C of I side for whom young defenders Alex O’Grady, Karen Coombes and Gene Hammil coped well with the Ashton offensive unit. The opening three men’s league fixtures were all one-sided, as expected. Andrew Scannell and recent returnee Melvin Beamish both notched a brace as Bandon routed 10-man Catholic Institute 6-1, Ali Smith and David Smith scoring the others before Harry Gleeson’s side notched a late consolation. Alec Moffett bagged a hat-trick in Cork C of I’s 4-0 win over Cork Harlequins B, in which the visitors had stand-out performers in Dickie Barrett and Mark Lombard and regularly took the game to the hosts. Moffett got the better of Karl d’Alton in a one-on-one inside two minutes before slamming home a reverse 16 minutes later. His third was a second-half tap-in, coming after excellent build-up work from David Hobbs and Phil Sweetnam, before new player-coach Hobbs flicked in a corner rebound after new signing Shane O’Donnell’s drag was saved. A young C of I seconds side succumbed 10-0 to champions Cork Harlequins. John Hobbs’ switch-flick began the rout before David Egner finished off an interchange between David Eakins and Phil McLaughlin, before the latter’s flicked finish made it three. Dan Hobbs’ first drag-flick attempt of the season found the backboard and Quins went on to hit five more in the second half, Egner, Hobbs and Eakins completing their doubles while there were also goals for skipper Mark Black and debutant John Sweetnam. Men’s Div 1 Cork Harlequins 10 (D Egner 2, D Eakins 2, J Hobbs 2, M Black, P McLaughlin, J Sweetnam, D Hobbs) Cork C of I B 0; Cork C of I 4 (A Moffett 3, D Hobbs) Cork Harlequins B 0; Bandon 6 (A Scannell 2, M Beamish 2, A Smith, D Smith) Catholic Institute 1 (AN Other). Women’s  Div 1 Cork Harlequins 1 (L Mullins) UL 2 (S Carey 2); Bandon 0 Catholic Institute 6 (E Cregan 4, K Daly, R Upton); Cork C of I 1 (J O’Sullivan) Ashton 1 (C McCarthy).