Cork Harlequins claimed their 17th women’s Munster Senior League title in 19 seasons with a comprehensive 4-0 dismantling of Catholic Institute at Rosbrien yesterday.
Needing just a point to secure the honours, it was fitting that Rachael Kohler was at the heart of the effort, having only missed one of those title triumphs.
Abby Oakes and Laurene Buckley put the disappointment of Mount Mercy’s senior schoolgirls cup final loss on Friday behind them to net Quins’ first and third goals.
Oakes deflected home a short corner in the first half and Buckley finished off Lesley-Ann Daunt’s good approach work, with Cliodhna Sargent netting a corner in between.
Karen Bateman slid in for number four, again teed up by Daunt, late on as Institute were forced to play on the counter without talismanic forward Naomi Carroll.
The result opens the door for UCC to snatch second place and automatic Irish Hockey League qualification away from Insta, should they avoid defeat in their final league clash at home to fourth-placed Cork C of I.
Elsewhere, UCC strolled into the men’s Munster Senior Cup final with a surprisingly one-sided 7-1 win in Bandon.
Two of the league meetings between these two were drawn with College winning the other by a single goal, but a trio of short corner goals from Andrew Scannell, Fionn O’Leary and Gary Wilkinson plus a Scannell penalty stroke meant this was all but over at half-time.
Greg Chambers crashed one in off both posts, Shrew Power finished a smooth counter-attack and there was also an own goal, while Bandon pulled one back through Munster U18 captain Colin Kingston.
Meanwhile, Ireland U21 captain Nick Burns scored twice but the Cork man’s goals weren’t enough to prevent UCD losing the Mills Cup final 4-2 to Three Rock Rovers. Railway Union broke down a stubborn defensive effort by underdogs Trinity to take the women’s Jacqui Potter Cup decider 2-1.
Saturday will likely be remembered as the day that Munster’s hopes of producing an Irish Hockey League finalist died, with all four teams tasting defeat.
Pegasus squeezed the life out of Cork Harlequins, Suzanne Ferris and Vanessa Surgeoner getting the second-half goals in a 2-0 win that leaves the Munster champions struggling in fifth place in the six-team Pool B.
Loreto and Pegs have put plenty of daylight between themselves and the chasing pack, the former running out 3-1 winners over Ards.
Catholic Institute suffered a second heavy defeat on the trot to Leinster opposition, losing 5-0 at Railway Union.
In the men’s IHL, Cork C of I came flying out of the traps against Monkstown in the clash of the Munster and Leinster champions at Garryduff.
Stephen Sweetnam’s lovely reverse deflection had the hosts in front until Lee Cole equalised from a short corner. It remained nip and tuck until midway through the second half but a flurry of ‘Town goals from Gareth Watkins (2), Peter Caruth and Davy Carson saw them run out slightly flattering 5-1 winners.
Monkstown and Banbridge are all but home and hosed in Pool B, Bann winning 7-2 against Corinthians in what the club’s Twitter account called “a turgid affair” punctuated by cards.
In Pool A, Cork Harlequins did well to quell Lisnagarvey’s threat for long periods at Farmer’s Cross but Timmy Cockram’s pair of goals helped them eventually earn a 3-0 win. Three Rock and Pembroke lead the way in Pool A after one-goal wins over Instonians and Cookstown respectively.
Men
Irish Hockey League, Rd 3
Pool A: Cork Harlequins 0 Lisnagarvey 3 (T Cockram 2, A Williamson); Three Rock Rovers 4 (M Darling 2, P Blakeney 2) Cookstown 3 (R Miller, S Smyth, own goal); Pembroke 3 (A Sothern 3) Instonians 2 (W Robinson, A Coulter)
Standings: 1. Three Rock Rovers 12pts (+13) 2. Pembroke 12pts (+3) 3. Lisnagarvey 8pts (+4) 4. Cookstown 6pts (+4) 5. Instonians 2pts (-4) 6. Cork Harlequins 0pts (-20)
Pool B: Cork C of I 1 (S Sweetnam) Monkstown 5 (G Watkins 2, L Cole, P Caruth, D Carson); Anndale 0 UCD 3 (N Burns, S O’Donoghue, J Duncan); Banbridge 7 (S Dowds 2, O Magee, P Brown, S Magowan, J Moffett, own goal) Corinthian 2 (J Lewis 2)
Standings: 1. Banbridge 12pts (+13) 2. Monkstown 12pts (+13) 3. UCD 4pts (-3) 4. Cork C of I 4pts (-8) 5. Corinthian 3pts (-6) 6. Annadale 2pts (-9)
Men’s Munster Senior Cup semi-final: Bandon 1 (C Kingston) UCC 7 (A Scannell 2, G Wilkinson, F O’Leary, G Chambers, A Power, own goal)
Women
Irish Hockey League, Rd 3
Pool A: Railway Union 5 (E Smyth, J McDonnell, K Lloyd, E Lucey, K Dillon) Catholic Institute 0; Lurgan 1 (K Edgar) Hermes 0; UCD 6 (K Mullan 3, D Duke 2, E Beatty) Greenfields 0
Standings: 1. Railway Union 12pts (+13) 2. UCD 12pts (+14) 3. Lurgan 5pts (-7) 4. Catholic Institute 4pts (-10) 5. Greenfields 4pts (-7) 6. Hermes 3pts (-3)
Pool B: Loreto 3 (J McGirr, N Keegan, R Keegan) Ards 1 (J Vaughan); Pegasus 2 (S Ferris, V Surgeoner) Cork Harlequins 0; Ballymoney 1 (E Kernohan) Old Alex 5 (S Canning 2, S Campbell, H McDermott, S Scott Nielson)
Standings: 1. Pegasus 12pts (+8) 2. Loreto 10pts (+4) 3. Old Alex 6pts (+1) 4. Ards 4pts (0) 5. Cork Harlequins 4pts (-2) 6. Ballymoney 0pts (-11)
Munster Div 1: UCC 4 (A Curran 2, E Dobson, A McGrath) Ashton 0; Catholic Institute 0 Cork Harlequins 4 (A Oakes, C Sargent, L Buckley, K Bateman).
Oakes deflected home a short corner in the first half and Buckley finished off Lesley-Ann Daunt’s good approach work, with Cliodhna Sargent netting a corner in between.
Karen Bateman slid in for number four, again teed up by Daunt, late on as Institute were forced to play on the counter without talismanic forward Naomi Carroll.
The result opens the door for UCC to snatch second place and automatic Irish Hockey League qualification away from Insta, should they avoid defeat in their final league clash at home to fourth-placed Cork C of I.
Elsewhere, UCC strolled into the men’s Munster Senior Cup final with a surprisingly one-sided 7-1 win in Bandon.
Two of the league meetings between these two were drawn with College winning the other by a single goal, but a trio of short corner goals from Andrew Scannell, Fionn O’Leary and Gary Wilkinson plus a Scannell penalty stroke meant this was all but over at half-time.
Greg Chambers crashed one in off both posts, Shrew Power finished a smooth counter-attack and there was also an own goal, while Bandon pulled one back through Munster U18 captain Colin Kingston.
Meanwhile, Ireland U21 captain Nick Burns scored twice but the Cork man’s goals weren’t enough to prevent UCD losing the Mills Cup final 4-2 to Three Rock Rovers. Railway Union broke down a stubborn defensive effort by underdogs Trinity to take the women’s Jacqui Potter Cup decider 2-1.
Saturday will likely be remembered as the day that Munster’s hopes of producing an Irish Hockey League finalist died, with all four teams tasting defeat.
Pegasus squeezed the life out of Cork Harlequins, Suzanne Ferris and Vanessa Surgeoner getting the second-half goals in a 2-0 win that leaves the Munster champions struggling in fifth place in the six-team Pool B.
Loreto and Pegs have put plenty of daylight between themselves and the chasing pack, the former running out 3-1 winners over Ards.
Catholic Institute suffered a second heavy defeat on the trot to Leinster opposition, losing 5-0 at Railway Union.
In the men’s IHL, Cork C of I came flying out of the traps against Monkstown in the clash of the Munster and Leinster champions at Garryduff.
Stephen Sweetnam’s lovely reverse deflection had the hosts in front until Lee Cole equalised from a short corner. It remained nip and tuck until midway through the second half but a flurry of ‘Town goals from Gareth Watkins (2), Peter Caruth and Davy Carson saw them run out slightly flattering 5-1 winners.
Monkstown and Banbridge are all but home and hosed in Pool B, Bann winning 7-2 against Corinthians in what the club’s Twitter account called “a turgid affair” punctuated by cards.
In Pool A, Cork Harlequins did well to quell Lisnagarvey’s threat for long periods at Farmer’s Cross but Timmy Cockram’s pair of goals helped them eventually earn a 3-0 win. Three Rock and Pembroke lead the way in Pool A after one-goal wins over Instonians and Cookstown respectively.
Men
Irish Hockey League, Rd 3
Pool A: Cork Harlequins 0 Lisnagarvey 3 (T Cockram 2, A Williamson); Three Rock Rovers 4 (M Darling 2, P Blakeney 2) Cookstown 3 (R Miller, S Smyth, own goal); Pembroke 3 (A Sothern 3) Instonians 2 (W Robinson, A Coulter)
Standings: 1. Three Rock Rovers 12pts (+13) 2. Pembroke 12pts (+3) 3. Lisnagarvey 8pts (+4) 4. Cookstown 6pts (+4) 5. Instonians 2pts (-4) 6. Cork Harlequins 0pts (-20)
Pool B: Cork C of I 1 (S Sweetnam) Monkstown 5 (G Watkins 2, L Cole, P Caruth, D Carson); Anndale 0 UCD 3 (N Burns, S O’Donoghue, J Duncan); Banbridge 7 (S Dowds 2, O Magee, P Brown, S Magowan, J Moffett, own goal) Corinthian 2 (J Lewis 2)
Standings: 1. Banbridge 12pts (+13) 2. Monkstown 12pts (+13) 3. UCD 4pts (-3) 4. Cork C of I 4pts (-8) 5. Corinthian 3pts (-6) 6. Annadale 2pts (-9)
Men’s Munster Senior Cup semi-final: Bandon 1 (C Kingston) UCC 7 (A Scannell 2, G Wilkinson, F O’Leary, G Chambers, A Power, own goal)
Women
Irish Hockey League, Rd 3
Pool A: Railway Union 5 (E Smyth, J McDonnell, K Lloyd, E Lucey, K Dillon) Catholic Institute 0; Lurgan 1 (K Edgar) Hermes 0; UCD 6 (K Mullan 3, D Duke 2, E Beatty) Greenfields 0
Standings: 1. Railway Union 12pts (+13) 2. UCD 12pts (+14) 3. Lurgan 5pts (-7) 4. Catholic Institute 4pts (-10) 5. Greenfields 4pts (-7) 6. Hermes 3pts (-3)
Pool B: Loreto 3 (J McGirr, N Keegan, R Keegan) Ards 1 (J Vaughan); Pegasus 2 (S Ferris, V Surgeoner) Cork Harlequins 0; Ballymoney 1 (E Kernohan) Old Alex 5 (S Canning 2, S Campbell, H McDermott, S Scott Nielson)
Standings: 1. Pegasus 12pts (+8) 2. Loreto 10pts (+4) 3. Old Alex 6pts (+1) 4. Ards 4pts (0) 5. Cork Harlequins 4pts (-2) 6. Ballymoney 0pts (-11)
Munster Div 1: UCC 4 (A Curran 2, E Dobson, A McGrath) Ashton 0; Catholic Institute 0 Cork Harlequins 4 (A Oakes, C Sargent, L Buckley, K Bateman).