Valiant Villiers back in the big time

Villiers School qualified for the All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships for the first time since 2005 on a dramatic afternoon at Garryduff yesterday. Aside from competing as hosts in 2008, the Limerick school had just once qualified for Irish schoolboys hockey’s blue riband event this century, in 2002. Ashton won the tournament, reduced to four teams this year as Waterford’s Newtown School chose not to compete, with maximum points and without conceding a goal. Bandon Grammar went through in second by virtue of their victory over 2010 All-Ireland semi-finalists Midleton College, who will miss out this time round, with Villiers in third. See our game-by-game reports below for full information.

Bandon Grammar 2 (Julius Händel, Philip Peters) Midleton College 1 (Alan Sheehy) Bandon Grammar almost contrived to make a mess of this, having seemed to be coasting to a comfortable win. German schemer Julius Händel rode a couple of tackles and rounded Dan Moore before reversing home for a fine opener, before Philip Peters flicked home from a short corner breakdown in the second half. John Dennis and Darren Platts’ troops seemed to be winding down when Munster U16 panellist Alan Sheehy smacked home a short corner that suddenly put Midleton back in the game, with Alex Burns and Owen Chambers beginning to rule midfield. Bandon had to weather another Midleton corner but just about held on to take what would prove to be a vital three points. Ashton School 2 (Gary Wilkinson, Peter Daunt) Villiers School 0 All too easy for Ashton, who could afford to miss a hatful of chances in a game mostly played in the Villiers half. Gary Wilkinson converted a corner and Peter Daunt was on target from play with the North Circular Road school limited to the odd counter-attack. David Hobbs’ boys dinged the post and forced some saved from Jack Kearney in the Villiers goal but couldn’t add to their haul in a goalless second half.

Ashton School 3 (Gary Wilkinson 2, Richard Sweetnam) Bandon Grammar 0 A youthful Bandon side were out-thought and out-fought by an Ashton outfit now beginning to find top gear in game two. Peter Coulter batted away Colin Kingston’s drag from an early Bandon corner but that was as good as it got for them. Ashton never looked back after Wilkinson pivoted and rolled home after Mighty Okafor had repelled David Whitaker’s drag and a stinging Simon Wolfe reverse off Ashton’s first set-piece. Richard Sweetnam swept home their second from a second-half set-piece before Wilkinson made sure with his third in two games to confirm Ashton’s place in the Irish Schools showpiece event. Villiers School 0 Midleton College 0 These two cancelled each other out in a result that favoured Villiers as they had the easier final game on paper against BGS. The key incident saw Dan Moore produce an excellent low stick save to keep out Nathan Eacrett’s penalty stroke and keep Midleton’s chances alive going into the final set of games. Bandon Grammar 2 (Stuart Miller, Julius Händel) Villiers School 2 (Nathan Eacrett, Jonny Powell) Easily the day’s most entertaining game as the fascinating sub-plots and tired legs contrived to produce an incredibly open encounter. Bandon hit the front when a switched corner saw Stuart Miller find the net via a big deflection from a runner’s stick, before Nathan Eacrett equalising in controversial fashion, Bandon claiming in vain that the former Munster U18 man had sent the ball goalward with his foot.

Villiers spurned a couple of great chances as Bandon looking shaky defensively, but Julius Händel put them back in front before half-time with a virtuoso strike, catching the Villiers defence napping with a quick sideline 40 metres out and a one-two with Ricky McMahon, before slamming home across Jack Kearney. Kearney was alert to bat away Mark Kingston’s deflection while skipper Ian Gibson did well to take Colin Kingston’s drag off the line at chest height as Bandon pressed on in the second half. But Villiers hit back with a sucker punch, a bouncy through ball from David Cardy half-volleyed to the net by in-form striker Jonny Powell. A superb team move down the right found Powell unmarked again five metres out minutes later, but Okafor made a fine reaction save to deny him. Okafor then felled Eacrett in a one-on-one for a Villiers penalty stroke, but the latter’s miserable luck from the flick spot continued as he sent the keeper the wrong way but hit the post. It mattered little in the end as a 2-2 draw would prove enough to send both sides through. Ashton School 1 (David Whitaker) Midleton College 0 Once again this was all Ashton, and once again they should have put the game out of sight, but in the end had to rely on David Whitaker’s drag-flick to get them the three points. That they were already through and unlikely to be toppled as Munster’s top seeds may have played a part, especially given they were up against a Midleton outfit determine to keep their goal intact to give themselves a fighting chance at progressing.

Following a scoreless first half, centre-back Whitaker dragged through Moore’s defences early in the second period for what proved to be the decisive strike. Midleton’s players slumped to the turf in tears as the celebrations of the handful of Villiers players who had ran up from the main pitch after their own game – which finished minutes beforehand – told them everything they needed to know; their efforts hadn’t been enough to advance. Final standings (goal difference): 1 Ashton 9pts (+6); 2 Bandon Grammar 4pts (-2); 3 Villiers 2pts (-2); 4 Midleton 1pt (-2). Ashton, Bandon Grammar and Villiers qualify for All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships in Belfast on October 24-26. For the full set of pictures from the tournament, click here.