Wolfe delivers for the Duffmen

Men’s Division 1 Cork C of I 1 (Simon Wolfe) UCC 0 Once again there was lots of endeavour but no reward for UCC against one of the big two, as they had some of the better chances against C of I but couldn’t score. This had echoes of the 1-0 defeat to Quins and while it proves the students are getting closer, a killer instinct in front of goal is still lacking. They restricted C of I largely to shooting from tight angles, with Kieran Healy repelling all comers. Andy Gray had a drag superbly taken off the line by Derek Hales while Colin Manning, Shrew Power and Fionn O’Leary all failed to convert when well-placed. Green cards were dished out to both sides with Stephen Sweetnam, Wes Brownlow and Ali Smith all spending time in the naughty corner while the game was won in the first half by a moment of magic from Ireland U18 Simon Wolfe, slotting home on the bounce after a free was passed his way. It’s exactly the result C of I wanted as they bid to keep Quins at bay ahead of a couple of crucial showdowns with their great rivals in the coming weeks.

Bandon 0 Cork Harlequins 5 (Darren Farrell 2, David Eakins 2, David Egner) Quins got all their ‘D’s in the right places in the Bandon circle to eke out a win in west Cork that wasn’t without some hairy moments. David Eakins and Darren Farrell had the visitors cruising after 11 minutes but Colin Kingston and Ivor Sweetnam both had good chances for Bandon that went begging. Eakins claimed his second before Farrell tapped in at the back post and David Egner completed the scoring to keep the champions within striking distance of C of I, who they play next weekend. Irish Junior Cup quarter-final Cork C of I 2 (David Treacy, Simon Wolfe) Banbridge 4 (Ross Woods 2, David McAuley, Ross McCandless) An absolute sickener for C of I who somehow contrived to lose this game in extra time despite dominating in the first 70 minutes. David McAuley scored from close range to give Bann the perfect start, before C of I lost experienced midfielder Mark Holmes to a back injury. But C of I always looked threatening through Philip Brownlow and Davy Herbert, and equalised when David Treacy bundled the ball home from close range midway through the half. Simon Wolfe then winged in a reverse to give them a 2-1 half-time lead, teeing up a second period where the hosts laid siege to the Bann goal but found their goalkeeper in inspirational form. But Bann scored a fine counter-attack goal, Ross McCandless 70-metre disguised pass off a quick hit-out finding Ross Woods, who rounded Andy Whittaker and walked the ball into the goal. Brownlow deflected their best chance over the bar in the dying seconds while the Bann keeper also denied Herbert from close range and an Own Chambers reverse, leading to silver goal extra-time. And here, C of I were caught cold. McCandless flicked home a corner for 3-2 and while Bobby McAllister was denied an equaliser, Bann took advantage of another lapse in concentration for Woods to seal it.