Gunslinger Glens shoot down C of I

Cork C of I were spectacularly outgunned by Glenanne in a worryingly one-sided Irish Hockey League encounter at Garryduff today, going down to a 4-1 defeat that leaves their semi-final qualification hopes hanging by a thread.

C of I's Nick Burns charges away from Glenanne's Stephen Butler. Picture: Adrian Boehm

The Tallaght outfit were three goals to the good and out of sight by the end of the first quarter, as the hosts simply couldn’t live with their superior speed of thought and movement.

C of I coach Stephen Jackson nonetheless remains philosophical, knowing that half his side is still under 21, and they will learn from days like this.

While recent international retirees Stephen Butler and Graham Shaw commanded most of the pre-match attention, it was some of Glens’ lesser lights who hogged the headlines.

Gary Shaw has been in ruthless form of late – his last-quarter hat-trick helped Glens come back from the dead in the ISC against Corinthian seven days ago – and he gladly took on the role of torturer-in-chief for the visitors.

He picked out Mick McGuinness with a bullet cross that took out C of I keeper Billy Lynch on three minutes – the former Fingal man having plenty of time to trap and score into an exposed goal.

Brendan Parsons then made hay from a quick free on the left to set Eddie O’Malley free on nine minutes, and the striker forced the ball home at the second attempt.

C of I knew they had to score next to stand any chance of keeping the contest alive, but John Jermyn saw his first short corner attempt partially blocked by Joe Brennan, while Stephen Doran kept out a David Hobbs snap-shot.

Lynch made a truly stunning stick-save at the other end, keeping out a Paul Fitzpatrick thunderbolt, but he agonisingly then saw Butler’s 17th-minute drag-flick wriggle under him and over the line for three-zip.

Quins' Paul Lombard flicks home the winner past Monkstown's Andy Ewington and Eoin O'Connor, as David Lombard collides with the fence after supplying the assist. Picture: Adrian Boehm

O’Malley nudged a reverse lob just wide after tricking his way into the circle as Glens initially went for the jugular, while Doran matched Lynch’s stick-save heroics with an unbelievable stop to deny Jermyn.

Graham Shaw and Nick Burns both saw green, before Parsons rattled home Glenanne’s fourth on 30 minutes, finding the bottom corner after lovely interplay by David Keogh and Gary Shaw.

Lynch made yet another brilliant block, denying Gary Shaw’s rocket, though the latter really should have picked out Parsons, who was all alone at the back post and braying for the ball, instead.

The second half saw much less in the way of action, as Glens sat back knowing the job was all but done. Worryingly for C of I, David Hobbs was helped off with an ankle injury in the third quarter, and looked to be in some distress – it remains to be seen how serious the problem is.

The hosts did finally plunder a consolation in the 58th minute – an improvised 1-2 short corner move between Jermyn and Karl Burns eventually seeing Nick Burns slot home – but they never looked like getting a second, which would have denied Glens a bonus point.

With Lisnagarvey amazingly smashing seven past Three Rock Rovers without reply – including four Timmy Cockram drag-flicks -  and Cookstown getting the better of Annadale 3-1, C of I now need to beat ‘Garvey and Cookstown and hope for other results to go their way.

There was better news in the other pool for Cork Harlequins, who got themselves on the board in the IHL by coming from two goals down to defeat Monkstown 3-2 at Harlequin Park.

C of I's Andy Herbert tackles Glenanne's Graham Shaw. Picture: Adrian Boehm

Quins will be hoping this win proves to be something of a watershed, having endured a miserable campaign on the national front so far this term.

The meeting of two sides renowned for not making life easy for themselves was always going to produce some goals and fireworks, even if neither are likely to be challenging at the business end of the competition.

The visitors played plenty of pretty hockey and found space at will, but as has become a hallmark of theirs, also left gaps at the back too often.

Monkstown hit the front on six minutes as Andy Ewington roofed a drag-flick, and they had the better of the early chances, the livewire Frank Ryan rifling a reverse straight at Reinout Mensink from 10 yards after doing well to create space.

But they did eventually find a second in the 27th minute, when a searching long ball found skipper Gareth Watkins, and he fed Alec Barrett, who fired over the grounded Mensink from close range after his first effort was blocked.

‘Town appeared to be cruising as the break approached, but a flurry of corners amazingly helped Quins draw level with two goals in four minutes.

Glenanne's Jonathan Kane dives in to tackle C of I's David Hobbs. Picture: Adrian Boehm

The frustration of seeing Darren Farrell’s goal ruled out as the whistle was blown for a corner a second a moment before evaporated as Dan Hobbs zinged his drag-flick just inside David Fitzgerald’s right-hand post.

And after the half-time hooter, Mark Black touching in another Hobbs drag to send Quins into the break in chipper form.

The hosts came out far stronger in the second half, with David Egner and Paul Lombard cleverly creating space while Eddie Dore’s pace caused all sorts of problems.

The best chance of the half fell to Watkins though, as his side were awarded a 50th-minute penalty stroke after a Quins defender had stick-chopped Barrett as he shaped to fire a rebound into an open goal.

But Mensink guessed right and got down brilliantly to his right to deny Watkins from the flick spot, and Quins nearly made them pay seven minutes later, Egner deflecting narrowly wide off a John Hobbs switch-flick.

The winner did eventually arrive on 60 minutes; Ewington attempted a no-look pass to sweeper Nick Dee, only to play the ball straight to Dore.

The Kilkenny man turned Runar O’Moore inside out before finding David Lombard, who drew Fitzgerald before squaring for Paul Lombard to flick home.

Monkstown pressed for an equaliser, and saw their case helped by Farrell, who was needlessly yellow-carded for verbals after being initially pinged for not retreating five metres.

Quins' Eddie Dore gets a tackle in on Monkstown's Stephen Cole. Picture: Adrian Boehm

But Monkstown’s composure deserted them as they resorted to hopeful crash balls, which Quins’ 10 men comfortably dealt with.

Meanwhile, strikes from Amir Khan, Nathan Eacrett and Llewellyn Mooney sent Limerick into the final of the men’s Irish Hockey Challenge, as they comfortably dispatched Larne 3-0 at Villiers.

Limerick’s chances of going all the way received a major boost as the competition favourites, Campbellians, withdrew from the tournament in controversial circumstances.

Their semi-final opponents, St Brendan’s, insisted on playing the tie on their grass pitch at Phoenix Park. There are no regulations for IHA competitions which state a minimum stanard or type of surface, but Campbellians objected nonetheless, and gave the Dubliners a walkover.

It means Brendan’s – who feature Gaelic Players Association figurehead and former Dublin intercounty footballer Dessie Farrell among their ranks – will now contest their first national decider since 1974.

A huge thanks to Adrian Boehm, who drove from Dublin to photograph the Quins/C of I games in Cork. The full sets of his pictures from both games will on the Flickr site tomorrow (Sunday).