Mixed fortunes for Cork sides in IHL openers

Pembroke Wanderers were given a stern test by Cork Harlequins in the opening round of the Irish Hockey League at Serpentine Avenue yesterday, but Alan Sothern’s second-half strike gave the hosts a 2-1 win and all three points.

Quins faced down two of their former stars in twins Conor and David Harte, while former president Frank Gormley, now president at Pembroke, watched from the sideline as a high-tempo game packed with incident unfolded.

Pembroke hit the front on 30 minutes when Irish international defender Tim Lewis deflected home Sothern’s drag-flick, but Quins were level four minutes later when Dan Hobbs beat David Harte with a precise drag.

Quins' Jason Black gets his cross in against Pembroke Wanderers. Picture: Deryck Vincent

Despite being down to nine players at one stage, with both Gordon and Maurice Elliot in the sin-bin, Pembroke went back in front on 45 minutes when Sothern rifled home a drag-flick. They held that lead until the end, though Quins made the journey back to Cork with a bonus point that might prove vital later on.

Cork C of I made hard work of their home tie against Fingal, but their superior fitness told in the second half as they cruised to a 6-2 win.

The visitors took a shock lead on seven minutes when Adrian Sweeney tapped home Eamonn Bane’s cross, but C of I were level within five minutes thanks to a stunning strike from Andy Herbert, who directed a diving reverse home from the edge of the circle.

John Jermyn roofed a drag-flick from a short corner on 24 minutes to give the hosts the lead, but the Airport side weren’t lying down, and they grabbed an equaliser three minutes later in scrappy fashion.

There appeared to be little danger when David Bane was closed down by Adam Pritchard and Andy Chambers close to the goal on the endline. But Bane found a path past ‘keeper Billy Lynch at the near post, and Paddy Gahan was on hand to tap home after the shot rebounded off the upright.

But C of I simply owned the second half, with the visitors clearly out on their feet after their exertions in the first period. David Hobbs scored on 47 minutes after his short-corner push-out was returned to him in a well-worked move, his shot creeping over the line after a deflection off Fingal netminder Nigel Grother.

Jermyn rifled home a second drag on 50 minutes to push his side out to 4-2, before Roger Gray’s neat reverse five minutes later made the game safe.

Quins' John Hobbs (left) celebrates his brother Dan's (right) goal against Pembroke. Former Quins player David Harte (centre) was in goal for Pembroke. Picture: Deryck Vincent

Former HGC hitman Jermyn put the icing on the cake nine minutes from time by completing his hat-trick with a carbon copy of his first two.

C of I had another effort from Alec Moffett ruled out for use of the foot, though Fingal captain Brian Scully earned his second yellow card of the game for protesting the initial decision.

Three Rock Rovers earned a modicum of revenge for their Irish Senior Cup exit at the hands of Monkstown last season, eventually running out 4-2 winners at Grange Road.

The Glenageary outfit looked to have snatched a draw when they reeled in a 2-0 deficit, but late goals form Irish internationals Phelie Maguire and Peter Blakeney gave Rovers the points.

Three Rock hit the front with a superb team goal a minute into the second quarter, despite being down to ten men following Ali Haughton’s unceremonious shove on Gareth Watkins.

Michael Maguire stole the ball on the half-way and finding Darling in acres of space on the left of the circle. He had time to line up a tracer-bullet cross which the sliding Tim Hill added a fine touch.

The doubled their advantage when Blakeney clubbed the ball past the excellent David Fitzgerald, who had blocked Mitch Darling’s reverse.

But Monkstown weren’t dow and out yet, and Alec Barrett got one back from Ian Allen’s excellent pull-back, before Stephen Cole levelled with an incredible deflection.

With the ball slammed in behind his back from a right-wing free, Cole managed to redirect the ball into the net from behind his back.

But Rovers struck two hammer blows in the final four minutes. First, an attempted pass from Maguire was agonisingly deflected past Fitzgerald by a defender’s stick, before a length-of-the-field move finished with Blakeney diving in to direct Darling’s centre to the backboard.

Pembroke players react to a miss by Alan Giles (centre). Picture: Deryck Vincent

Banbridge ousted old rivals Lisnagarvey 2-0 at Havelock Park thanks to strikes in each half from Ross McCandless and Simon Magowan.

The hosts opened their account on 13 minutes when McCandless, one of three brothers in the Bann squad, beat Kevin Lunn with a powerful low drag.

Jason Lynch, Tim Cockram and Mark Raphael all threatened for ‘Garvey throughout, but they couldn’t find an equaliser and Magowan made them pay for having two players off the pitch, puncing on a rebound after Lunn had saved well from Geoff McCabe.

A flurry of corners on both sides in the final minutes failed to trouble the scoreboard, ensuring Bann got their IHL campaign off to the best possible start on home turf.

There was no such luck for Cookstown however, who will consider their 1-1 draw at Instonians a missed opportunity rather than two points gained.

Injusry-hit Inst have had a troubled start to the season in Ulster, with a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Lisnagarvey the nadir, and they started without defensive totem Paddy Browne, hitman Mark Gleghorne and recent recruit Steven Redpath.

Things looked ominous for the hosts when David Ames crashed the ball home on 17 minutes, though the goal drew ultimately fruitless protests from Inst, who believed Ames had used his body in the process.

But Inst didn’t take long to level via a trademark Chris Barnes effort from a short corner, and a frantic final few minutes saw both sides fail to find a winner.

In the women’s IHL, Cork Harlequins withstood a late surge from Ballymoney to claim a hard-earned 1-1 draw at the Joey Dunlop Centre on Saturday.

Quins headed north without talismanic skipper Eimear Cregan, but were nonetheless seeking revenge after a 2-1 home defeat to ‘Money in last season’s Irish Senior Cup.

Munster native Karen Hales celebrates her opening goal against Armagh. Picture: Adrian Boehm

Things didn’t look good when experienced Irish international defender Bridget McKeever fired home a reverse from the top of the circle on 16 minutes, and the hosts dominated the rest of the half as they went for the jugular.

But Amy O’Neill had a superb game for the second week in a row, thwarting a series of efforts from the northerners.

Quins made ‘Money pay – not quite literally – with their sole short corner of the match, McKeever’s Irish defensive colleague Cliodhna Sargent firing past Sammy-Jo Greer for a share of the points.

Cork C of I’s lack of a clinical finisher again looked set to haunt them as they spurned a hatful of chances at home to Randalstown, but Mel Ryan made one effort count to secure a 1-0 win.

Julie O’Sullivan was the guiltiest party for the home side in the first half, dragging the ball wide from point-blank range after her first shot was saved by Emma Teggarty.

Randalstown, whose Irish internationals Shirley McCay, Emma Clarke and Clare Parkhill all sought pastures now over the summer, were barely in the game, but they fashioned a superb chance just before half-time.

Vanessa Surgeoner put Rebecca Winnington one-on-one with C of I netminder Zoe Cremin – who stepped in at short notice after Orla McCarthy was ruled out – but Cremin did superbly to force her wide, and Eimear Connery got back to clear off the line.

Ireland A starlet Rebecca Dallas showed some nice touches for the visitors, but it was largely one-way traffic with C of I forcing nine short corners to Randalstown’s three.

Armagh goalscorer Emma Stewart beats a Pembroke defender. Picture: Adrian Boehm

They finally made one count on 51 minutes, when the ball was worked left to Ryan, whose slap found the bottom corner to give Phil Oakley’s side the points.

Elsewhere, Louisa Moore underlined her importance to Pembroke Wanderers‘ cause when she struck the winner six minutes from time as the Dubliners defeated Armagh 2-1 at Serpentine Avenue.

The northerners were once again without injured Irish internationals Steph Quinn and Amy Stewart, but they had the better of the first half with Amy’s sister Emma to the fore.

But it was the hosts who broke the deadlock on 50 minutes, with Munster native Karen Hales’ deflected effort finding the backboard.

Stewart roofed an equaliser on 63 minutes, but Moore broke the young Armagh side’s hearts 60 seconds later when she rifled home after a one-two with Katherine Duff.