Hook Hockey

Town celebrate two more Leinster Cups

Monkstown fourths won the men’s Intermediate cup in a pulsating end-to-end game of attacking hockey against St James’s Gate last Saturday in Serpentine Avenue.

The Town built a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes only to be pegged back but ultimately managed to run up a 5-4 victory.
Teenage starlet Lee Cole – a recent debutant for their injury-hit first team – weighed in with a hat-trick while Andrew Gaw and Jack Doran also notched goals.

The side blended the youth of the likes of Cole, Gavin Browne, Aran Rooney, Angus Pickering, Oisin and Shane O’Halloran and the Edwards’ twins along with the experience of Dave Adams with Sam Farrar managing the side.

It was one of two trophies that the club would lift over the weekend as the Monkstown ladies completed a league and cup double with Clare Hearnden once again starring in the Rathdown side’s victory in the Division 7/8 Cup, getting the better of Railway Union IV at Grange Road on Sunday.

Also at Serpentine Avenue on Saturday, St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park II annexed the Junior Challenge Cup.

On Sunday, meanwhile, Loreto IV and Clontarf II went the distance in a dramatic Division 7/8 Cup final which the Beaufort side edged in the second period of silver-goal extra-time. They took the lead early on with the Clontarf goalkeeper Michelle Ryan picking up a nasty injury in the process.

But the northside club got back on terms when Andy Kavanagh struck home a sweet penalty corner in the second half for 1-1 and her side had a chance to repeat the trick on the final whistle.

That corner went unconverted, sending the tie into overtime before Loreto grabbed the winner in the second period. Tarf took off their keeper in a bid to snatch an equaliser but to no avail.

In the day’s other final, YMCA II added to their promotion from Division 12 with victory over Navan II in the Division 11/12 Cup.

** Deryck Vincent’s photos from Loreto IV vs Clontarf II in the Division 5/6 Cup final, can be seen here

Men’s Leinster Cup finals
Intermediate Cup: Monkstown 5 St James Gate 4
Junior Challenge Cup: St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park 2 Athy 0

Women’s Leinster Divisional finals:
Division 5/6 Cup: Loreto IV 2 Clontarf 1, after extra time
Division 7/8 Cup: Monkstown beat Railway Union IV
Division 11/12 Cup: YMCA II beat Navan II