Hook Hockey

Double ISC semi-final date for Railway Union

The Railway express keeps rumbling on as both their men and women produced the most eye-catching results – though vastly different in manner – of the quarter-final stages of the Irish Senior Cup.

On the men’s side, what goes around often comes back around and that is what Glenanne were forced to endure a week after trouncing Banbridge 4-0 in the IHL.

They did hold a vast amount of possession at Park Avenue but Railway’s incredibly clinical manner meant they came out on the wrong-end of a 3-0 defeat.

Such a state of affairs was typified when Rob Abbott guided home the only goal of the first half. The Glens saw the first of eight corners on the day go awry with Mark English picking up play on the left and he found Karl Chapple who crossed for the former Clontarf man to finished off his 21st of the campaign.

It was a goal produced at blistering pace, a marked difference to the Tallaght side who were unable to unlock Kenny Carroll’s defence, the Irish international making a string of interventions from sweeper, while Ravin Nair was on hand to mop up a number of other dangerous situations.

Jeremy Duncan, meanwhile, and his delicate skills were a constant threat and the hosts were two up early in the second half as Peter English roofed a drag-flick. Another counter saw Abbott’s shot rebound waist-high off Gareth Carragher and while Eoin MacArthur laid on an open goal for Railway, play was brought back for a corner.

No matter, the push-out went off course but stopper Carroll returned the ball with interest and MacArthur nipped in front of the keeper to deflect in. From there, the Glens toiled hard and started to finally forge clear chances but Nair got the touch to deny David Keogh’s pull-back to find a touch while Eddie O’Malley and Paul Fitzpatrick’s over-eagerness to get their side back in the game saw them collide with a close-range scoop going over the bar as a result.

But there was no denying Railway a deserved first semi-final place in 15 years, going on to face competition royalty in the form of Lisnagarvey. They got the better of Pembroke 3-0 as they overcame a scoreless first half to get in the box seat 45 minutes in via Timmy Cockram and Greg Thompson closed out the result.

There was heartache for NICS at Stormont as Julian Lewis nicked in 45 seconds from time to put Instonians into the final four and they will face another relative surprise package Cork Harlequins who put an abrupt end to Banbridge’s season as their rocky April concluded with a 2-1 loss.

Colin Ross got the winner from a lightning quick break from a Bann corner after David Lombard and Peter Brown cancelled each other out.

Dave Eakins created the Quins’ effort which the experienced Lombard did well to reel in and finish on his reverse. Brown’s effort was created by the build-up work of Scott Forbes and Bruce McCandless to set up the game nicely.

Chris Daunt and Gareth Lennox both picked off excellent saves but Ross was the man to grab the winning goal as the 2006 champions have their eye on a second title at Belfield in a fortnight’s time.

In the women’s competition, Anna O’Flanagan was the heroine for UCD as they got their quest for a treble alive, ousting the major threat of Pegasus at Belfield, repeating their 2009 victory over the Ulster queen-pins. Nicola Gray’s straight hit put the students in front at half-time only for Natalie Pinkerton to level matters at the break.

A tight second half saw both sides have chances to take the game but Chloe Watkins’ ball in found O’Flanagan to steal the day. If they are to claim the ultimate prize, though, they have a mighty challenge in front of them, facing a Railway Union side who found their goal-scoring touch in a big way.

None more so than Zara Delany who brought her season’s tally to 15 with four strikes in the 9-0 victory at Armagh. There was six in it at half-time as Delany netted half her tally with Cecelia Joyce also on the mark twice.

Loreto made it three Leinster sides in the semis with another emphatic victory, racing past Old Alex 5-0 with Nicci Daly and Cathy McKean contributing to a 3-0 half-time lead. They will play Queen’s University in the semi-finals after Julie Allison trickled home the only goal of the tie with Trinity at Griffeen Valley Park.

In what proved to be Jessie Elliott’s final game between the Trin posts, she saved Claire Buchanan’s penalty stroke in the 45th minute to provide the Dubliners with a big morale boost and they duly drew some top saves from Ashley McIlroy.

She had already done well to keep out Kylie Deverall while Eanna Horan laid on a good chance for Alice Ward – just returned from North Carolina where she was on Erasmus – but she could only clip the outside of the post.

But Queen’s, with Hannah McMillan to the fore, took the initiative in the closing stages with plenty of pressure. Allison got the crucial incision, making her way by a few defenders to go one-on-one with Elliott and while the keeper got a decent pad to the shot, the ball slipped just over the line.

Along with the keeper, it could well be the last game for players such as Rachel Scott, Ailbhe Coyle, Katie O’Byrne, Maebh Horan and Nadia Douglas in Trinity colours while Queen’s progress to the final four.

Men’s Irish Senior Cup, quarter-finals: Railway Union 3 (Rob Abbott, Eoin MacArthur, Peter English) Glenanne 0; Lisnagarvey 3 (Timmy Cockram, Greg Thompson, Steven Arbuthnot) Pembroke 0; Cork Harlequins 2 (David Lombard, Colin Ross) Banbridge 1 (Peter Brown); NICS 0 Instonians 1 (Julian Lewis)

Semi Final draw (May 12, Belfield): Railway Union  v Lisnagarvey; Instonians v Cork Harlequins

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Electric Ireland Irish Senior Cup, quarter-finals: UCD 2 (Nicola Gray, Anna O’Flanagan) Pegasus 1 (Natalie Pinkerton); Old Alex 0 Loreto 5 (Nicci Daly, Cathy McKean 2, Nikki Symmons, Sarah Clarke); Armagh 0 Railway Union 9 (Zara Delany 4, Jean McDonnell 2, Cecelia Joyce 2, Kate Dillon); Trinity 0 Queen’s University 1 (Julie Allison)
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Semi Final draw (May 12, Belfield): UCD v Railway Union; Queen’s vs Loreto