Harlequins Ladies Hockey Match Report

Harlequins (A) 2 - Bandon (A) 1

AIB Bank Munster Senior Cup

Monday 18th March 2002

Harlequins make it six titles in-a-row against battling Bandon - 19th March 2002 - Irish Examiner
By Tim O’Brien

Fancied Cork Harlequins were made fight all the way by Bandon when making it a six in-a-row of AIB Bank Munster Ladies Senior Hockey Cup titles at Harlequins Park yesterday.

In pre-match speculation, many had felt that Quins superior power and experience would easily win the day but Bandon, chasing their first success at this level, had other ideas and, taking the game to the champions from the start, they won the admiration of all neutrals.

Certainly, the West Cork team were the more impressive side in the opening ten minutes and would not have been flattered by a lead goal as Carol Welch, Alison O’Mahony and Jane O’Higgins were involved in moves that stretched the Quins defence. A few other scoring opportunities also presented themselves and Bandon were left to rue as Harlequins settled and never allowed them the same latitude again until the final minutes when they were two goals clear.

The opening goal came in the 23rd minute after a good Harlequins spell which saw international Rachel Kohler very much to the fore. The holders forced their first penalty corner and, unfortunately from a Bandon viewpoint, Joyce Kehelly’s great drive was deflected to the net by a defender.

Quins stepped up a gear after this and Bandon goalkeeper Amalia Scannell did well to foil the impressive Eimear Dillon and another Kehelly piledriver was stopped by Thelma Kingston. The Bandon play was a little ragged and they conceded five more penalty corners before half-time but heroic defending deprived the opposition of a second goal.

On the resumption, Scannell was by far the busier of the two keepers and she did particularly well to thwart Orla Canavan, Marissa Ahern and Elaine Bromell in goal attempts.

Harlequins were playing their best hockey at this point but, despite the concession of three more penalty corners, the Bandon defence held firm until the 59th minute when they fell two goals in arrears. A well taken score it was too, as Sarah Canning, Aoife Falvey, Aoife McCarthy and Rachel Kohler set up Jane Chapple and her reverse flick left the Bandon keeper stranded. However, Bandon pushed forward with a new sense of purpose and they deservedly reduced the margin to a single goal with just eight minutes remaining.

Caroline McHugh played a great ball out of defence to Sarah Kingston and interpassing between Karen Barry and Laura Crowley set Lisa Geary free and her brilliant drive beat keeper Yvonne Kenny.

Bandon were now in full cry in search of an equaliser and Harlequins fans hearts must have fluttered a little in the hectic final minutes as the West Cork team forced two penalty corners - their first of the match - but the champions defied the best that Liz Buttimer, Ruth Kingston and Emer Harte could produce and weathered the storm.

CORK HARLEQUINS: Y Kenny, J Kehelly, A Falvey, S Canning, E Dillon, R Kohler, J Barry, H Costello, O Canavan, A McCarthy, E Bromell, M Ahern, J Chapple, F Higgins, A O’Neill, D Daly.

BANDON: A Scannell, L Buttimer, C Collins, L Geary, T Kingston, A O’Mahony, C Welch, R Kingston, E Harte, K Barry, J O’Higgins, S Kingston, L Crowley, O Jagoe, E Kenneally, C Beamish.

Umpires: M Power and Z Howe.