Harlequins Mens Hockey Match Report

C of I (A) 3 - Harlequins (A) 4

(h.t. 2-1)

Munster Senior Cup - Final

Sunday 18th May 2003

Scorers: R. Gash 2, J. Hobbs, D. Eakins

Quins scored a tremendous win over CofI in the MSC final in Garryduff. Quins began the game very slowly & were two goals in arrears after 21 minutes. CofI took the lead from a penalty stroke after six minutes & made it two from play after 21 minutes. Quins began to play with more purpose after these setbacks & created a number of good scoring chances. In the last minute of the half, following a series of short corners, Eaks shot deflected off defender's stick & found the back of the net.

Quins began the second half with real purpose & were on the front foot from the off. The passing was a lot slicker now than earlier & the CofI defence were under a lot of pressure. Quins equalised in the 45th minute with John Hobbs short corner strike finding the bottom corner of the goal. Quins were now playing with great urgency but in the 51st minute CofI broke & scored directly from a short corner. Quins remained very positive & continued to press forward in attack after attack. With six minutes remaining Richard pounced from close range to touch home Eaks cross. This followed a period of sustained pressure when Eaks, David Egner, Richard & Colm Brady all came close to scoring. Two minutes later & following a superb passing movement from defence the ball found its way to Eaks on the left wing. He crashed a superb cross to the circle & the inrushing Richard dived in to smash the ball to the net. The winning goal was a fitting end to an excellent game of hockey.

W. Bateman, J. Hobbs, P. Chambers, M. Pedersen, C. Brady, E. Gash, J. Black, S. Nicholson, D. Eakins, R. Gash, P. McLaughlin, D. Egner, B. Hayes Curtin, D. Lombard, R. Hobbs, N. Bryan

Irish Examiner - Monday, 19th May 2003

Gash strikes to win cup for Quins

Cork Harlequins 4 Cork Church of Ireland 3

By Tim O'Brien

NO DISGUISING the delight on the faces of Cork Harlequins players and supporters at Garryduff yesterday as the club scored a thrilling victory in the Dawson Travel sponsored Munster Mens Senior Hockey Cup final. The win, in a splendidly contested decider against great rivals Cork Church of Ireland, marked a hat-trick of Cup successes but, more importantly, Quins had put one over on the newly crowned national club championship winners.

The game was special in that it pitted the club champions of last season against the 2003 winners and no fewer than eight current internationals paraded their skills in an absorbing tie.

Church of Ireland, chasing a Munster League and Cup double, looked likely to achieve their target when they gained a 2-0 lead after 21 minutes. John Jermyn had given them the lead in the 6th minute with a penalty stroke conversion and Alastair Dunne hit the second following some magical play by Andy Chambers, Philip Smith and Jermyn.

Harlequins had more of the play after this but failed to make a few chances pay. That was until the very last minute of the half when the always threatening David Eakins struck for what was to prove a crucial goal.

It provided Quins with the launching pad for a renewed assault on the opposition in the second half. And they grabbed the opportunity in style with a deserved equaliser in the 45th minute when John Hobbs somehow squeezed the ball under the pads of goalkeeper Mark Ruddle following another penalty corner.

Harlequins were now playing with more urgency but they were rocked by a C of I goal in the 51st min when Alastair Dunne used all his experience to win a penalty corner and ace scorer Jermyn applied the finishing touch yet again.

The Farmers Cross side then forced two penalty corners before Richard Gash applied the finishing touch to an Eakins cross to square matters once again.

With four minutes remaining, Eakins' pinpoint cross was smashed to the net in spectacular style by Gash.

Gash's brilliant strike proved the winner in a game made all the more enjoyable by the umpiring of Ulster officials Craig Porter and Warren McCully.

CORK HARLEQUINS: W Bateman, M Pedersen, J Hobbs, P Chambers, S Nicholson, D Eakins, J Black, R Gash, E Gash, P McLaughlin, C Brady, D Egner, R Hobbs, B Hayes Curtin, D Lombard, N Bryan.

CORK CHURCH OF IRELAND: M Ruddle, K Burns, P Smith, D Hales, R Dorman, A Chambers, R Arnopp, A Dunne, J Jermyn, N Buttimer, D Hobbs, J Bruton, S Parker, A Moffatt, S Deane, A Whittaker.

Umpires: C Porter and W McCully (Ulster Branch); Technical Officer: J Rose (Munster Branch)