Mighty Quins dig deep for victory

TYPICAL Irish Senior Cup hockey: heartbreak on one hand, elation on the other. This time the heartbreak – for the second consecutive year – belonged to Cork Church of Ireland, while the elation fell upon Cork Harlequins.

It may have taken extra-time and penalty strokes to separate the two sides in this nervy thriller at Garryduff after they had played out a 1-1 draw, but eventually it was the cup holders who prevailed after a game both coaches admitted was probably destined to end up this way.

Quins’ coach Stephen Dale described it as “an unbelievably tight contest”, and he was not exaggerating. Both teams had plenty of chances and while C of I probably played the better hockey, they were not able to break down their rivals, whose coach Neil Welch conceded that Harlequins “are the Cup holders for a reason.”