Cookstown win a cracker and extend Monkstown’s cup wait

MONKSTOWN’S wait for a men’s Irish Senior Cup title will stretch into a 98th year after they were beaten 4-3 by Cookstown in a stunning final at Belfield yesterday.

It ends a 25-year drought for the Co Tyrone side, who also laid to rest the ghosts of the 2009 final, when they were humbled 6-0 by Pembroke Wanderers.

The game is likely to be remembered as the day Ian Sloan came of age on the national stage. The prodigious 17-year-old talent converted both of Cookstown’s corners and proved the game’s match-winner.

Gareth Cuddy and Gareth Allen had both stolen in early on to give Cookstown a priceless 2-0 lead, only for Andy Ward’s brilliant deflection and Andy Ewington’s bullet drag-flick to wipe out that advantage.

A breathless first half ended with Sloan dragging through David Fitzgerald’s stick-side for 3-2, before doing so again seven minutes from the end.

Ewington miscued a drag but foiled Ian Hughes for a Monkstown lifeline with just under three minutes to go. However, the Cookstown defence — inspired by Ewan Butler — held firm.

Pegasus’ old guard once again produced the goods to give them a third Irish Senior Cup in five years, as they saw off Hermes 3-1 at Belfield.

Pegs’ veteran striker Suzanne Beaney forced the ball home for a deserved opener, before Arlene Boyles lashed home a second. Lisa Jacob’s flicked finish kept Hermes in it but Beaney batted home another late on.

Elsewhere, Cork Harlequins are Munster men’s league champions for the first time since 2006, after completing a double over Cork Church of Ireland with a 3-2 win at Garryduff.

All the goals came in the second-half, with the game hinging on two yellow cards for C of I’s David Hobbs and Adam O’Callaghan.

David Eakins dispatched a penalty stroke in Hobbs’ absence but Nigel Buttimer equalised from an acute angle.

Dan Hobbs’ drag-flick restored the Quins lead only for Stephen Sweetnam to net a second leveller. But with O’Callaghan in the bin, C of I — who failed to convert nine penalty corners — were left exposed at the back and David Lombard finished off a swift counter-attack on his reverse to win it in the dying minutes.

C of I recovered well to defeat a resolute UCC 5-2 at the Mardyke 24 hours later, killing off the students’ hopes of an Irish Hockey League wildcard playoff berth in the process.

Stephen Sweetnam dragged them in front before College skipper Andy Gray and David Hobbs swapped penalty strokes to leave C of I 2-1 up at the break.

Alec Moffett’s powerful reverse gave C of I more breathing space but Graham Catchpole produced a copycat effort to put College back in it at 3-2, before controversy reigned.

Hobbs lashed in a strike which College vehemently protested had been hit from outside the scoring circle, leading to skipper Andy Gray’s sin-binning for repeated dissent.

The goal stood, and when Roger Gray’s challenge on Philip Sweetnam seconds later brought the ire of C of I, Stephen Sweetnam and UCC’s Nathan Gokul were both shown yellow for their part in an ensuing ugly fracas involving multiple players. C of I took advantage of the numerical supremacy to kill the game off late on through Stuart O’Grady.

The result means Bandon will represent Munster in the wildcard play-off for the fourth year in-a-row irrespective of the outcome of their final league clash with Quins.

College finish their campaign at C of I B on Friday night, having beaten them 4-1 at home on Saturday, Fionn O’Leary claiming a brace. Elsewhere, Ashton claimed the Division One women’s plate with a 2-1 victory over Bandon.

* Highlights of both Irish Senior Cup finals will be screened on RTÉ Two tonight at 8pm.