Villiers do just enough

Villiers School are back in the hockey big time after qualifying for the All-Ireland Schoolboys Championships, for the first time since 2005, at Garryduff yesterday.

Aside from competing as hosts in 2008, the Limerick school had just once qualified for Irish schoolboys hockey’s blue riband event this century, in 2002.

But they twice pegged back Bandon Grammar as goals from Nathan Eacrett and Jonny Powell helped them to a 2-2 draw that sent both sides through, along with Ashton, who completed a clean sweep of the four-team Munster qualifier by edging 2010 All-Ireland semi-finalists Midleton College 1-0.