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.

Earlier, Ireland U18 hitman Gary Wilkinson starred for favourites Ashton with three goals in two games as they saw off Villiers (2-0) and Bandon Grammar (3-0) with relative ease.

Bandon, inspired by German schemer Julius Händel, held off a late Midleton revival to win their clash 2-1. With Villiers and Midleton playing out a 0-0 draw — Daniel Moore saving Eacrett’s penalty stroke to keep Midleton in it — it went down to the final set of games.

Ashton were wasteful but David Whitaker’s drag-flick finally found a way through Moore’s defences to leave Midleton relying on Bandon to defeat Villiers. Although Eacrett missed another penalty stroke for the Limerick school — dinging the post this time — they earned a deserved draw with Bandon to go through to the 16-team all-island event, to be hosted by Campbell College in Belfast from October 24-26.