Lena Tice earns dramatic win for UCD

UCD claimed the women’s EY Hockey League in dramatic fashion as Lena Tice struck two penalty corners to inflict a first defeat of the league season on Hermes-Monkstown, leap-frogging their Dublin rivals on the final day of the campaign.

Multi-talented Tice, the second youngest senior international in cricket history after an Ireland debut at 13, followed by a first senior Ireland hockey cap at 17, blasted home two short corner power slaps to cancel out Nikki Evans’ opener. The result earns them a European spot and was their second title in six days, adding to the Irish Senior Cup won after a 1-0 win over Cork Harlequins.

It marks UCD as number one seeds for the EY Champions Trophy play-offs and they will play fourth seed Loreto in the semi-final on April 29. Hermes-Monkstown, meanwhile, will face Cork Harlequins - who lost a low-key tie 1-0 to Railway Union - in their semi-final as they bid to retain that national title.

Five goals from Ireland U18 starlet Sarah Torrans saw Loreto condemn Belfast Harlequins to the promotion-relegation playoff after a 5-1 win.

The men’s EY Hockey League will go down to the last day as Banbridge and Three Rock Rovers ended the weekend level on 42 points. Bann concluded a tiring week with four points from the weekend, adding to a 3-0 win over Lisnagarvey in midweek with a hard-fought 3-2 win over UCD and a 1-1 draw with Glenanne. It meant that Three Rock’s 3-0 win at Cork C of I put them level with Bann on 42 points, while denting the Garryduff men’s play-off hopes.

C of I recovered to claim the Munster Senior Cup with a 4-0 success over Bandon. Conor Robinson’s heroics between the sticks for the Munster champions couldn’t stop C of I from scoring a pair in each half. Annadale won the f EY Provincial Play-offs series with wins over Clontarf, YMCA, Belfast Harlequins and Cork Harlequins to progress to the second phase of the promotion series.

In the women’s EY Provincial Play-offs, Old Alex progressed at the expense of Muckross after a 2-2 draw in the final game. Cork C of I ended with a win and a draw from their four games, ending on a high note with goals from Munster U16 captain Rebecca Kingston and a second of the weekend for Aoife Collins to edge Ballymoney 2-1.