UCC complete double with Munster Senior Cup victory over Harlequins

UCC have the domestic double for the first time since the 1993-94 season

Lauren Cripps scored twice for UCC at they beat Harlequins to win the Munster Senior Women's Hockey Cup. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

Munster Senior Women’s Hockey Cup final: UCC 5 Harlequins 3 

UCC completed the domestic double as they won the Munster Senior Women’s Hockey Cup at Garryduff on St Patrick’s Day.

Having already won the league, they completed the domestic double for the first time since the 1993-94 season.

Overall the college outfit were the better side and were deserving winners of an entertaining game.

Credit to Harlequins they made them fight all the way, with a number of their players now heading to Armagh to play with Scoil Mhuire in the Kate Russell All-Ireland tournament.

UCC took the lead from their first attack, when Micaela Sanderson played Lauren Cripps in to score after four minutes.

Quins' first real chance came two minutes later when Yvonne O’Byrne played Joy Sampson in and her effort was well saved by Lucy Nixon.

Quins kept up the pressure and with seven minutes gone they got their first penalty corner, with Sampson’s drag flick being well saved again.

UCC should have gone further ahead 10 minutes in when Sanderson beat several defenders, but she shot straight at Joy O’Kelly, who cleared the danger. Cripps then got UCC's second just before half-time. 

Just two minutes into the second half and UCC stretched their lead further when Jenny McLaughlin got on the end of a good team move, to make it 3-0.

Again, Quins responded with Alex Dale going close for them.

They were back in contention, after 40 minutes, when Dale played Sampson in and she found the back of the net to make it 3-1.

UCC thought they had scored again when Aine Power had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for being too high.

With nothing to lose Quins moved forward with Freya Bateman going close for them, before UCC killed off the game as a contest.

Cripps played a great ball to Nicole Clarke and she gave O’Kelly no chance of saving, to make it 4-1 after 49 minutes.

Quins kept up their efforts with Dale and O’ Byrne going close but they were finding Nixon in top form in the UCC goal as she denied them.

With 61 minutes played the college side went further ahead when Ella Lehane made it 5-1 to secure the double.

Quins kept battling with Sampson getting her second to reduce the deficit and Maya Dullea scoring late on to make it 5-3.

But the college side ran out deserving winners on the day.

Scorers for UCC: Lauren Cripps (2), Jenny McLaughlin, Nicole Clarke, Ella Lehane.

Scorers for Harlequins: Joy Sampson (2), Maya Dullea.

UCC: F Luby, L Nixon, A Power, B O’Shaughnessy, L Cripps M Sanderson, S Murphy, J McLaughlin, E O’Sullivan, E Curran, B O’Farrell, I Lyons, S Nolan, L Hayes, A Nangle, E Lehane, I Martin, N Clarke.

HARLEQUINS: J O’Kelly, S Burke, Y O’Byrne, N Barry, N Sexton, S Moloney, E McAuliffe, M Dullea, R O’Shea, R O’Connell, M Barry, LM Kelleher, J Sampson, A Dale, F Bateman, R Sweetnam, J McCarthy, A O’Shea.

Umpires: Liz Clifford, Joanne Mooney.