Hockey: Church of Ireland B win Peard Cup

C of I B held their nerve in the closing moments to hold off favourites Bandon.

The Church of Ireland B squad celebrate after winning the Peard Cup final on St Stephen’s Day.

The traditional Peard Cup final took place on St Stephen’s Day at Garryduff, with C of I B facing Bandon.

Bandon went into the contest as slight favourites.

The game started at a slow pace, with defences firmly on top in the opening quarter and few clear chances for either side.

The tempo lifted in the second quarter, and the first real opportunity of the match fell to James Taylor, whose shot drifted wide of the target.

Bandon then enjoyed a spell of sustained pressure, but C of I B defended resolutely to ensure the sides went in level at half-time, 0–0.

The match came to life in the third quarter. Fionn O’Leary went close for Bandon when his reverse-stick effort narrowly missed the far post, before C of I B forced two smart saves from the Bandon goalkeeper at the other end. Midway through the quarter, the deadlock was finally broken.

A C of I B short corner was initially cleared, but during the second phase a shot was blocked on its way to goal, resulting in a penalty stroke.

Veteran Philip Smith stepped up and calmly dispatched the stroke to the goalkeeper’s left.

Five minutes later, C of I B doubled their advantage. A strong run from James Taylor ended with his shot being deflected into the path of Davey Herbert at the back post, who made no mistake in tapping home to make it 2–0.

Bandon pressed hard in the final quarter and were rewarded with five minutes remaining when Ali Smith converted a penalty stroke following a last-ditch, mistimed challenge.

However, C of I B held their nerve in the closing moments to secure a deserved 2–1 victory to claim the Peard Cup.