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Bonus point win for Glens |
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Glens win in Cork in IHL
This is the report on the Findlater blog of the second round IHL game Cork Harlequins 1 (Dan Hobbs) Glenanne 4 (Stephen Butler 2, Enda Tucker, Gary Shaw)Glenanne lie well out in front of Group A as Cork Harlequins chances of making the semi-finals lie in tatters after a second straight loss at the hands of Leinster opposition. The game was evenly poised until midway through after Stephen Butler and Dan Hobbs had exchanged first half corners. In a niggly game, Graham Shaw and David Lombard were both sent to the bin while both sides raised issues with the technical bench but it was the Glens who gained the upper hand on the pitch. They enjoyed a 15-minute purple patch in the second half as Butler roofed a second drag-flick. Another Butler corner was saved by Chris Daunt but ex-Weston man Enda Tucker was on target with the rebound with a bonus point in the offing with 15 minutes to go. And Gary Shaw obliged with the game's only field goal, receiving a ball from the left flank, drew Daunt out of the goal, went halfway around him before rolling in a reverse. With both other games abandoned because of the frost, the Glens have given themselves the best chance of progressing. And it was interesting to see how the Munster blog previewed the match November 27, 2008 at 5:36 pm (News) (irish hockey league) Cork Harlequins resume an often-fractious recent rivalry with Glenanne tomorrow when the Dubliners visit Harlequin Park for a vital Irish Hockey League Pool A encounter.Clashes between these two in recent seasons have yielded plenty of entertainment, with 13 goals coming in their past two meetings.But there’s unlikely to be a shortage of needle either, dating back to an ill-tempered Irish Senior Cup semi-final encounter at the same venue two seasons ago.John Hobbs (left) is set to wear the captain's armband for Quins in the absence of Paul Lombard, who is suspended. Picture: Adrian BoehmGlens came back from 3-1 down to win that day, prompting then-skipper John Goulding to confidently proclaim that his side were certain to go on and win the final.They duly dispatched Annadale 4-3, which came as no consolation to 2006 champions Quins, who had seen a late David Egner equaliser given, then subsequently chalked off in the semi-final.Glens subsequently scuppered Quins’ Club Championship ambitions last term, battling to a thrilling 3-3 draw.Paul Lombard picked up a red card in that game which means he is suspended for tomorrow’s clash, with John Hobbs taking over the captaincy in his absence.However, manager Donal Kingston insisted history won’t count for much when the sides meet again.“I don’t think the previous games will play a part; there’s been a lot of change in the teams, lots of new fellas who wouldn’t be familiar with the past,” he said.“Obviously, there is motivation in terms of wanting to prove you can beat a team who have turned you over in the past.”Quins lost their opening IHL encounter 2-1 at Pembroke Wanderers last month but picked up a losing bonus point, and have hit some notable form since.“We’ve been playing well all season but we weren’t sharp enough against C of I (lost 2-0) or Pembroke so we didn’t get the results,” Kingston explained.“But we picked up our form and got a great result in Garryduff (defeating C of I 4-2 in the Peard Cup) and three of those goals came from play, which helps the confidence. If you’re not as reliant on short corners that helps everybody.”Meanwhile, Glenanne’s Stephen Butler goes into this game with an endorsement from new Irish coach Paul Revington ringing in his ears.C of I's Jonny Bruton returns to Havelock Park, where he scored on his international debut last weekend, as his side take on Banbridge. Picture: Adrian BoehmIreland’s most-capped international missed last weekend’s three-game series against Scotland due to work commitments, sparking speculation over his future commitment.But Revington insisted the 28-year-old was “absolutely and utterly part of the plan”, adding that it would be a “folly” for a new coach to discard a man with 70 goals to his credit.Butler insists his desire to reach the finals of a major tournament still burns brightly, but for now he will be focused on inflicting more misery on Quins |
