Alexandra on course to retain title

Hockey/ Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup semi-finals: Leinster Senior Cup holders Alexandra College remain on course to win the competition for the third time in four years after they beat Mount Anville 3-0 in yesterday's semi-finals at Grange Road.

Their opponents in next Friday's final will be Loreto Beaufort, 2-1 winners over last season's beaten finalists, St Andrews.

Once Alexandra opened the scoring after eight minutes, Nicola Evans slotting home following fine work down the right by Chloe McDermott, they were in control. The Mount Anville defence, though, weathered ceaseless pressure, with goalkeeper Becky Vaughan making several fine saves before the break.

But the second half began much as the first ended, a young Alexandra side, with just four survivors from their starting line-up in last year's final, well on top, Evans at the centre of much of their best attacking work. Their full-backs, too, stood out, Leah Lenehan and Nicola Gray defending with composure, while augmenting their team's attack.

With time running out, though, Mount Anville went close 10 minutes from the end when, from their third short corner in quick succession, Elaine O'Riordan almost deflected home Aisling Maguire's strike.

In the final minutes Alexandra took full advantage of the space created by Mount Anville pushing up, their second goal created by yet another sublime through ball by Evans, Deirdre Duke collecting the rebound after her shot hit the post, playing it in to Alice Ward's path for the winger to make it 2-0.

Five minutes from time Alexandra captain Beibhinn Delaney capped a fine display by making it 3-0 with a crisp strike in to the bottom right corner from the final short corner.

Loreto Beaufort were no less impressive in their semi-final, but had to endure a nervous ending when, having led 2-0, Andrews pulled a goal back through Chloe Watkins three minutes from time. The stars of this semi-final were the goalkeepers, Beaufort's Jennifer Duffy and Andrews' Tiffany Ellis.

After Sarah Noonan had given Beaufort the lead in the third minute Ellis kept her school in the game with a triple save, marginally outdoing Duffy who made a double save from Jenny Doran at point blank range. Duffy and Ellis persisted in thwarting both attacks in the second half, until Zara Delany doubled Beaufort's lead eight minutes from time. Watkins' goal from a short corner, five minutes later, proved to be a consolation.

ALEXANDRA COLLEGE: S J Kearney, H O'Donnell, B Delaney, N Evans, H de Burgh Whyte, C McDermott, A Ward, S McDermott, L Lenehan, N Gray, K Macken. Subs: C Gormley, A Freyne, E Menzies, D Duke, A Burke.

MOUNT ANVILLE: B Vaughan, F O'Donovan, H Reddy, E O'Riordan, A Maguire, L Hutchinson, K Williams, S Loughran, L Godfrey, M O'Connor, L Lawlor. Subs: L Matthews, J O'Beirne, A Crotty, L Callan, S Greene.

LORETO BEAUFORT: J Duffy, Z Ennis, M O'Dwyer, V Redmond, S Barnwell A Campion, H Matthews, Z Delany, S Noonan, R Maunsell, S McGirr. Subs: A O'Leary. P O'Dwyer, R Murphy, J Redmond.

ST ANDREWS: T Ellis, J Donohoe, R McFarlane, S O'Conaill, J Doran, Chloe Watkins, G Pinder, Courtney Watkins, L Prentice, S Woodroofe, G Murphy. Subs: H Meredith, E Clarke, L Kingston, V Taaffe.