Ashton continue to be the most buoyant source of success in southern hockey circles. Yesterday, the Munster boys beat Wesley College 3-0 to win the Irish Schools Championship in Bangor, regaining the Tasmanian Shield which they carried off for the first time in 1998.

In the Cork school's fourth successive appearance in the final, they seized the lead through the industrious Ken Twomey before David Hobbs, from a penalty, made it 2-0 by the interval. John Nagle embellished the scoreline following a splendid move in the closing minutes.

Wesley, also beaten by Ashton in the 1998 decider, were an equally accomplished side but in spite of the prowess of Andrew Macken, Andrew Walker, Phelie Maguire and David Roche, they couldn't achieve a breakthrough. A dozen short corners yielded nothing as Chris Daunt excelled in the Ashton goal. He had particularly defiant support from Sean Nicholson and Philip O'Driscoll. Hobbs and John Jermyn, both of whom have figured in all four championships, were prominent in midfield, while Stephen Parker, who scored twice in the 4-0 semi-final defeat of Bangor, moved menacingly on the right wing. All four goals against Bangor came in the opening 15 minutes while Wesley also gained a firsthalf grip on the all-Dublin semi-final against St Andrew's (3-0).

Semi-finals: Ashton 4 (J Jermyn 2, S Parker 2) Bangor 0; Wesley 3 (P Margetson, D Roche, J McConnell) St Andrew's 0. Final: Ashton 3 (K Twomey, D Hobbs pen, J Nagle) Wesley 0.

Ashton (champions, 2000) - C Daunt; F Nagle, S Nicholson, P O'Driscoll, S Tyrrell; J Jermny, D Hobbs, K Twomey; S Parker, J Nagle, A Herbert. Subs: R Hobbs, G Deane, J Dunphy, B Appleby, B Shine. Coach: J Hobbs. Assistant coach: M Ruddle. Manager: E Kirwan.