Brilliant Beaufort scale heights

Schoolgirls' Hockey: Nine months after their senior team lost the Leinster Cup final to St Andrew's, Loreto Beaufort came of age at Grange Road yesterday, beating Wesley College 4-1 in the Premier League final, with Irish under-18 international Zara Delany providing much of their inspiration.

Like several of her team-mates yesterday, Delany was a member of the Beaufort team that won the Leinster Junior Cup last March, just four days after the school's senior defeat, and their impressive progress to the senior ranks was evident as they got the better of a fine Wesley side in a hugely entertaining game.

Aisling Campion, another Irish under-18 player, gave Beaufort the lead after 12 minutes, a lead they would soon have extended but for the form of Wesley goalkeeper Stella Davis.

It was 2-0, though, 10 minutes after the break when Rachel Maunsell converted a short corner won by Delany, but from another set-piece, within two minutes, Rachel Scott halved the deficit with a sweetly struck shot.

Wesley were back in the game, then, but despite their best efforts couldn't find a way through a superbly marshalled Beaufort defence to force an equaliser, while, at the other end, Delany just failed to cap a brilliant run with a goal and, having set up the opening, saw Maunsell fire just wide.

Still Wesley threatened to level the game, but it was Delany who restored Beaufort's two-goal advantage when she got a touch on a pass from outside the circle with 10 minutes to go.

The score didn't quite kill off a spirited Wesley side, but Beaufort sealed their win at the death with a goal from Megan O'Flanagan, ensuring they would add the Premier League to the Junior Cup in the school's 2006 roll of honour.

A successful climax, too, to an already memorable year for Delany, whose goal against France in Valencia back in July secured bronze for Ireland at the under-16 European Championships.

LORETO BEAUFORT: A Egan, J Dawson, G Brennan, M O'Dwyer, V Redmond, S Barnwell, A Campion, H Matthews, Z Delany, M O'Flanagan, R Maunsell. Subs: J Duffy, L Ryan, C O'Farrell, S Noonan, P O'Dwyer.

WESLEY COLLEGE: S Davis, L Pelow, J Fair, S Lyons, N Clarke, S Taylor, N Douglas, R Scott, H Treacy, E Honner, M Galvin. Subs: S Veitch, S Lett, L White, A Walker.