HOCKEY/LEINSTER SENIOR CUP FINALS/Glenanne 4 Pembroke Wanderers 3:BETWEEN THEM Glenanne and Pembroke Wanderers had won nine of the last 10 Leinster Senior Cups, only Corinthians, in 2005, breaking the clubs' stranglehold on the competition over the last decade. Fittingly, then, the giants of the Mills Cup squared up at Grange Road yesterday, Glenanne emerging 4-3 winners in a compelling final.
After 15 minutes it appeared to be turning in to the Stephen Butler show, the Irish international's quite marvellous ability to convert short corners like few others putting Glenanne 2-0 up before Pembroke even had time to settle.
It's little wonder his team-mates celebrate like they have already scored a goal when the umpire merely signals for a Glenanne short corner, such is Butler's expertise in the art.
The first of his goals came after seven minutes, the midfielder sweeping the ball over David Harte in the Pembroke goal, his second an exact replica of the first. But for Harte Butler would have had a hat-trick before 20 minutes, the goalkeeper going down low to his right to keep out another strike from a short corner. The hat-trick, though, would come.
Pembroke, spurred on by a typically energetic display from captain Paddy Conlon in midfield, got back in the game in the 23rd minute, substitute Craig Wilson getting on the end of a move that began in defence, but they had to weather two more Glenanne short corners before going in to the break trailing by just the one goal.
Glenanne restored their two goal advantage 11 minutes in to the second half, Gary Shaw finishing off a move he began with a powerful burst from the right, a one-two with Graham Shaw at the edge of the circle creating the opening for him to fire past Harte.
Game over? It might well have been if it wasn't for a two-goal cameo from Pembroke's John McInroy in the space of four minutes that levelled the scores. His speed to the rebound after Stephen Doran saved the shot from a Pembroke short corner yielded the first, the second, in the 52nd minute, an exquisite first-time shot from just inside the circle when he met a cross from the right and fired the ball in to the bottom left corner of the goal.
Soon after Butler earned a five-minute breather when he was sin-binned for upending McInroy on the half-way line, but Pembroke were unable to capitalise on their advantage, and were to rue Butler's return.
With five minutes to go, and extra-time looming large, Glenanne forced another short corner and, well, up stepped Butler. Goal. Hat-trick. And with that Glenanne had retained the Mills Cup they won by beating Fingal last year.
They now head for Paris where they will compete in the Euro Hockey Club Trophy between Thursday and Sunday, while Pembroke will turn their attention to the Irish Senior Cup, where they are semi-finalists, and the Leinster League, where they are three matches away from succeeding Glenanne as champions.
GLENANNE: S Doran, D Kehoe, A Brown, Graham Shaw, B Parsons, J Brennan (capt), P Fitzpatrick, J Kane, S Butler, R Shaw, Gary Shaw. Subs: A Goulding, E O'Malley, C Murphy.
PEMBROKE WANDERERS: D Harte, R Gormley, T Lewis, P Priestly, S Lowry, A Giles, P Conlon (capt), J Sherriff, G Elliott, A Sothern, J McInroy. Subs: C Fulton, C Wilson, S Loughrey.
Umpires: G Caulwell and G Conn.
