Harlequins a step closer to retaining cup

Men's Hockey/ Irish Senior Cup: Cork Harlequins meet Dublin's Glenanne in the Irish Senior Cup semi-finals on March 3rd, and Three Rock Rovers face the only Ulster team left in the competition, Annadale, at Grange Road on the same day.

Harlequins came through when they beat Banbridge 3-1 in Havelock Park to take a step closer to retaining the trophy they won last year.

In a potentially difficult game, goals from David Eakins, Richard Gash and Mark Black earned the holders a deserved win, the one goal coming in reply from Simon McGowan.

It wasn't a great return from the Ulster sides, who had five teams going into the quarter-finals, Annadale's meeting with Lisnagarvey the big clash up North. That match required extra time, after Annadale had led twice through Ian Hamilton and Peter Caruth.

The 23-time winners Lisnagarvey came back twice, but the extra-time goal from Fraser Mills earned Annadale the trip to Dublin in two weeks' time to face Rovers at Grange Road and keep on track the possibility of their first Irish Senior Cup success.

Rovers, who had the peach draw of the round, faced Mossley at home and duly emerged as 3- 1 winners after going a goal down.

Two goals from Christian Judd and one from Alan Bothwell were enough to secure the semi-final place against what is currently the strongest Ulster side.

Cookstown, who had yet to conceded a goal in the competition and had hit Bray for nine and Dublin University for eight, knew they were up against a different prospect when Glenanne came visiting.

The Dublin side emerged as 4-2 winners but face an anxious wait to see if they will have their influential midfield player and set-piece specialist Stephen Butler for the semi-final.

Butler was shown the red card after words with umpire Eamon McFerran and will likely face a disciplinary hearing.

The international had scored one of his side's goals; Gary Shaw, John Goulding and Marke Lambe hit the other three.

Cookstown's scores were netted by Stephen Cuddy and Ewan Butler.

Irish Senior Cup(Quarter-finals): Banbridge 1 (S McGowan) Cork Harlequins 3 (D Eakins, R Gash, M Black); Cookstown 2 (S Cuddy, E Butler) Glenanne 4 (G Shaw, S Butler, J Goulding, M Lambe); Annadale 3 (I Hamilton, P Caruth, F Mills) Lisnagarvey 2 (C Gregg 2); Three Rock Rover 3 (C Judd 2, A Bothwell) Mossley 1 (A Coulter). Semi-finals (March 3rd): Three Rock Rovers v Annadale; Cork Harlequins v Glenanne.

Leinster Senior League: (Division Two): Kilkenny 1 (G Sharman) Avoca 1 (A Wilkie); Navan 1 (S Dooley) Weston 4 (P Mahony, P Kennedy, E Tucker, S O'Hare); PSBPP 0 UCD 5 (R McFarland 2, B Grogan, S Greene, D Quinn); Skerries 3 (B McMahon 2, A Early) Clontarf 2 (W McNamara, R Abbott); Suttonians 3 (M Ahmad 2, D Quinn) Naas 1 (R Barron).