MEN'S HOCKEY:DAVID HOBBS' statement of intent in the Munster Senior Cup final may yet push his hopes of getting back into Paul Revington's Ireland international panel.
The Cork C of I man, with 143 caps to his name, has been out of the national set-up for the past year but was in imperious form as his club claimed their domestic cup with a thumping 6-1 win over Bandon.
Hobbs got the first inside 90 seconds, taking down partner-in-crime John Jermyn’s 60-metre overhead deftly and smartly moving the ball to his reverse to clatter home.
Jermyn added two drag-flicks before Stephen Sweetnam nabbed the fourth early in the second half and Hobbs completed the rout with two late goals.
In Leinster, meanwhile, Glenanne moved within a win of reclaiming the Division One crown as they took full points from their double weekend.
Crucially, they got the better of challengers YMCA with a comfortable 3-1 win on Saturday, putting daylight between themselves and their nearest rivals.
They raced into a 3-0 half-time lead, Shane O’Donoghue firing home a drag-flick inside five minutes before Mick McGuinness’ reverse-stick effort and Stephen Brownlow’s pull set them up.
YM improved after the break, Jamie Tobin knocking one in from close range, but it was a third big blow in a week for Trevor Dagg’s team.
And Glenanne compounded the damage yesterday when O’Donoghue popped up two minutes from time to nab a 5-4 win over Railway Union, a result which leaves the side six points clear with their nearest rivals left with only three games to play.
Railway had led 3-1 at one stage but a sin-binning for key man Kenny Carroll was pivotal in the endgame, their main stopper’s absence felt as a mid-circle scramble was cleaned up by O’Donoghue.
The rest of Saturday’s results also fell the Glens’ way, with third -placed Pembroke held to a 1-1 draw at Serpentine Avenue by an understrength Three Rock Rovers, while Monkstown fell to a 4-0 defeat to Corinthian, aided by two penalty strokes converted by Alan Blennerhassett.
Railway’s win over Weston on Saturday means the race for the IHL wildcard place is still very much on with Corinthian, Three Rock and Railway covered by three points.
Fingal’s bid, though, fell through as they were beaten by UCD – just their second win of the season – as the students stole the show late on with cracking goals from former Wesley schoolboys Luke Chadwick and Conor Motyer.
WEEKEND RESULTS:Men's Leinster Division One: TRR 1 (P Blakeney) Pembroke 1 (P Good); Corinthian 4 (A Blennerhassett 2, N Young, L Piccioli) Monkstown 0; Weston 1 (S Pearson) Railway 3 (R Abbott 3); Glenanne 3 (S O'Donoghue, M McGuinness, S Brownlow) YMCA 1 (J Tobin); UCD 2 (C Motyer, L Chadwick) Fingal 1 (G Sharman). Sunday: Glenanne 5 (S O'Donoghue 2, M McGuinness, R Shaw, E O'Malley) Railway Union 4 (P English 2, M English 2). Munster Senior Cup final: Bandon 1 (A Scannell) Cork C of I 6 (D Hobbs 3, J Jermyn 2, S Sweetnam) Irish Junior Cup: Annadale 1 (D Nicol) Banbridge 3 (I Livingstone 3)
