WOMEN'S HOCKEY/IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL/Pegasus 2 Ballymoney 1:CLAIRE McMAHON, not for the first time, produced the goals that clinched Pegasus yet more silverware for their bulging collection when her double at Belfield yesterday gave the Belfast cup holders victory in the ESB Irish Senior Cup final.
At full-time Pegasus captain Arlene Boyles struggled briefly to recall how many Irish Senior Cup medals she had won, finally completing the count: seven since her first, as an 18-year-old, in 1992.
The last time she and her team lost a final was in 2001, when Ballymoney took the cup on penalty strokes. But, this time around, despite the bravest of efforts by the underdogs, Pegasus prevailed. And deservedly so.
McMahon opened the scoring after 10 minutes when, following a surging run from the halfway line by Alex Speers, she was picked out in the circle, turned and drilled the ball through the legs of Irish under-16 goalkeeper Sammy-Jo Greer.
Between then and the 42nd minute Pegasus earned seven short corners to Ballymoney's none, a fair reflection of the balance of power. But the All-Ireland champions were having an off-day when it came to set-pieces, and their wastefulness gave their opponents a lifeline.
And they took it, seven minutes after the break, when Megan Frazer earned her team their first short corner. Nikki McCaughern deflected home captain Susie Martin's strike.
Within 90 seconds, however, Pegasus had regained their lead. The simplest of goals it was too, Boyles firing a free straight up the middle of the pitch, the ball bouncing in to the path of McMahon, who rounded Greer and shot high in to the net.
Ten minutes from time, though, Ballymoney were gifted the chance of a second equaliser when Lynsey McVicker's reverse shot was stopped on the line by Jill Orbinson's foot, but the former Irish captain hooked the resulting penalty stroke high and wide of the left post.
After that only Pegasus came close to scoring, Speers twice almost stretching the lead after being set up by Suzanne Beaney, both efforts mere inches wide.
Pegasus, then, add the Irish Senior Cup to the Ulster League and Ulster Shield trophies they have won this season. In the weeks ahead they will attempt to win the European Champions Trophy in the Czech Republic and to retain their All-Ireland title.
On the international front, Ireland completed their series of three matches against Britain, which began with a 5-0 defeat on Friday, with a highly creditable 1-1 draw on Saturday, before yesterday's 3-1 defeat.
PEGASUS: S Moffett, N Brown, A Boyles (capt), J Orbinson, K Smyth, K McConnell, L Mallon, K McCollum, C McMahon, S Beaney, A Spears. Subs: K Kennedy, J Kyle, J Perry, J McKnight, G Irwin.
BALLYMONEY: S Greer, J Nelson, S Martin, C MacAulay, L Barr, N McCaughern, B McKeever, M Frazer, D McNeill, A Kearney, L McVicker. Subs: S Stewart-Moore, J McVicker, L Mullan, L Watters, A Platt.
Umpires: J Beamish and Z Howe.
