HOCKEY INTERPROVINCIALS:A SUZANNE Beaney goal 10 minutes from time against Leinster at Grange Road yesterday gave Ulster the draw they needed against the defending champions to win the senior interprovincial title by a single score on goal difference.
There was some consolation, though, for the hosts when their under-21 side ended Ulster’s three-in-a-row quest, with the team making it nine points out of nine when they beat Ulster 3-0 yesterday. Nicola Evans and Kate McKenna (two) got their goals.
The senior tournament was a tighter affair, with only Ulster winning a game by more than a one-goal margin. A critical score it proved to be too, as their second against Munster on Saturday – from Alice Garrad, Ulster Elks’ former England international – gave the province the advantage over Leinster on goal difference going in to yesterday’s decider.
Leinster, then, needed to win, and took a first-half lead through Cathy McKean.
But the goal from Beaney, her former Irish team-mate, denied the host province a clean sweep of the men’s and women’s senior and under-21 titles.
SENIOR INTERPROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT (at Grange Road) – Saturday: Leinster 1 (N Daly), Connacht 0; Ulster 2 (S Beaney, A Garrad), Munster 0. Yesterday: Connacht 1 (T Melvin), Munster 2 (A Connery, S McCarthy); Ulster 1 (S Beaney), Leinster 1 (C McKean).
UNDER-21 INTERPROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT(at Grange Road) – Saturday: Leinster 3 (N Farrell, H Matthews, N Evans), Munster 2 (K Campbell 2); Ulster 4 (K Hewitt, E Thornbury, S McClure, J Kyle), South East 0; South East 2 (A Byrne, C Murphy), Munster 1 (K Murphy). Yesterday: Leinster 3 (A O'Flanagan 3), South East 0; Munster 0, Ulster 6 (E Thornbury 2, K Lammey, K Steenson, J Kyle, K Hewitt); Leinster 3 (N Evans, K McKenna 2), Ulster 0.
