MEN'S HOCKEY: Glennane demonstrated their ability to score when they followed up their 3-2 away win over Cookstown with a 4-2 win in the return leg at Tallaght on Saturday. They now advance to the all-Ireland Championship finals in Belfield with fellow Leinster side Corinthians, Belfast's Instonians and Cork Harlequins.
Glenanne's aggregate win over Cookstown brought their goal tally to an impressive seven over the two legs of the quarter-finals, with the Goulding brothers, John and Alan, each scoring twice to secure the safe passage of the Leinster champions, who won the title in 2000.
Corinthians, who went to Cork with a goal advantage over C of I, pulled off one of their better results of the season, holding the home side to 2-2 and advancing 6-5 on aggregate. Brothers Trevor and Ali Dunne knocked in C of I's goals with Colin Stewart and captain James Benson collecting one each for the Jonathan Cole-coached Dublin side, who will be competing in next weekend's finals for the first time.
C of I's Munster rivals Harlequins had a better time against fancied Lisnagarvey at Blaris. Travelling with a 2-0 lead from the first leg, Harlequins trailed 2-0 until the closing stages of the match. Once again Paul Lombard dug his side out of trouble with a strike three minutes from the end for a tough 3-2 win on aggregate.
At Serpentine Avenue, Pembroke let their chance of retaining the championship slip by when Instonians impressively nicked a late goal to win 2-1. The Belfast side, well-organised and error free, dominated the first half and vitally scored an opening goal on 26 minutes when Chris Barnes flicked low to the right from their third short corner.
Although Pembroke picked up the tempo and exploited space much better in the latter stages of the match, just one corner strike from Justin Sherriff on 55 minutes was all they could earn.
Ultimately it was Nigel Skillen's reactions in goal that earned Instonians their place in the finals. Skillen reacted smartly to a deflected cross from Alan Giles and kept out a sharp strike from Gordon Elliott as Pembroke pressed towards the end. It was the poaching instincts of Mark Irwin on the hour that killed off Pembroke hopes as he reacted to a loose ball in the circle from just a few feet out.
If Instonians were to go on to emulate their achievement of 1998, when they completed a championship and cup double, Pembroke would then have the consolation of competing in next year's European Cup Winners' Cup.
