All 11 members of the Cork C of I team which completed the treble in 1969 were among the capacity attendance at Belfield on Saturday as C of I 99 found sufficient stamina in extra time to beat Three Rock Rovers 4-3 to add the Nissan-sponsored Irish Senior Cup to Munster's haul of trophies in their centenary season.
In the celebration scenes afterwards, the general greeting was "Of course I recognise you, it was only 30 years ago." It was not such a prolific final on that occasion when Noel Johnston had another inspired game between the posts as Queen's University were held scoreless and Jack Hanna put away the only goal in the dying seconds of a struggle which also went to extra time.
On Saturday, only four minutes of a pulsating match remained when Mark Black forced C of I's sixth short corner (to five for Rovers) and Alastair Dunne opted for a drag flick to net the winner.
A strong finish has become a feature of C of I's game plan, devised originally by Denis Pritchard. Yet they seemed very insecure in the first half as Three Rock pushed forward for Garry Ringwood and Liam Canning to dart into menacing positions. Twice the pair were barely foiled by Wesley Bateman before Canning opened the scoring from a neatly executed corner. Then a right-wing cross from Canning gave Christian Judd the opportunity to force the ball home for a 20 lead which was maintained to the interval.
The margin wasn't wide enough, however, as C of I went on the offensive in the second half. Soon a corner was tucked away by Black to reduce the deficit and with the irrepressible Nigel Buttimer ripping through the Rovers cover, an equaliser was inevitable. It came in the 47th minute when a free by Dunne allowed Darren Hanna to capitalise on a misplaced clearance, in the process demonstrating his finishing ability to national coach John Clarke.
Three Rock still managed to respond, but two short corners came to nothing and C of I surged back. Shane Davey admirably kept out a point-blank shot from Darren Hanna, although Hanna struck his second goal following a thrust from the overlapping Andrew Chambers.
The Corkmen now seemed composed, epitomised by Ger Burns and Derek Hales in central defence. Yet, Rovers conjured up a quick raid from which a deflection presented Canning with the chance to beat Bateman to the bobbling ball, making it 3-3 in the 62nd minute.
The indefatigable Canning - who went close to snatching the man-of-the-match award from Buttimer's grasp - finally was back among his defenders in a defiant last-gasp attempt to save his side from a second successive defeat in the decider but the pressure became too great in the additional 30 minutes as C of I's shrewd Ulster coach Stephen Jackson sent Karl Burns forward to provide extra harassment.
So, it's on now to somewhere in Europe for C of I to celebrate the Millennium, though they might consider hosting the B division of the Cup Winners' Cup next Easter. Thirty years ago the modest reward was a trip to the Isle of Man to contest the British and Irish championship.
Now, so much has changed. The Batemans, Blacks and Chambers will be back in Dublin next weekend as family allegiances switch to Harlequins as they, too, bid for a place in Europe, via the all-Ireland club championship. Pembroke Wanderers clinched the remaining berth in the fourteam finale in beating Annadale through a 41st minute goal by Dougie Good at Serpentine Avenue on Saturday morning, to advance 5-2 on aggregate.
Cork C of I: W Bateman; K Burns, G Burns, D Hales, A Chambers; M Black, A Dunne, N Buttimer (capt); N Welch, D Hanna, C Hanna. Subs: N Foott, D Hobbs, R Dorman.
Three Rock Rovers: S Davey: A Dunlop, A Bothwell, R Harris, A Walker; R Madeley, G Ringwood, S Bredin; C Judd, L Canning, G Elliott. Subs: R Tilson, C Carroll, J Sleeman, R Varian.
Umpires: R O'Connor, C Hutchinson.
Japan's visit to Dublin has been confirmed for the first weekend in June. They will meet a Leinster President's XI on the Friday evening, followed by two matches against Ireland. The Irish squad will complete their European Championship preparations with away games against France and Belgium in August.
