The winners of the last three Sharwood's Irish Senior Cups, Ballymoney, Cork Harlequins and Hermes, made it through to the semi-finals of this season's competition, winning their quarter-finals on Saturday by the narrowest of margins. Loreto, though, had a more comfortable passage into the last four, winning 2-0 at Ballymena, where they have been drawn at home to Harlequins, while Hermes must travel north to take on holders Ballymoney.
New Zealander Rachel Petrie converted a penalty stroke nine minutes from time to give Hermes a 2-1 win over Pegasus at Belfield. The Ulster champions had the better of the first half but Hermes, without the injured Jenny Burke, Dawn Kelly and Aisling Keane, dominated the second, with Catriona Carey, Mary Logue and Linda Caulfield at the centre of several delightful passages of play.
Susan McCarthy gave Hermes a third-minute lead, smartly firing home from the right of the circle, but Pegasus responded by taking a grip of the game, equalising in the 14th minute when Heather Mullan deflected home Arlene Boyles' short-corner strike.
If it wasn't for a string of timely tackles and interceptions by the impressive Jill Hodgins and Daphne Sixsmith Pegasus might have converted their pressure into a lead but they faded after the break. The decisive goal followed a frenetic sequence of events in the Pegasus circle which resulted in the award of a stroke. Fiona Ferguson, her stick above shoulder height, cleared Caulfield's goal-bound shot off the line - there was no dispute about the award, although Pegasus were unhappy with the length of the advantage played before the stroke was given.
At Milltown Harlequins got the better of Old Alexandra in a 3-2 "thriller", surviving a nerve-wracking final 10 minutes as the Dublin side pressed for an equaliser. Harlequins were 2-0 up at half-time with goals from Karen O'Brien (fourth minute) and Aoife Falvey (a superb solo effort on 27 minutes) but Trish Conway brought Alexandra back into the game early in the second half from a short corner.
An O'Brien reverse stick "special" restored Harlequins' two-goal advantage soon after but Conway scored from another corner, 10 minutes from time, to set up a frantic finale. Three short corners in quick succession for Alexandra in the final minutes tested Harlequins' resolve but they held out for victory.
A goal in each half, from Sarah O'Meara (penalty stroke) and Cathy McKean gave Loreto, who missed a second stroke, a 2-0 win away to Ballymena while UCD's cup run ended at Ballymoney, who came back from a goal down to win 2-1 - Ruth Forgrave got the winner from a penalty stroke early in the second half.
IRISH SENIOR CUP
Quarter-finals: Hermes 2 (S McCarthy, R Petrie pen), Pegasus 1 (H Mullan); Old Alexandra 2 (T Conway 2), Cork Harlequins 3 (K O'Brien 2, A Falvey); Ballymoney 2 (J Nelson, R Forgrave pen), UCD 1 (L O'Neill); Ballymena 0, Loreto 2 (S O'Meara pen, C McKean). Semi-final draw: Ballymoney v Hermes, Loreto v Harlequins. Ties to be played March 2nd.
LEINSTER LEAGUE
Division One: Genesis 1 (S French-Bloom), Pembroke Wanderers 0; Corinthians 5 (K Johnson, K McEniery, A Ancher 3), Trinity 0.
Division Two: Our Ladys 1 (K Parkinson), Three Rock 3 (S A O'Connor 2, N Squire); Muckross 3 (A Ni Shuilleabhain 2, C O'Connor), Avoca 0; Old Alexandra II 1 (S Brady), Aer Lingus 2 (S Ruhl, L Bagnell).
