Clarke the saviour

Glenanne 2 - Pembroke 2 (aet, Glenanne won 3-0 on strokes)

Goalkeepers Ian Clarke and Stephen Doran excelled in yesterday's Neville Cup final at Serpentine Avenue and when it came down to the Christmas crackers, Pembroke Wanderers pulled three blanks in the penalty shoot out as Clarke ensured Glenanne retained the trophy.

Thus, Pembroke succumbed for the sixth time in the last two seasons to their rivals.

When Gordon Elliott whipped home two reverse-stick goals it seemed Pembroke were going to change the pattern of results. But in a two-minute surge before the break Glenanne's Stephen Butler netted a short corner and John Goulding showed his sharp reflexes in finishing off a first by Mark Lambe.

Both defences refused to yield anything further and it was down to a shoot-out - and Glenanne's first three strokes - from Butler, Rory O'Donoghue and Graham Shaw - found the target, while Clarke kept out the efforts of Paudie Carley and Colin Kelly and Elliott hoisted one over the bar.

Glenanne: I Clarke; D Shaw, J Brennan, R O'Donoghue, C Murphy; S Butler, A Browne (capt), P Fitzpatrick; M Lambe, G Shaw, J Goulding. Subs: C Lynch, A O'Donoghue.

Pembroke Wanderers: S Doran; M Tijs, D McKeen, C Kelly; P Carley (capt); F de Rosa, D Donnelly, A Kershaw; T Dunne, A Giles, G Elliott. Subs: K Treacy , R Gormley, S Stewart.

Umpires: R O'Connor, A Groves.