HOCKEY: Instonians reaffirmed their status as the most consistent side of the past decade when they drove to a 2-0 defeat of Lisnagarvey at Belfield yesterday to add the all-Ireland club championship title to the Irish Senior Cup, completing a double which they also achieved in 1998.
Harlequins, though gaining a 1-0 win over Cork C of I in a more fiery clash of neighbours, had to be content with second place. But, as the beaten cup finalists, they will have the considerable consolation of joining Instonians in European fare.
Instonians always had control of the deciding game, with the two goals being put away by Steven Redpath in the 16th and 29th minutes. First he connected with a right-wing cross from Julian Lewis, and he extended the lead with a dextrous shot from an acute angle.
While John Gray and Ian Davidson put up stout resistance, Lisnagarvey could make little headway against a back four commanded by Paddy Brown, the best defender in Ireland.
Mark Irwin was often a threat up front but spurned an open goal in the closing stages.
Earlier, Harlequins met passionate opposition from C of I before Paul Lombard sent his brother, David, crashing through to pierce the cover 13 minutes from the end.
Like Harlequins, C of I were well equipped with talented up-and-coming players, notably Adam Pritchard and Ken Twomey, who helped to contain their local rivals merely to shots against the posts.
Furthermore, with Dave Hobbs exercising a good deal of pressure, C of I finished with a superior short-corner count (8-2). But Mark Ruddle, Sean Nicholson and Jason Black constantly gave assurance to the Harlequins defence.
Further afield, the Leinster trio of Stephen Butler, Graham Shaw and Joe Brennan have figured prominently in the clinching of the Belgian League title by Antwerp Dragons. Butler, in his second season abroad, scored his 50th goal for the Dragons in beating Beerschot 3-2 on Saturday, and notched a hat-trick in a 6-5 victory over Wellington on Sunday.
The three ex-Glenanne players can look forward to the European club championship (A division) in Barcelona at the end of the month.
