MENS HOCKEY:IRELAND FLIRTED with disaster but ultimately emerged from the opening throes of their World Cup qualifier in Argentina in an enviable position.
They cracked home a total of 10 goals in the fixtures against the USA and Chile with Mikey Watt and Alan Sothern both recording hat-tricks over the weekend to see Ireland share top spot in the six-team competition after two series of games. The current equation could yet undergo plenty of twists but the conventional wisdom suggests Ireland need to win at least one of their ties with either Belgium (tomorrow) or Argentina (Saturday) to qualify for next Sunday’s decider.
Paul Revington’s charges began the tournament in immense fashion on Saturday, racing into a 5-0 half-time lead against the Americans with Mikey Watt scoring three times in the first 14 minutes of the tournament.
Stephen Butler added a double, too, before Nate Coolidge, formerly of Dublin club Corinthian, pulled one back early in the second half. Mitch Darling, however, tapped in from Watt’s slick reverse-stick cross to earn a 6-1 win.
Sunday’s tie with Chile was much more fraught. The South Americans were easily disposed 3-0 when the sides last met in July’s Champion’s Challenge event in Dublin. This time round, three goals in the last nine minutes were required for the Irish to record a 4-1 win which they will gratefully accept having laboured for long periods.
Thomas Kanegiesser whipped the Chileans, the tournament’s bottom-ranked side, into a shock 16th minute lead. And Ireland struggled to get back on terms, held at bay until the second half before Alan Sothern unlocked the door, deftly finding a touch to Graham Shaw’s pass to beat Mathias Antwander. John Jermyn’s scooped effort earned the lead in the 61st minute before Sothern drag-flicked to the net twice in the last three minutes to finally ease the nerves.
On the domestic scene, Corinthian took advantage of Glenanne and Pembroke’s inactivity to earn a rare appearance at the top of Leinster division one. They out-manoeuvred previous top-rung encumbents Three Rock Rovers 3-1 in the Rathfarnham-derby on Saturday.
Brian Doherty was the tormentor-in-chief. He slung home a high drag-flick past former club-mate Charlie Henderson, playing his last senior league game before retiring, for an early lead. Pierre de Voux pounced to tie the game up with a poacher’s goal.
But Lucas Piccioli’s fortuitous goal and a second Doherty block-buster gave Corinthian the points.
