WOMEN'S HOCKEY:JEAN McDONNELL, not for the first time this season, was the toast of Railway Union on Saturday when she scored the only goal of their game against Hermes, the victory securing the club's second Leinster Division One title in a row.
It was the 16th win out of 18 league games for Mick McKinnon’s side, who only dropped points to Hermes, when they suffered their sole defeat of the campaign back in January, and Loreto, with whom they drew last month.
Hermes, who were on a 13-game winning streak in the league going into Saturday’s fixture, needed to avoid defeat to give them a chance of clinching the title against Bray next weekend – although a draw would have left them needing to win that game by nine goals. A win, then, was, more realistically, required.
Unlike that January meeting, though, when they beat the champions 5-1 at Park Avenue, Hermes could find no way through their defence this time around and, with just 12 minutes to go, conceded the game-deciding goal.
The prolific McDonnell collected a pass from deep and cutting in from the right she rounded Hermes goalkeeper Emma Gray to slot home the title-clinching goal.
The teams meet again in next month’s semi-finals of the Irish Hockey League, while Railway also have the Irish Senior Cup final against Loreto to look forward to. There’s much work to be done yet, but they remain on course for the most prestigious of trebles.
At Belfield, meanwhile, Randalstown’s second team won the Irish Junior Cup, coming back from 1-0 down to beat Old Alexandra II 3-1 – Pamela Muir (two) and Courtney Burns got their goals.
LEINSTER LEAGUE – Division One:UCD 0 Old Alexandra 0; Pembroke Wanderers 1 (J Collins) Loreto 3 (H Matthews, N Small); Hermes 0 Railway Union 1 (J McDonnell).
