They might be having their struggles in the Hockey League this season, the sides filling the bottom two positions in the table, but Muckross and Ards both upset the odds in the Irish Senior Cup on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
And they did so by beating Hockey League opponents that had got the better of them in their most recent meetings. Muckross won 3-0 away to an Old Alexandra side that had beaten them 5-1 on their own turf back in October. Laura Hanlon and Niamh Gowing had them 2-0 up after 25 minutes, with a fine solo effort from Yasmin Pratt sealing the surprise victory two minutes from time.
Ards had to work harder for their win over a Belfast Harlequins team that beat them 3-1 earlier this month, Frankie Brown and Becky Weir giving them a 2-1 half-time lead, Harlequins' goal coming from Lucy Geddes. Brown stretched that advantage after the break with her second of the game, before Abbey Edwards' late consolation score for the visitors.
The outcome of the other six ties was predictable enough, cup-holders UCD cruising to a 6-0 win over Lurgan, while Pegasus, last season’s beaten finalists, saw off Trinity with a 5-2 win at Queens.
Cork Harlequins also had a comfortable afternoon, beating Banbridge 5-0 at Farmers Cross, while a Laura Noble double helped Pembroke Wanderers to a 4-0 victory over Monkstown.
Irish international Megan Frazer, back home from duty with Mannheimer during the German Bundesliga's winter break, had Ulster Elks level with Railway Union at half-time in their tie at Park Avenue, but Orla Fox and Kate McKenna added to Zara Delany's first half score to give the Dublin side a 3-1 win.
Christina Hamill and Sarah Evans got the second-half goals for Loreto that saw them edge past Ballymoney, 2-1 the final score.
IRISH SENIOR CUP - Second round – Saturday: Railway Union 3 (Z Delany, O Fox, K McKenna), Ulster Elks 1 (M Frazer); Cork Harlequins 5 (A O'Grady, O Roycroft, C Sargent, E O'Leary, R Barry), Banbridge 0; Old Alexandra 0, Muckross 3 (L Hanlon, N Gowing, Y Pratt); Ards 3 (F Brown 2, B Weir), Belfast Harlequins 2 (L Geddes, A Edwards); Ballymoney 1 (O Mullan), Loreto 2 (C Hamill, S Evans); Pegasus 5 (L McKee 2, M Harvey, H Craig, A Speers), Trinity 2 (S Campbell 2); Pembroke Wanderers 4 (C Foley, L Noble 2, A Ward), Monkstown 0; UCD 6 (M Carey, L Tice, N Carey, S Young 2, L McGuire), Lurgan 0.
