HOCKEY / Leinster Senior Cup Finals / Pembroke Wanderers 3-1 Three Rock Rovers: Few would dispute Pembroke deserved this one. But they didn't have it all their own way on a bitterly cold afternoon at Grange Road.
The Serpentine Avenue club regained the Leinster Senior Cup after a two-year break - having won it four years in succession between 1998 and 2001 - and left Three Rock Rovers to contemplate their last win in the competition, back in 1997.
Rovers had more short corners overall and, at the outset, when they scored from their first, it appeared that although Pembroke were technically better, Rovers' fight, directness and corner routine, might cause more trouble.
As it happened, the corners did not, but their robust attack did, and had they not baulked at a few late chances Pembroke might have had to endure a more fraught finish.
Still, they rarely looked in doubt.
It took just 18 minutes for Pembroke to get off the mark through Alan Giles. But it was Alan Sothern, throughout the game a thorn in the Rovers defence, who made way up the right to instigate the move. When his pushed ball at goalkeeper Richard Irvine went loose, Giles was there to snap it up for 1-0. It was no more than they deserved as Pembroke had probably let three good opportunities slip by in the opening 15 minutes.
But Rovers responded. Within the minute, they had earned their first short corner. The first phase was saved by goalkeeper Steven Doran, but the flashing yellow stick of Gary Ringwood was onto the rebound before anyone and even before the clock had registered 20 minutes the game was level.
From there Pembroke kept their patterned game running, with Gordon Elliott and Sothern up front major threats. Paddy Conlon, Craig Fulton and Giles were also deeply involved.
But it was Rovers who closed the half the stronger, not always in possession but well able to penetrate the Pembroke cover. On 40 minutes, Sothern again played provider. His run along the right baseline and pinpoint delivery found former international Elliott lurking in space. A reverse stick drilled high and out of the range of Irvine's hands gave Pembroke the lead for the second time.
Finally, schoolboy Sothern put the game beyond doubt. Put through to the circle and completely alone, the teenager appeared to have too much time to strike the killer blow. But the old head on young shoulders delivered for 3-1, and despite desperate efforts from Peter McConnell, Mich Darling, Colin Huet and Ringwood in the dying minutes, it was always Pembroke's day.
Meanwhile, a slow start by Ireland had them chasing their match last night at Grange Road, but they eventually secured a 2-2 draw in the first of their two friendly test matches against France.
The French scored in the 6th and 10th minutes - through captain Frederick Soyez and Mathieu Durchon - as Ireland failed to keep a tight defence in the opening quarter.
However, Ireland settled and Justin Sherriff started off the first come-back goal - his hard push from the edge of the circle under the goalkeeper finished off by Mark Irwin. John Jermyn's 60th-minute high drag flick on Ireland's sixth corner for 2-2 finally saved the night.
THREE ROCK ROVERS: R Irvine, A Bothwell (capt), A Haughton, B Mellon, C Huet, G Ringwood, M Henderson, M Maguire, M Darling, N Denham, O Goodman, P McConnell, P Ryan, S Macken, S Bredin, R Varian, S McDonnell (rolling subs used). Scorers: A Giles, G Elliott, A Sothern.
PEMBROKE WANDERERS: S Doran, R Flannery, A Giles, C Fulton, P Good, C Brady, S Kershaw, G Elliott, A Sothern, C Kelly, P Conlon (capt), T Hill, M O'Connor, P Priestly, B Dunne (rolling subs used) M McKay. Scorers: G Ringwood.
Umpires: M Canniffe, G Conn.
LEINSTER UNDER-16: Corinthians 3 (S Gould, R McKenna, C Hennessy), Pembroke 1 (C Chapple).
IRELAND: C Henderson, J Jermyn, R Gormley, P Brown, Lewers, D Hobbs, A Barbour, S Butler, M Irwin, J Sherriff, E Maguire. Rolling subs: E Magee, M Gleghorn, G Shaw.
