HOCKEY - Leinster Schoolgirls' Senior Cup final / St Andrew's 2 Alexandra College 1: A year ago they won the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup for the first time in their history; in January they claimed the Premier League title for the first time; yesterday they retained the cup by beating Alexandra College 2-1 at Grange Road.
As 12-month spells go it wasn't a bad one for St Andrew's College, the proud possessors of a wonderfully talented senior hockey team.
And that's even before mentioning that, following Wednesday's cup final triumph for St Andrew's boys over Wesley College, yesterday's victory completed the first Leinster cup "boys and girls" double since 1975, when King's Hospital achieved the feat.
Ironically, it was King's Hospital who St Andrew's beat to win their first Leinster Senior Cup last year. Suzi Murray scored a hat-trick in that final, yesterday she scored the two goals that saw her school retain the trophy and earn them the right to host this year's All-Ireland schools' finals.
Alexandra, the underdogs, made St Andrew's, coached by Irish goalkeeper Nikki King, labour for their victory, giving them a late scare when they had a "goal", correctly, disallowed two minutes from time. Umpire Carol Metchette spotted an Alexandra foot making contact with the ball in the circle following their eighth and penultimate short corner of the game.
By then the now familiar St Andrew's one-two - the Róisín Flinn/Murray combination - had given the cup holders a 2-1 lead, the first of their goals coming after just seven minutes. From their first short corner - one of only two they won in the game - Flinn pushed out to Murray whose shot bounced its way in to the back of the net.
Alexandra responded, though, with immense spirit - none more impressive than midfielder Vanessa Buckley and the defence of Sara Smith, Emilie Balbirnie, Katie Darling and Martha Purcell - forcing six short corners in a four-minute spell, the sixth of which yielded a Holly Jones goal on 16 minutes.
St Andrew's came back, the Flinn-Murray "one-two" proving profitable once again when Flinn battled her way down the right wing to cross for Murray who converted at the left post.
Alexandra countered, Buckley's reverse stick cross-cum-shot just evading Helen Taaffe on the right post, while Bairbre Luke dealt ably with Darling's strike from a corner. St Andrews held on for victory but there was, in truth, little to choose between the teams.
ST ANDREWS: B Luke, H Leggett, K Neligan, N Doyle, K O'Grady, A Morris, F Flinn (capt), S Mawhinney, R Flinn, A Black, S Murray. Subs: C McGilp, V Taylor.
ALEXANDRA COLLEGE: B McEntee, K Darling, S Smith, M Purcell, E Balbirnie (capt), K Coughlan, V Buckley, C Ward, A Raftery, H Jones, A De Burgh. Subs: H Taaffe, A George, M Tennant-Humphries, J Keane.
Umpires: C Metchette and P Hale.
