For a third successive year, extra time was needed to separate St Andrew’s and Wesley but the former ultimately had the sharper edge, netting three times late on to retain the Leinster Senior Cup title at Grange Road yesterday.
Ireland Under-16 Jordan Larmour’s second of the day put St Andrew’s on course before Richard Couse and Alex Service closed out the win in the final four minutes for a 5-2 win.
It meant a clean sweep for the Booterstown school having already claimed the Leinster league and the All-Ireland championship last November.
They went into the final as the clear favourites having beaten Wesley 5-0 just a fortnight ago but the Ballinteer school could so easily have won but for the brilliance of Jamie Carr who denied Scott Dagg’s sliding effort with three minutes left of normal time.
Indeed, Wesley had not much luck throughout as Stu Ronan and Kirk Shimmins both clattered the post in the first half.
In between those efforts, Larmour had put St Andrew’s in front with a calm finish after David Nolan and Wilf King’s incisive work.
Wesley hit back in the second half when Luke Madeley whizzed home a low drag-flick to equalise after Shimmins had shown a delightful burst of pace to win the first penalty corner of the game.
St Andrew’s returned to the lead via Lee Cole, albeit in hotly-contested fashion, from the penalty stroke spot as a lengthy overhead dropped dangerously in Wesley territory. Advantage was waved despite the protests and Aaron Bailey profited only to be felled in the circle.
Once again, Wesley fought back and won a corner that Ian Stewart laid into the path of Jonathan Roberts to deflect in.
And Roberts was to the fore in creating the chance for Dagg only for Carr’s wonderful intervention that effectively confirmed extra-time.
The past two years have seen this final go to a penalty shoot-out but St Andrew’s were in no mood to repeat the dose as they lasted the pace the better.
Larmour kept his nerve from a baseline pull-back to flick into the welcoming net before Couse did likewise from Ben Campbell’s stunning right-wing burst.
And Service capped the tie with a delightful chipped finish after a mazy run to land the Senior Cup title for a sixth time for St Andrew’s.