Champion's Challenge II: Ireland denied on strokes

Poland 3 (Marcin Strykowski 2, Dariusz Rachwalski) Ireland 3 (Mikey Watt 2, John Jermyn); Poland win 5-4 on penalties
Ireland let the inaugural Champion’s Challenge II title slip through their fingers at Belfield this afternoon as they let a commanding lead and performance come unstuck in the closing stages of a pulsating final battle against Poland.

Having led from the third minute, Marcin Strykowski struck with just 12 seconds left of normal time to force extra-time and ultimately the lottery of penalty strokes.

It was a cruel end to what was a well-judged performance for much of the game. Unlike Thursday’s fixture, Ireland played a lot more to their own tempo rather than being dictated by the Poles with much more control of the game’s flow in evidence to break up the opponent’s commitment to counter-attack.

In saying that, Poland did have the first clear opening as Kryzysztof Kmiec miscued a reverse.

But Ireland were settled my a neatly taken Mikey Watt goal after Graham Shaw’s through ball was not dealt with by the Polish defence as the Belgian-bound striker rolled under Marcin Trzaskawka.

It was Watt’s third goal of the tournament and was the only Irish striker to score throughout the tournament from play. However, his combination work with Eugene Magee, Timmy Cockram and the more advanced John Jermyn posed serious menace with multiple reverse-stick efforts the upshot.

Jermyn secured his place as tournament top scorer with his seventh drag-flick of the competition, nut-megging the Polish goalkeeper in the 15th minute for 2-0. It came from a superb break-out via Stephen Butler, Jermyn and Cockram.

Indeed, the Cork C of I man’s lethal strike rate of seven goals from ten corners is a major boon for Paul Revington ahead of the European Championships. When he was off field, the strike rate lowered to around 25pc.

Ireland were in reasonable control though the one corner they did concede ended Conor Harte’s involvement for the day as Tomasz Duktiewicz’s drag left him with a dead leg but the lead comfortably remained in tact until the interval.

The second half, however, opened with a more dithering approach and it was no surprise Poland capitalised following a four minute spell camped in Irish territory, Strykowski getting his first of the game.

It awoke the hosts from their slumber with Jermyn flying down the right. A slight bobble cleared a way for Andy McConnell – seeing his first action of the tournament – but he snatched at the golden chance.

Another Jermyn shot rebounded Cockram’s way but his quick reaction could only guide over the bar. The goal was coming and it was Watt who secured it though Cockram deserves the greater part of the plaudits.

An overcooked through-ball looked simple for Trzaskawka to deal with but the ’Garvey man persevered to block the keeper’s kick, spin and lay on a top cross. Both Watt and Jermyn slid and got touches but it was the former who got the final deflection for 3-1 in the 50th minute.

But the wheels began to wobble thereafter as Ireland dropped deeper and Poland enjoyed more of the ball.

Strykowski’s raw power drove him through two tackles and while David Harte did well to smother, Dariusz Rachwalski rolled in the rebound to set up a grandstand finish with 13 minutes to go.

Several chances went Ireland’s way on the counter as Alan Sothern was unable to wrap his stick around Ronan Gormley’s cross; Eugene Magee magic earned a corner while McConnell twice found himself in around the back.

But Poland were holding the lion’s share of territory, pinning Ireland back and eventually got their break when Slawomir Choczaj was left all alone on the left wing. He slammed in a cross which Strykowski guided spectacularly netwards and there was no time to take the restart.

David Hobbs went closest in the first period of extra-time, skimming a post from a near impossible angle while in the second period; Magee produced one incredible effort, flipping himself from open side to reverse while lying flat on the ground.

One last goal-mouth scramble yielded an 84th minute penalty corner but with Jermyn primed, the switch went left and Cockram’s drag was cleared to safety.

David Harte’s save from Duktiewicz gave Ireland the early initiative in the stroke competition but when Joe Brennan’s effort was saved in the third series, the sides were back on level terms.

His stroke was shrouded in controversy, though, as the crowd hushed. One of the two Polish reserve players called out as Brennan shaped to shoot in an attempt to put the player off. Upon the miss, the Pole turned to the now booing crowd, raised his finger to his lips, leading to even louder cat-calls ahead of Szymon Hutek’s stroke.

He held his nerve as the Polish player was admonished by an official though it remains to be seen whether the issue will be taken further. Poland’s management were given an official warning over their conduct on the sideline by the tournament director in the semi-final win over France with possible penalties carrying into the European championships.

Penalties progressed to the sudden-death round where player-of-the-tournament Duktiewicz bounced back from his earlier miss to score. Butler fired left and wide and the title was gone.

In terms of workd rankings, the result makes a small dent in Ireland's deficit to France, Japan and Malaysia above them. However, missing out on the single promotion place to the more lucrative Champion's Challenge I means Ireland's chances of closing the gap are somewhat limited in the near future, especially with only a European B division campaign this year.

Ireland gained 10 points more than France, 15 than Malaysia and 20 on Japan but with 120 points to make up, moving up a tier will be a difficult proposition in the near future.

* Adrian Boehm photos from Ireland vs Poland can be found here while Lindie Naughton's set of pictures can be see here...