Wesley seniors finally managed to overcome Kilkenny yesterday afternoon in Ballinteer in their first round replay, a match originally due to be completed on January 14. The initial tie went to extra-time and a replay before the cold snap saw pitches snowed under.
It means Wesley have to now cram in four games in a week to retain their title to complete the cup on time. The final is due to be played on March 4 in Grange Road.
Three goals inside 20 minutes sealed the tie. Striker Carl Eggert netted a drag-flick in the second minute and Kyle Good made it 2-0 just a few minutes later.
It was followed by a goal of real class with Eggert and Good combining in the circle – after a flowing team move up the pitch – to set up Jamie Tobin on the flick spot who finished well into the bottom corner.
Kilkenny did pull one back through Billy Campbell with ten minutes to go but Luke Chadwick restored the advantage in the closing stages.
Wesley now play John Scottus in the quarter-final. The winner of that tie faces High School – powered by Glenanne ace Shane O’Donoghue and classy midfielder Josh Purcell – who ousted Mount Temple in the quarters.
St Andrew’s await the winners in the final. If Wesley were to negotiate the top half of the draw, it would confirm a third final showdown between the sides this year – with the All-Ireland’s already negotiated and a league final still to come.
In the Junior semis, the emerging Mount Temple play hot favourites St Andrew’s in the bottom half of the draw. The top half is less clear-cut with Wesley still to play High School in the quarter-finals. Sutton Park lie in wait. The small North Dublin school has reached three out of four schoolboy semis this year, testament to the development work put in by Colin Stewart.
The minor section sees Stewart’s Sutton play Andrew’s – the Booterstown school illuminated by the famous surnames of Cole and Loughrey at this level – on Friday. Wesley’s U-14s play St Killian’s in a quarter-final replay this afternoon with a rejuvenated Newpark – under Peter Murphy’s tutelage – the prize in the semi-finals.
In the U-13 cup, St Andrew’s beat Kilkenny 1-0 to reach the final and are hoping their unbeaten run in the league will carry through. Sutton Park plays Wesley next Monday in the other semi-final. The Ballinteer school holds the aces in this one, having taking the honours in league action.
In a further initiative by the Leinster School’s Committee, the two cup final days – March 4 and 11 – will see the developing schools of Skerries, St Mark’s, Drogheda Grammar and Sandford Park play in a blitz tournament.
The top two from these games will go forward to a final on the eleventh as the curtain-raiser to the junior and U-13 finals.
Finals Schedule (All at Grange Road):
March 4:
12pm: Developing school's blitz
2pm: Minor final - Wesley College/Newpark vs St Andrew's (Umpires: Scott Crombie, Dean Maguire)
3.45pm: Senior final - St Andrew's vs Wesley/High School (Umpires: Kieran Bolger, Andrew Groves)
March 11:
12pm: Developing School's final
1.45pm: U-13 final - St Andrew's vs Sutton Park/Wesley
3.30pm: Junior final - Wesley/High School/Sutton Park vs St Andrew's/Mount Temple
Interpro heroics mask structural deficiencies
7 years ago
37 comments:
Its great to see that finally they have a tournament for the smaller hockey playing schools.
Sad to see Sandford Park being classified as a "developing school".
One or two generations ago Sandford were competing in finals with the best of them.
Shows what a lack of facilities and proper coaching setup can do to a schools ambitions!
One has to admire the standard Wesley and St. Andrews are setting at the same time however.
Andrews beat Kings Hos 13-0 in the semis!!! Carson scoring 6 goals!
Wesely will have to be at there best to even have a chance at beating andrews!
cian speers
Speaking of Sandford from personal experience, it is wrong to say the school did not have a proper coaching set-up.
Currently, Nasir Munir is coaching there, Maarten Sier, Rense Siegmund and Gilles van Hesteren coached there too, both with very high grade coaching badges from Holland.
The major change has been the discontinuation of the prep school whch provided students who had played for three or four years to the school.
Now, the majority of the 30-35 first years enter the school having never played. Sutton have shown it possible to be successful in this environment but Sandford had been a little slow to react to the change in thier status but the shoots of recovery are there.
Sandford competed at senior level for two years with a freak set of players. With only 14 players between 4th and 6th, nine had underage Leinster/ireland experience but the year before there was no senior team.
actually heard it was 14-0 but andrews shouldn't count their chickens before they are hatched big big game next week hope they're not gettin too cocky
Andrews should have had league match v Wesley sewn up at half time and they let them back in - just remember that lads!!!
fair play for covering the schools hockey no one ever seems to know whats going on . well done stephen
Having quality coaches for the senior team and having a quality coaching setup are two very different things.
A new good quality coach coming in every year and coaching the struggling Senior team isn't going to help improve the schools hockey standing. A long term development plan and better facilities are needed.
Also Sandford had more than one good team, they were always competing well in the first division usually making it into the top 3. Up until a few years ago the school was also consistantly producing players for the underage interpro and international teams.
Anyway, enough of this off topic banter,
Goose out.
The major problem in Sandford is that Hockey has to compete with Rugby. Because there are only 30-35 students per year.
There is not enough students to fill a rugby sqaud and a hockey squad on the same day.
So when rugby matches and hockey matches colided hockey suffered because most of the "sporty" people wanted to play rugby.
I wouldnt be so quick to blame the coaches maybe the blame is to go to the management.
Sandford hockey really took a dive when they competed in Div 1. They lost every game for about 4 seasons. Nobody want to be on a side which loses on average 6-0.
Although things seem to be improving ever since they were relegated to Div 2.
There is an Old Boys Game vs School on the 9th March starts at 4. any old boys interested?
good to hear schoolboys hockey been covered
have to say lads
it all has to do with the amount of people playin cause like in
st marks in tallaght most guys think it is a girls sport so they are not goin to play it
and also we get cup matchs vs teams like wesley/andrews/high school it is not tat easy to compete the only good team they had was a few years ago when they had a team of glenanne goin out to matchs!!!!
its great to see a team like high school who just a few years ago were playing in div 2 now reaching the final last year and now at least a semi this year. they dont get the recognition they deserve. a great example to schools like sandford, dundalk etc.
John Waring looking good already:
St Andrews
Maybe Wesley?
Banbridge
Cookstown
Bandon
Ashton?
seeing as wesley juniors beat andrews juniors 6-1 i would comsider wesley as hot favourite for junior cup not andrews! i predict a wesley vs mt temple finally!
Any news on the school girls cups ???
To be honest, no, I don't have too much info on the schoolgirl's cups. I know St Andrew's beat league winners Alexandra College 1-0 in the second round of the seniors but that's about it.
If you have any info on the girl's cups, please email me.
The majority of the schoolboy's info has come from Ronan Walsh and RW so any credit should go their way.
Update: Wesley beat St Killians in the minor replay this afternoon and now play Newpark on Friday.
andrews girls are playing mt. anville in the semi final of the senior cup in grange road tommorrow at 1.30!!go andrews
Andrews play Mount Anville in girls senior semi tomorrow 1.30 at Marley. Think Mount Sackville and Muckross in other semi.
ye mount temple are good but andrews will be them and get to final...it will be hard for them to beat wesley in final tho..
4 Games on today
Senior Wesley v John Scottus
Junior Wesley v H School
Minor Wesley v Newpark
Minor Sutton Park v St Andrews
Monday
Senior Wesley/Scottus v High School
Under 13 Sutton Park v Wesley
Wednesday 4th Minor and Senior finals and development blitz
Friday 6th
Junior Mount Temple v Wesley
Wednesday 11th Junior and U 13 an deeveloping schools final
Ronan
Have to hand to Walshy and Bacus at Sutton Park School, they run the Association and I think between them coach all? the boys teams in the school.
Great to see so much comment on schools hockey -
Can i wish all sutton park teams good luck in their big semi finals and well done to Bachus and Ronan Walsh it bodes well for the future!!
Tom H
Pres Suttonians HC
How's the weekend fixtures piece coming along there Stephen????
will be with you presently!
Update: Wesley seniors beat John Scottus in the quarter-finals today and will now face High School
Minor update: St Andrew's beat Sutton Park 2-0 today
St Andrews v Mt temple juniors is next friday at 2.30
This will be a very close game as Andrews only won the league match 2-1.
Adam Merry from Mt Temple is a player to watch out for,lethal in the D
Bandon for the John Waring
Update
Under 13 Semi Wesley V Sutton Park March 2 in wesley 2pm
Junior Semi St Andrews V M Temple 2.30 Fri 6th
Junior Semi Wesley v Sutton Park tba
have to be honest an absolute disgrace what st andrews did....i know its senior hockey but its still schools hockey and a scoreline like that needs to be stopped...nobody benefits from it and will only deter KH players from wanting to play....wesley were in a similar situation against john scottus today and they went half court and worked the ball around the back and tried some new stuff...i know it made the second half more enjoyable for the scottus lads....
I have to agree with last comment. Common sense should prevail as it normally does between coaches - a 14-0 should never be allowed to materialise. Have to feel for KH guys having to back to class after a thumping like that.
Andrews/Wesley show some mercy/class!!
cup/plate desperately required for teams like:
John Scottus
Mt Temple
King's Hos
Dundalk
Sandford
St Columba's
as wesley andrews kilkenny dominate leinster schools hockey, and there is a severe lack of enjoyment for those competing in the senior cup when they get drawn with the teams mentioned. i seriously dislike watching these kids playing against the likes of andrews wesley and kilkenny. PLEASE LEINSTER HOCKEY MAKE A CUP/PLATE FOR THE WEAKER SCHOOLS FOR THE FOLLOWING SEASON 09/10. EVERYONE WILL BENEFIT FROM SUCH A COMPETITION
From the Daily Telegraph
'The Football Association has been urged to introduce a "mercy rule" in youth soccer that would result in games being stopped if a team opens up a nine-goal lead. Supporters of the proposal claim it would prevent young players being humiliated and becoming disillusioned with the "beautiful game". But critics say that sparing the feelings of players under 13 will also deprive them of the character-building experience of having to cope with a "thrashing".
'Ron Westerman, chairman of the league, in which more than 6,000 children play, said: 'We'd not be taking away victory or defeat, merely lessening its severity. Scorelines of 25-0 don't do anyone any favours, especially at age eight to ten. We've asked the FA to consider bringing this in nationwide, but at the moment it's just one of many things up for consultation."
'The rule already operates unofficially in Devon. Paul Morrison, the Devon FA chief executive, said children were "more vulnerable these days"'
to 1:09, that leaves a very small number of schools in the top tier. Is the answer to expand the all ireland competition?
you cant expand the all irelands. that would involve far too much travel. a lot of these players also have exams to worry about.
What if you run the school all irelands like the clubs all ireland league.
So you'd have All Ireland Schools Weekends. Clubs would there by have to excuse there school boys for those weekends.
Then with the "weaker" schools they play a round robin tournament within there Provinces ie Leinster Munster etc.
At the end the top teams from each play a grande final.
Winners have the OPTION of playing in the All Ireland Schools League.
What to people think??
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