10-05-2025
Lisnagarvey and Railway Union savour AIG Irish Senior Cup glory
Lisnagarvey and Railway Union secured the AIG Irish Senior Cups, the World's Oldest Club Hockey Cup, overcoming YMCA and Loreto respectively.
Lisnagarvey were quick out of the blocks, scoring early to get themselves on the way to a comprehensive 4-0 win, while Railway Union had to weather a second half storm from Loreto to keep hold of the cup in a feisty final.
Lisnagarvey and YMCA began the day with the Men's AIG Irish Senior Cup. Ulster side Lisnagarvey were quick out of the traps, Jonny Lynch opening the scoring with a superb deflection from a penalty corner. Tom Archbold added a second for Garvey before the end of the first quarter to double-their lead.
YMCA began to get a foothold early in the second quarter, but a Matthew Aughey penalty corner just before halftime added a third for Lisnagarvey to quell any talks of a comeback.
Peter McKibbin, the eventual Player of the Match, put the icing on the cake scoring Lisnagarvey's fourth and putting the game well out of reach in the final quarter.
The win sees Lisnagarvey secure their 27th AIG Irish Senior Cup, solidifying their place further as the competition's most successful team.
Railway Union and Loreto played out a feisty encounter straight after in the Women's AIG Irish Senior Cup Final. Railway's Sarah Patton opened the scoring, providing the decisive touch during a goalmouth scramble to break the deadlock after 10 minutes. Railway continued to control the game for the remainder of the first half, testing Loreto on a number of occassions but the game remained 1-0 going into the break.
The tides shifted in the second half, with Loreto using their pace to attack Railway Union from wide areas. Penalty corner after penalty corner for Loreto provided them with plenty of opportunities to draw level, but the defensive team from Railway marshalled by goalkeeper Emma Maloney kept them at bay. Railway almost extended their lead on a number of occasions late on, with Katie Mullan being denied by Loreto's ELizabeth Murphy from a superb strike.
Railway eventually managed to grab their second of the game, winning a late penalty stroke following an overzealous challenge in the circle, which Roisin Upton dispatched to make it 2-0.
A number of cards for Railway Union gave Loreto a player advantage in the final minutes. A penalty corner on the final whistle eventually saw them find the net, but Railway's victory was already secured.
Railway's AIG Irish Senior Cup marked the final game in a yellow jersey for veteran Emma Smyth, making the occasion that bit more special for the back-to-back champions.
Elsewhere, Avoca secured the Women's Irish Hockey Trophy in a tense encounter with Glenanne. A hattrick from Zoe Watterson and goal from Hannah De Burgh Whyte was enough to eventually see them win 4-1 to take the silverware home to Blackrock.
Portrane managed to hold their nerve in a penalty shoot-out to beat Queen's University Belfast. Two late goals from both sides forced the shoot-out, which Portrane won 3-1.
