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Irish Examiner
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Church of Ireland secure promotion to the EYHL Division 1
Having secured promotion in Saturday's semi-finals, Cork C of I and Cookstown, and Queen's University and Portadown met in their respective EYHL 2 finals to determine the destination of this season's silverware. Cork C of I and Cookstown met in the first final of the day. A closely contested first half saw Cork C of I go into the break leading 2-1. The Munster side turned up the heat in the second half, producing a clinical performance to put three unanswered goals passed Cookstown to win out 5-1. Straight after, Ulster rivals Queen's University and Portadown met, to determine the destination of the women's trophy. A confident and professional performance from Queen's saw them secure a 2-0 victory, adding the EYHL 2 trophy to their Ulster Premier League title this season. Cork C of I, Cookstown, Queen's University, and Portadown will all play in next season's EY Hockey League following their promotion this weekend. In the Men's EY Champions Trophy, Banbridge made no mistake against Avoca to book another finals weekend place, with a Johnny McKee hat-trick helping them secure a 6-0 win. YMCA produced a stunning final quarter comeback to beat Monkstown 2-1, Oliver Graham and Adam Walker grabbing the crucial goals. Banbridge will now face Three Rock Rovers, while YMCA meet Lisnagarvey in the EY Champions Trophy semi-finals in Havelock Park on May 3. In the Women's EY Champions Trophy, Old Alex hit Catholic Institute for six in Rosbrien to reach the finals weekend, with six different scorers helping them overcome Catholic Institute. Elsewhere, Ulster Elks edged a tight encounter with fellow Ulster side Pegasus, with Elks eventually managing to book their place in the Finals Weekend in the Penalty Shoot-Out. Old Alex will face Loreto and Ulster Elks will meet Railway Union in the EY Champions Trophy Finals Semi-Finals in Havelock Park on May 3. In Munster it was a busy weekend of cup action with Crescent winning the Women's Division 4 final. It was double delight for UCC women's sides as they won the Division 2 and 3 finals. Waterford won the Men's Charity Cup final, with Catholic Institute to the fore in the McLean Cup final. On Sunday C o I beat Waterford in the Men's Cup final to finish off a good weekend for the club.
Belfast Telegraph
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Derby rivals Ulster Elks and Pegasus lock horns in mouth-watering Play-Off Quarter-Final duel
It is the hosts who come into the weekend as hot favourites having finished six points and two places ahead of their Belfast rivals in the regular season. Meanwhile, of the 2024/25 season's previous four meetings, it is Joel Cathcart's side who come out on top with two wins and two draws. However, Elks come into the tie with just one win in their previous three outings, beating Pembroke Wanderers 1-0 on the last day of the season with a Zahra Lowry strike. In contrast, Pegasus won three of their previous four League games, with a Katie McKee strike earning a 1-0 win on the last day of the season to secure their Play-Off spot. Elsewhere, Banbridge are also in Quarter-Final action as they host Avoca in the men's section of the competition. The 2023/24 EYHL champions finished the regular season in third place, ending the season with a 3-1 defeat to Monkstown two weeks previously. Looking to bounce back, they take on an Avoca outfit they have already beaten twice in the 2024/25 season with an aggregate score of 9-2. The sides last met back in February when four goals from Johnny McKee were added to by Peter Brown and Phillip Brown (2) strikes that sealed a comfortable win for the Ulster side. In the EYHL2, Cookstown, Portadown and Queen's University could all earn promotion as they contest their Semi-Final clashes. In the men's section, Cookstown take on Cork Harlequins in Dublin with the mid-Ulster side looking to return to the EYHL after two seasons in the Premier League. The Ulster Premier League champions finished the group stages with an almost faultless record, winning seven of their eight group games and scoring an outstanding 37 goals. Forward Greg Allen was also in sensational form in the group, scoring 10 goals, and his side will be relying on him once more today as they take on the Munster champions for a place in the EYHL in the 2025/26 season. In the women's section, Queen's take on Monkstown, hoping to cap off an impressive 2024/25 season. In the midst of a successful season, Simon Bell's side finished the domestic League unbeaten to win the Legacy Wealth Management Premier League for a second consecutive term, wrapping up their invincible campaign with a 3-0 win over Mossley in midweek. Two goals from Ellie Edwards and a Zoe Wilson strike sealed the win and continued their fine form in their push for promotion. They now face a Monkstown side who came second in Pool A behind Ulster outfit Portadown and are led by Chloe Watkins, who scored three goals in the group stages of the competition. The final game of the weekend sees Portadown just one win away from promotion, and they face a Corinthians side who knocked them out of the Irish Senior Cup with a shoot-out victory in February.
