Nenagh beat Kinsale to retainMunster Hockey Cup

Hockey supporters were spoiled with the action taking place in Cork on Sunday as Nenagh Hockey Club had not one but two teams in Munster Cup Finals which took place at Cork Harlequins in Farmers Cross.

Under 18 Final: Nenagh 2-1 Kinsale

Having won the Cup last year, Nenagh were undoubtedly favourites against a Kinsale side who were the only team to beat the Tipperary girls this season in what has been an incredible consistent performance. As recently as a fortnight ago, Nenagh overcame Kinsale to win the Munster League, and so the stage was set for a thrilling Cup Final.

Both teams looked nervous in the opening encounters as they looked to find the opening score that would settle them into the game. Nenagh spread the ball wide and worked their way up to the Kinsale D where they were swiftly awarded a short corner. Despite several attempts, they failed to get past the keeper and ultimately came away empty handed.

Buoyed by their defensive effort, Kinsale counter-attacked. Nenagh's defence struggled to back track and a fast and agile Kinsale forward got past the Nenagh keeper to open the scoring.

Calm heads were required by the Tipperary team as they looked to equalise in the second quarter, but their mounting frustration began to show, and they lost their shape in patches. Heading into half time the team were clearly frustrated with their performance, but the break was an opportunity to reshuffle the team, bring on some fresh legs and to regain some composure.

Nenagh hit the field after half time and immediately threatened the Kinsale goal. They were awarded a short corner and this time some pre-rehearsed interplay between Katya Shorten and Jane Carroll gave Shorten a clear shot which she buried into the goal.

The goal was exactly what was needed and Nenagh began to relax into their familiar patterns of play and passing. Ruby Benn, bloodied and bruised from having been tightly marked for most of the match, began to find another gear to get the better of her opponent. Elizabeth Dunne and Tara McTiernan also began to find some space to run with the ball on the wing.

Kinsale were dogged in their defence though and there was a clear battle in midfield as both team looked to break the deadlock. There were tense moments for Nenagh supporters again when Kinsale were awarded a short corner which Nenagh dealt with efficiently.

More Nenagh pressure on the restart gave the team great field position and it was Shorten again who broke the deadlock with a great strike to put Nenagh ahead. Kinsale to their credit kept up the pace but they never looked in a position to score again from play. Nenagh kept their cool now and continued to pass well and tackle hard. As the minutes ebbed away Kinsale could not find a way past a solid Nenagh defence. The whistle blew and the supporters from Nenagh who had been very vocal throughout the game gave a huge roar. There were delighted scenes as the players and panel embraced and enjoyed moments of celebration.

The Munster Cup was awarded to Nenagh captain Aoibhinn Murphy by the President of Munster Hockey. In her acceptance speech, Murphy thanked the coaches, management and supporters as well as her team mates for the incredible effort they have put in this year to win both the Munster Cup and league.

"The coaches and management are so proud of this team, not just today but for the entire season,” said coach Colin Stanley.

“Today was challenging at times, but when we regained our composure and went back to what we do best, then the goals came. Kinsale have been great opponents this year and they really put it up to us today. We are delighted to have completed the double and we will be celebrating the win in style in a couple of weeks at our end of Season Gala.”

Under 16 Final: Limerick 2-1 Nenagh

The U16 team took on rivals Limerick in their final.

It started on a sombre note as a minutes silence was observed for Bronagh English, a member of Clonmel Hockey Club, who passed away tragically.

While Limerick have bested Nenagh in their last two outings, the Tipp team have steadily improved and had put in a superb performance in the semi-finals two weeks previously, displaying a tenacity to get the job done when needed.

Nenagh started well and enjoyed good possession in the first quarter. Limerick for their part looked nervous but some solid defence by their goalkeeper denied Nenagh some good opportunities to open the scoring.

Nenagh enjoyed lots of good go forward ball through tireless running from Jennifer Kennedy and Lorna Ryan but the last pass to unlock the forwards was snaffled up time and again by Limerick. One such attack was turned over by Limerick and the Nenagh defence had to scramble back to cover. A great pass to a forward lurking on the top of the D saw Limerick open the score just before the first quarter time whistle.

Despite being a goal down, Nenagh remained composed in the second quarter, but Limerick also started to settle into the game. In what was end-to-end hockey, Nenagh finally got a break when they were awarded a short corner, Jennifer Kennedy hit a tremendous strike to level the scores heading into half time.

It was all to play for as the second half began with both teams looking threatening going forward. Limerick put Nenagh under serious pressure for a period in the third quarter and it took some brave and confident goalkeeping by Isabelle Smith to keep the sides even. A lucky break by a pacey Limerick forward left Nenagh scrambling to defend. Limerick got their shot away to pull ahead and put Nenagh on the back foot yet again.

Nenagh were desperately chasing the game in the final quarter. Lauren Grace worked tirelessly to create chances and some go-forward momentum but Limerick upped their defensive efforts to deal with the Nenagh attacks. Their ‘D’ proved impenetrable despite the constant pressure from Nenagh. When the final whistle blew, the Limerick side were delighted to have weathered the storm in such a tight game to win the Cup.

“What a tight match. We really felt we could have equalised but just ran out of time. Credit to limerick they took their chances when they could. Making it to this final was a great achievement which really made our season. All seventeen girls had their part in this success,” said Coach Nanno Vuyk after the game.