Symmons retains Cup for Loreto

WOMEN'S HOCKEY/Irish Senior Cup final - Cork Harlequins ... 2 Loreto ... 3: After extra-time Loreto became only the fourth club in 50 years, after Muckross, Portadown and Pegasus, to retain the Sharwood's Irish Senior Cup following their 3-2 victory over Cork Harlequins at Belfield yesterday.

Nikki Symmons got the game's deciding goal, 90 seconds into extra-time, after the Munster champions had fought back to level the game, having trailed 2-0.

When Cathy McKean scored her second goal of the final, in the 44th minute, Harlequins' hopes of repeating their 2000 success in the competition looked all but dead, but two goals from Jane Chapple, the second with just 76 seconds remaining in normal time, completed a wonderfully courageous comeback by the Cork team.

Loreto, though, were deserving victors, even if their "wobble" in the final 30 minutes of normal time, reminiscent of their surprise Leinster Cup final defeat on St Patrick's Day, resulted in them losing their grip on a game they had largely controlled. They regained their composure, however, in the extra 20 minute spell, just at a stage when Harlequins appeared to have stolen the upper hand.

A team effort, of course, but Orla Ryan, left-back in the first half, everywhere after that, was immense, closely followed by centre-back Clodagh Grealy, who marked Karen Bateman, Harlequins' greatest threat, superbly, and Symmons, too - if Irish coach Riet Kuper can harness this 20-year-old's talents then Ireland will have a forward of genuine class on their hands. And, based on her midfield display yesterday, Caitriona O'Kelly must surely have earned a recall to the Irish panel.

McKean had given the holders a dream start, intercepting Elaine Brommel's fluffed hit-out to score after just three minutes, and, with Symmons in sparkling form, they continued to give a nervous Harlequins defence a torrid time for the remainder of the half.

Harlequins, though, lifted their game in the opening stages of the second half, enjoying plenty of possession, largely through Rachel Kohler's efforts in midfield, but they were caught on the break by Symmons whose charge upfield ended with a pass into McKean's path in the circle - Nan Kearney was adjudged to have obstructed the forward but O'Meara hit the resulting stroke straight at McCarthy and Harlequins were still in the game.

Four minutes later, however, Loreto doubled their lead, with McKean converting a cutback from schoolgirl Nikki Keegan who had created the opening with a dazzling run up the left wing. That, really, should have been that. But, in the 53rd minute Chapple intercepted Sarah Rand's attempted pass across the face of goal to right-back Rachel Brophy, advanced and fired clinically into the bottom left corner. Game on.

Soon after Bateman fired a ferocious snap-shot at Healy from the edge of the circle but the young goalkeeper deflected it away, before Dillon shot narrowly wide from a short corner after the rebound from another Healy save had fallen to her.

In 2000, Ciara McGrath's goal 30 seconds from time won Harlequins the cup. Yesterday, just to prove they like to leave things late, Chapple's equaliser 76 seconds from the "hooter" kept them in the final. Kearney tapped a free on the right of the circle to Dillon, her deflected cross reached Chapple on the left post - goal. Extra-time. Loreto could barely comprehend what had happened to them.

Symmons, though, calmed their frayed nerves, thundering home a short corner shot, having been set up by Aoife O'Brien, just one and a half minutes into extra-time. This time there was no coming back for Harlequins. The closest they came to another equaliser was when Dillon shot wide from a corner, but Loreto defended their regained lead with greater cool this time around.

At full-time their celebrations began, but they must quickly turn their attention to their quest for the Leinster League title, European Cup Winners' Cup success, not to mention their All-Ireland Club finals' campaign. Heady days for the club from Beaufort.

CORK HARLEQUINS: O McCarthy, N Kearney, E Brommel, E Dillon, J Barry, S Canning, R Kohler, H Costello, J Chapple, K Bateman (capt), M Ahern. Subs: J Hyland, C O'Callaghan, F Higgins, G Kehelly, M Boland.

LORETO: L Healy, A O'Brien, S Rand, C Grealy, O Ryan, S O'Meara, C O'Kelly, N Lyons (capt), N Symmons, C McKean, S Scott. Subs: R Brophy, S Cooney, N Keegan, W Byrne, M Harkin.