Glenanne produce stirring comeback

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: THE SEASON may only be a few weeks' old but it's hard to imagine Glenanne's extraordinary display against Ulster Elks on Saturday being matched by too many teams before the end of the campaign.

The Dublin side were 3-0 down by half-time but fought back to beat last season’s ESB Irish Senior Cup semi-finalists on penalty strokes in their first-round match in Tallaght.

Suman Bala, an Indian international for the past 10 years, gave the visitors the lead, with Kirstie Lammey and Caroline Smith seemingly putting the game beyond Glenanne with further goals before the break.

Guy Garrett’s Glenanne, though, were given some hope early in the second half when Dearbhla Kieran pulled a goal back, before Paula Fitzpatrick narrowed the deficit to a single score. Kieran completed the recovery, Glenanne going on to convert all five of their penalty strokes to the Elks’ three.

There was better news for Ulster at Grange Road where their under-16 and under-18 sides retained their interprovincial titles, neither team dropping a point and conceding just a goal each in their four games.

Leinster needed to beat Ulster in the final match of the under-16 tournament yesterday to pip them to the title, but a Kate McQuillan goal clinched the game for the defending champions.

The province cruised to success in the under-18 event, finishing six points clear of Connacht (runners-up on goal difference), Leinster and Munster.

In the Leinster League champions Railway Union made it two wins out of two with a 3-1 defeat of UCD, while Trinity had a winning start to their campaign, Rachel Scott’s penalty stroke the only score in their game away to Bray.