Ireland let lead slip and pay penalty

MENS HOCKEY/Ireland 3 Poland 3 (AET – Poland win 5-4 on penalties):IRELAND WERE cruelly denied the inaugural Champion's Challenge II title, and promotion to a higher tier of competition in 2011, on penalties after Poland came back from the dead in normal time to draw 3-3 at Belfield yesterday

Indeed, the title looked home and hosed until Marcin Strykowski struck with the last touch of the game to level matters for the first time since the third minute to force extra-time.

Earlier, Mikey Watt swept in to break the deadlock and an assured Ireland were well in control as tournament top-scorer John Jermyn nailed his seventh penalty corner of the tournament to make it 2-0 in the 15th minute.

The combination work of Eugene Magee, Watt and Timmy Cockram could have yielded more goals but numerous reverse-stick efforts flashed wide and over.

Poland capitalised on the profligacy to pull one back early in the second half through Strykowski but the two-goal advantage was restored when Watt got on the end of superb Cockram spadework.

The Irish, though, fell back deeper and deeper and Rachwalski took up the invitation to pull one back to set up a nervy finish, 3-2 with 13 minutes left.

And the punishment for trying to play out the clock was ultimately inflicted with the last play of the game.

Extra-time saw David Hobbs skim a post from a near impossible angle and one corner chance but with Jermyn primed, Cockram took the shot instead and was easily saved.

David Harte’s save from Tomasz Duktiewicz in the penalty stroke competition gave Ireland an initial advantage but misses from Joe Brennan and Stephen Butler sent the trophy Poland’s way.

Elsewhere, Ireland’s under-18 girl’s retained their place in the top tier of European competition thanks to Katie Codyre last-gasp strike.

Needing a win to maintain A Division status, the Connacht girl’s goal three minutes from time secured a 3-2 victory over Russia.

The under-18 boy’s, meanwhile, took gold in the B Division with a 5-3 win over France with Steven Dowds netting a hat-trick.

IRELAND: D Harte, J Jackson, R Gormley (capt), M Watt, S Butler, J Brennan, J Jermyn, E Magee, G Shaw, D Hobbs, T Lewis Subs: A McConnell, T Cockram, G McCabe, A Sothern, C Harte.

POLAND: M Trzaskawka, T Duktiewicz, M Kluczynski, B Zywiczka, M Strykowski, M Juszczak, D Rachwalski, S Choczaj, T Choczaj, K Kmiec, M Jansiszewski Subs: M Korcz, B Kubiak, T Gorny, P Bratowski, S Hutek.

CHAMPION’S CHALLENGE II ROUND-UP (Belfield): Final: Ireland 3 (Mikey Watt 2, John Jermyn), Poland 3 (M Strykowski 2, Rachwalski) – Poland win on penalties; 3rd/4th play-off: France 4 Malaysia 3 – after golden goal; 5th/6th playoff: Japan 9 Russia 2; 7th/8th playoff: Austria 4 Chile 2. EUROHOCKEY GIRLS YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS (A division): Relegation playoff: Ireland 3 (Chloe Watkins, Brenda Flannery, Katie Codyre) Russia 2.

EUROHOCKEY BOYS YOUTH TROPHY (B division): Final: Ireland 5 (Steven Dowds 3, Kyle Good 2) France 3.