MEN'S HOCKEY:PEMBROKE FRAYED their supporters' nerves but ultimately picked up the three points they needed to claim the Leinster Division One title, Justin Sherriff copper-fastening a 2-0 win over Three Rock Rovers with the last touch of the season.
The result ended the brave challenge of Corinthian who did all they could to claim a maiden success. A Saturday 6-0 obliteration of under-strength Glenanne was supplemented by a 4-1 win over already relegated Clontarf yesterday.
But they always needed a favour from Rovers at Serpentine Avenue who, themselves, needed a point to secure an IHL wildcard place.
Indeed, with the fixtures played simultaneously, Corinthian were temporarily top of the standings, racing into a 3-0 lead at Mount Temple with victory all but secure by half-time.
The focus, therefore, switched fully to the Pembroke match where Stephen West was doing his utmost to keep Rovers goal-line intact.
He repelled three corners before a piece of Alan Sothern wizardry eventually broke the deadlock, swivelling first to the right and then onto his reverse to power home via a defender’s stick in the 27th minute.
But, so long as it remained at just a single goal margin, there was hope for Corinthian; a mood heightened when Conor Harte was sin-binned midway through the second half for a sliding tackle on Michael Maguire.
During that suspension, Rovers had their best chances to level, Peter McConnell skimming just wide of the post. But when Pierre de Voux was also shown yellow, their chances were all but up in smoke.
It was still a nervy finish at the Ballsbridge venue as the ball sprayed from end to end but one final piece of magic eventually settled matters.
Maurice Elliott and Sherriff both went close before, fittingly, player-coach Craig Fulton inspired the final minute sealer, intercepting on halfway and racing 40 metres before finding Elliott in space. He calmly found Sherriff for the simplest of tap-ins to retain Leinster’s premier title to go with the cup title they claimed on St Patrick’s Day.
Monkstown, meanwhile, claimed the fourth automatic Irish Hockey League place for 2010/11, snatching a last minute, 3-3 draw at Glenanne courtesy of Brian Groves’ strike.
YMCA earned a shot at a first ever IHL place, too, as they beat Railway Union 2-0 with corner goals from Scott Mills and Rob Whelan, edging out Three Rock by a single point in the race for fifth place.
In that round-robin, likely to be played in May, the Sandymount club will face either Ulster’s Lisnagarvey or Instonians while Bandon are Munster’s representatives.
