HOCKEY / St Andrews 2 Mount Anville 0: Two years ago St Andrews led Mount Anville 2-0 with 11 minutes to go in the Leinster Senior Schools Cup semi-final but went on to lose the game 3-2 in extra time.
Yesterday the four survivors from Andrews' 2002 starting line-up - the Flinn twins, Roisín and Fyona, Krisy Neligan and Suzie Murray - might have worried history would repeat itself when they went two up again, against the same opposition, in another cup semi-final, but their team held its lead until full-time and in next month's final will defend the cup they won for the first time last year.
A goal in each half from Roisín Flinn settled the clash of Leinster's "titans" - St Andrews followed up last year's cup success with their first league title last month; Mount Anville won the league last year and the cup in 2002.
Once again the Flinns - Fyona at centre midfield and Roisín on the right wing - were the driving force, but another of yesterday's star performers, Mount Anville defender Emily Conway, will surely struggle to play as well again. Conway was, though, helpless to prevent Roisín Flinn's opening score, after 11 minutes, a thrilling solo effort that saw the winger slip through the Mount Anville defence before firing past Nikki Beausang.
Roisín Flinn made it 2-0 midway through the second half, turning home the rebound from a free hit, and apart from one scare in each half - when Rachel Reddy and Dearbhla McGuinness came close for Mount Anville - St Andrews survived relatively unscathed.
ST ANDREWS: B Luke; H Leggett, K Neligan, N Doyle, K O'Grady, A Morris, F Flinn, S Mawhinney, R Flinn, V Taylor, S Murray. Subs: K Langstine, C McGilp, A Black, K Stewart, R Burke.
MOUNT ANVILLE: N Beausang; E Conway, K Carton, J Donohoe, A O'Donnell, J Gilligan, D McGuinness, A Blaney, R Reddy, K Hutch, K O'Connor. Subs: R McEvoy, K Graham, A Cunningham, B Conroy-Murphy.
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