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Railway Women - Irish Senior Cup Winners 2024 !
Railway Junior Hockey4 May - 17:45
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Railway women follow their Irish Hockey league success with a narrow 1-0 victory against Catholic Inst in the Irish Senior Cup Final
After securing the Irish Hockey league title last weekend Railway Union Women 1sts were in Irish Senior Cup final action against Limerick’s Catholic Institute at the National Hockey Stadium UCD.
Two evenly matched teams and where it was a solitary goal that separated them in the IHL league semi-finals a week earlier this was always going to be a close encounter.
The opening quarter saw the Sandymount girls gain territorial advantage without creating any goal scoring opportunities with several circle entries being well defended by the Institute defence. A scoreless opening quarter followed a similar pattern with Railway on top yet their lack of precision impacted their fluency and CI were happy to play on the counter attack with fast flowing and articulate passing that regularly exposed the Railway defence.
A scoreless first half continued into the second as Railways short corner routine only once had a shot on target from their 8 corners won and Institute with less again failing to convert. As the match went on an inevitability of a 1v1 shoot out loomed but from a scrappy congested circle possession saw Railway pick out Katie Fearon at the back who deflected the bobbling ball goal bound with three minutes to go.
Like Dublin Buses after waiting 10 years for a major outdoor trophy 2 come within a week to confirm Railway Union as the premier womens outdoor and indoor club side in Ireland this season. A success built on phenomenal commitment on and off the pitch from Head Coach Una McCarthy and the management team of Gareth Myburgh, Ellie McLoughlin and Maggie Shaw together with many others behind the scenes and Park Avenue.
After the Railway Girls u16s retaining their Leinster Inter League title last weekend and the Womens 2nds in Irish Junior Cup final next Sunday there is still a last trophy for the Park Avenue girls to win in what would be a phenomenal achievement in womens sport.
It is worth noting with no Irish internationals available for the final was disappointing for all supporters and the junior girls supporting and certainly not the respect for the much Hockey Ireland marketed “oldest cup competition in the world”. Such an occasion should deserve both teams at full strength particularly as the mens final as always scheduled afterwards sparkled with their senior internationals.
In a world where clubs like Railway Union work hard for gender equality at our club level better administration would be expected for one of the premier womens sporting occasions in Ireland.
Two evenly matched teams and where it was a solitary goal that separated them in the IHL league semi-finals a week earlier this was always going to be a close encounter.
The opening quarter saw the Sandymount girls gain territorial advantage without creating any goal scoring opportunities with several circle entries being well defended by the Institute defence. A scoreless opening quarter followed a similar pattern with Railway on top yet their lack of precision impacted their fluency and CI were happy to play on the counter attack with fast flowing and articulate passing that regularly exposed the Railway defence.
A scoreless first half continued into the second as Railways short corner routine only once had a shot on target from their 8 corners won and Institute with less again failing to convert. As the match went on an inevitability of a 1v1 shoot out loomed but from a scrappy congested circle possession saw Railway pick out Katie Fearon at the back who deflected the bobbling ball goal bound with three minutes to go.
Like Dublin Buses after waiting 10 years for a major outdoor trophy 2 come within a week to confirm Railway Union as the premier womens outdoor and indoor club side in Ireland this season. A success built on phenomenal commitment on and off the pitch from Head Coach Una McCarthy and the management team of Gareth Myburgh, Ellie McLoughlin and Maggie Shaw together with many others behind the scenes and Park Avenue.
After the Railway Girls u16s retaining their Leinster Inter League title last weekend and the Womens 2nds in Irish Junior Cup final next Sunday there is still a last trophy for the Park Avenue girls to win in what would be a phenomenal achievement in womens sport.
It is worth noting with no Irish internationals available for the final was disappointing for all supporters and the junior girls supporting and certainly not the respect for the much Hockey Ireland marketed “oldest cup competition in the world”. Such an occasion should deserve both teams at full strength particularly as the mens final as always scheduled afterwards sparkled with their senior internationals.
In a world where clubs like Railway Union work hard for gender equality at our club level better administration would be expected for one of the premier womens sporting occasions in Ireland.
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