Tuesday, September 2 – Lisnagarvey: The Boys’ Interprovincial Series saw U16 & U18 Teams from Ulster, Munster, and Leinster meet in Lisnagarvey Hockey Club across the weekend as the annual competition returned to the weekend format. After three exceptionally competitive days of hockey, Leinster secured the titles in both the U16 & U18 age groups.
U16 Boys’ Interprovincial Series
A tightly fought opening day set the tone for the weekend in the U16 competition. Leinster began their title charge with a win over Ulster, an early goal from Ollie Cox getting them underway before Ellis Powell’s goal in the final minute put the game to bed.
Ulster recovered just a few hours later to get their first win under their belt against Munster but had to dig into to secure it. An early penalty stroke gave the hosts an early lead through captain Noah Cuddy, but Munster responded supremely to level the scoring from a penalty corner converted by Max Dorgan. A goal just before the end of the first quarter from Jamie Lunn followed by a third in Q2 from Joshua Ferguson gave Ulster a two-goal cushion that they maintained into the final seconds, Max Dorgan grabbing his second from the spot to see the game end 3-2 in Ulster’s favour.
Leinster and Munster kicked off day 2 with a seven-goal thriller. Munster went ahead on two occasions in the first half with Matthew Fletcher converting a penalty corner and Max Dorgan scoring from the spot, but both times Leinster managed to pull themselves level, Matthew Phelan and captain Alfie Kelly finding the net. Quarter 3 was when Leinster finally took control, Matthew Phelan grabbing completing his brace and Joshua Cron adding a fourth to the tally to take the scoring to 4-2. Munster scored in the 56th minute to set up a tense final period, Max Dorgan scoring yet again, but Leinster held out to grab their second win from 2 games.
The win meant Leinster held the cards going into the final U16 game of the day, a second encounter with Ulster. A tense first half so both sides exchange blows, with Leister getting the game’s opening goal after 19 minutes thanks to a Stephen O’Leary penalty corner. Two goals in quick succession for Leinster in quarter three sealed the title, with Joshua Cron netting from open play and a penalty corner. A late Noah Cuddy goal proved a consolation as Leinster secured the title with a game to play.
On the final day, Ulster and Munster put on a show to kick off proceedings. Munster’s Ethan Fullgraf-Smith opening the scoring after just 2 minutes, forcing a quick response from Ulster’s Jay Nicholson to bring the sides level just two minutes later. Matthew Fletcher restored Munster’s lead early in quarter 2 but Ethan Constable and Charlie Keys’ goals for Ulster meant to hosts completed their comeback to secure the points.
Munster finished on a high with a confident win over the champions, Leinster in the final U16 outing of the weekend. Ben Russell got Munster underway inside the first ten minutes, before Max Dorgan converted from a penalty corner to make it 2-0 just before half-time. A 55th minute goal from Matthew Phelan provided a brief glimmer of a Leinster comeback, but Max Dorgan was on hand to get his second from a penalty corner to lock down the win.
The results meant Leinster topped the table with nine points, followed by Ulster on six, and Munster on three.
U18 Boys’ Interprovincial Series
Ulster and Leinster raised the curtain on the U18 boys Interprovincial Series as Leinster fought back from behind to get the first win of the weekend. Ed Irwin broke the deadlock early on for Ulster, but two first half penalty corner finishes from Max Stead and Kyle Hancock were enough to see Leinster take the points.
Ulster recovered to get their first points of the weekend against Munster in a close battle under the floodlights. After a scoreless first half, both Ed Irwin and Harry Thompson found the net from penalty corners to secure a 2-0 win for the hosts.
On day 2, Munster came from behind against Leinster to crack the competition wide open and equal the points tally across the three sides. Despite going a goal behind when Leinster’s Jan Christian Dijkstra scored from open play after five minutes, Munster scored three unanswered goals to win the tie, Charlie Bateman grabbing a brace and Aidan Gambura grabbing Munsters third.
In the final game of day 2, Ulster and Leinster played out yet another exceptionally close battle. Despite opening the scoring in the eight minute through Lee McMullan, Leinster found themselves 2-1 down going into the closing minutes as Ed Irwin and Frank Hollway both converted set pieces to give Ulster the lead. Leinster responded almost immediately, with Riain Delaney drawing the teams level from a penalty corner. The game ended 2-2, with Leinster going on the secure an eventually crucial bonus point from the shoot-out.
With the teams all within touching distance of each other going into the final day, it was still all to play for.
Munster and Ulster faced off in the penultimate tie, with a win for Munster putting them in the driving seat going into their final game against Leinster, or a win for Ulster putting them on top and needing Munster to do them a favour against Ulster. The crucial game did not disappoint.
Ulster took a first half lead with James Barbour and Jack Magowan scoring from open play. Munster however completed a sensational comeback, Alfie O’Shea scoring a hattrick in just over 10-minutes to put his side ahead in the early stages of the final quarter. Ulster, however, kept their nerve and had Ewan Hutchinson and Ethan Redford to thank as the former scored a brace and the latter also found the net to give the hosts a 5-3 win in dramatic fashion.
The result set up a must-win game for Leinster against Munster, with a bonus point draw enough to see them leapfrog Ulster back into top spot. The eventual champions went one better, coming from a goal down to win in regular time. Alfie O’Shea got Munster off the mark, grabbing his fourth goal of the day after 12 minutes. But Riain Delaney would equalise for Leinster in the second quarter to see the sides go into the break on level terms. Delaney produced the decisive moment of the game halfway through Q3 to secure an eventual Leinster win, scoring from open play to complete the comeback and secure the title.
The final standings saw Leinster top the table with eight points, closely followed by Ulster on seven points, and finally Munster on 3 points.
