Hockey: Wallace edged out in Irish final

Wallace had seen off old rivals Banbridge Academy 2-1 in the semi-final thanks to a brace from Andrew O’Hare. When Matthew Nelson fired them into a 12th minute lead in the final, it looked like they could be bringing the trophy north.

However, the Dublin side roared back to equalise within two minutes and assert their dominance in the second half to take the Tasmanian Shield for the third successive season.

“The lads all played well and we went very close in the final but came up just short against what is a very good St Andrew’s team,” said Wallace coach Errol Lutton.

“We reached the semi-final last year and went one better this time round so it’s all steady progress that the lads are making.”

Wallace had cruised through to the final stages with 11 goals and three wins from their three group matches .

They started with a 4-2 success over Mount Temple before a Matthew Nelson hat-trick helped them to a 4-2 win over Portadown. Sean Murray bagged the other and he was also on target along with O’Hare and Brian Getty in the 3-2 win over Bandon Grammar that sealed their route to the semis.

Murray was to suffer a broken thumb in the closing stages of the decider.

That means he could miss the next games in the McCullough Cup, in which Wallace have one more group match to play.

“The performances the lads put in in Cork will build a bit of confidence as we go back into the domestic season and look to finish off the McCullough Cup group campaign against Campbell College,” said Lutton.

“That’s a game we’ll very much be looking to win to make sure we get through to the semi-finals.”

Friends, meanwhile, didn’t make it out of a tough group despite a 3-0 success over Campbell College. They also held Ashton to a 0-0 draw but were undone by Sutton Park, losing 4-1.