Wallace and Sullivan on collision course in Cup
WALLACE High School could meet Sullivan Upper in a repeat of last year’s John Minnis Estate Agents Burney Cup final after the teams were kept apart in the draw for the semi-finals of this year’s centenary competition.
The Lisburn outfit, who lifted the trophy after a shoot-out, have been pitted against the winners of today’s quarter-final replay between Friends’ and Banbridge Academy at Magheralave Road (9.15am) while Sullivan will face Royal Belfast Academical Institution in the other tie.
The semi-finals will be staged as a double-header at Shaw’s Bridge next Wednesday with Sullivan playing Inst at 1pm followed by the game between either Friends’ or Banbridge and the holders (3pm).
Inst are back in the last four after several years’ absence following a 1-0 win over Royal & Prior, Raphoe in the last eight on Wednesday.
Banbridge and Wallace have dominated the competition, now in its centenary year, in the last decade with eight triumphs between them while Friends’ and Sullivan have both lifted the trophy once in the same time frame.
Bann scored a last minute equaliser through Edward Rowe to salvage a 2-2 draw with Friends’ in the quarter-finals after Ollie Kidd had hit both goals for the Lisburn side.
Kidd, who was co-captain of the Friends’ side that beat local rivals Wallace 3-0 in last December’s McCullough Cup final, will have a busy day today.
After the replay in Lisburn he will be driven straight to Dublin for Lisnagarvey’s crucial EY Irish Hockey League clash with Three Rock Rovers at Grange Road.
The two teams dominated the competition last season, with Garvey lifting the regulation title and Rovers winning the play-offs to secure the Champions Trophy.
The Leinster side also defeated Garvey in the Irish Senior Cup final but the Hillsborough side have held the upper hand in the current campaign.
Garvey are five points clear at the top of the table with two games in hand over Banbridge and one less played than Monkstown and, earlier in the season, crushed Rovers 6-0 at home.
Bann kept up their unbeaten post-Christmas record when they defeated YMCA 3-1 last Saturday and today they are on the road to face UCD while Annadale, who are eight points adrift at the foot of the table, also head south to meet Glenanne.
In the women’s IHL, Pegasus and Belfast Harlequins both have double headers, starting today when they take on Loreto and UCD respectively.
Pegasus are three points behind leaders Loreto going into the game at the Dub before facing UCD at the same venue tomorrow while Quins, who are two points behind Railway Union at the bottom, are at home to Pembroke tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Armagh ladies have been promoted back to the Ulster Premier League after a four-year absence following a decisive 3-0 win over Coleraine during the week.
JMEA Burney Cup semi-finals: (March 11): Sullivan v RBAI; Wallace v Banbridge or
Busy time: Ollie Kidd will play for school and club today
Friends’; today’s IHL fixtures: men: UCD v Banbridge (2.45pm); Glenanne v Annadale (2.45pm); Three Rock v Lisnagarvey (3pm); Pembroke v Monkstown; YMCA v Corinthian; women: Pegasus v Loreto (1pm); Old Alex v Catholic Institute; Pemboke v Cork Harlequins; Railway v Muckross; UCD v Belfast Harlequins; tomorrow: Pegasus v UCD (1.30pm); Belfast Harlequins v Pembroke (2.30pm).