Mickey Mahoney of Waterford IT in action against Tom Barron and Colin O'Brien of Mary Immaculate College during the Fitzgibbon Cup Group A Round 3 match between Mary Immaculate College and Waterford IT at MICL Grounds in Limerick.
By Daragh Small
Thursday's Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup Round 3 matches
UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK 0-21 MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY 1-13
MARY IMMACULATE COLLEGE LIMERICK 2-11 WATERFORD IT 0-15
NUI GALWAY 1-15 CORK IT 0-11
Reigning champions UCC will host UCD while last year’s beaten finalists Mary I welcome Limerick rivals UL to their home patch in the quarter-finals of the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup.
The group stages concluded this evening with the results meaning DCU Dóchas Éireann are home to WIT in the final eight and IT Carlow face-off against NUIG.
UCD and DCU booked their places in next week’s quarter-finals after Wednesday’s victories over GMIT and Trinity College respectively.
Ronan Hayes scored 1-11 in UCD’s 4-19 to 2-18 victory over GMIT at Carnmore. DCU’s victory was even more comprehensive later in Santry, it finished 4-25 to 1-11.
There was still plenty up for grabs on Thursday even though TU Dublin gave LIT a walkover in a dead rubber.
WIT were left to count the cost of losing 2016 Hurler of the Year Austin Gleeson early in their narrow 2-11 to 0-15 defeat at Mary I.
The 2017 winners trailed by 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time even though the visitor’s hopes had been dealt a massive blow in the tenth minute when Gleeson hobbled off with a leg injury.
Despite some erratic shooting WIT raced into a 0-5 to 0-3 lead before Cathal Bourke scored a couple of crucial points to drag Mary I back into the game.
It was 0-6 to 0-6 approaching half-time and although WIT were in front at the interval, Bourke struck 0-7 with Cork’s Tim O’Mahony also influential. Gary Cooney and Shane Ryan found the net.
Mary I came back to secure the win, and a massive quarter-final derby at home to UL – UL beat Maynooth University 0-21 to 1-13 tonight.
Kevin McDonald of UL in action against Conor Stakelum of Maynooth during the Fitzgibbon Cup Group B Round 3 match between UL and Maynooth at UL Grounds in Limerick.
Maynooth University fired their goal early but UL had already built up a 0-3 to 0-0 lead. It was a hard fought first half in Limerick with the hosts scoring all of their points from play while they took a 0-11 to 1-3 half-time lead.
UL continued to keep their noses in front throughout the second half and they held a 0-19 to 1-12 advantage entering the closing five minutes. Limerick All-Ireland winner Kyle Hayes had to leave the field with an ankle injury but UL held on at the death.
IT Carlow were awaiting the winners of the final Group C game, and Evan Niland led from the front for NUIG in their 1-15 to 0-11 win at CIT.
Niland scored 0-8 in the first half but CIT were still in the game at half-time, with Darragh Lyons’ long range shot reducing the arrears to 0-10 to 0-6.
NUIG were still on top after half-time and they were 0-11 to 0-8 in front after 43 minutes. Ten minutes later NUIG had doubled their lead through a goal from Sean Loftus.
And with Ryan Walsh sent-off for a second yellow card, the 14 men of CIT couldn’t find a way back into the game.
