Three Rock capture Champions Trophy

THREE Rock Rovers completed an impressive season by edging out Monkstown 2-1 to raise the Men’s EY Champions Trophy for the very first time at Grange Road last weekend.

Goals in each half by Kevin Mullins and Mitch Darling effectively saw them over the line despite Davy Carson pulling one back for their opponents.

The victory also marked their 13th win on the trot in what was been a stunning run by this Rovers team which was only taken over by Niall Denham after the coach they had in place pulled out some six weeks before the start of the 2015/16 season.

Expected to struggle after that, they ended up mid-table that season but were bolstered by the return of Mitch Darling from a pro-career in Holland with Rotterdam.

The side is built around players who Denham coached in the youth section with six of the squad still teenagers, yet they were not unnerved by last weekend’s occasion.

After seeing off Lisnagarvey following a shootout in Saturday’s semi-final, Rock drew first blood in the decider when Jody Hosking whipped the ball across to Mullins who saw it home with a quarter of an hour gone.

Three Rock went close to increasing that narrow advantage with James Walker, Ross Canning and Hosking all seeing efforts saved by Monkstown goalkeeper David Fitzgerald.

At the other end, Monkstown did threaten with Luke Madeley forced into goal line clearances on two occasions from Guy Sarratt and Geoff Cole.

Madeley, himself, almost made it on to the scoresheet, but his score from a penalty corner was chalked off for a technical infringement.

Yet they only had to wait another three minutes before Darling made it 2-0 with a superb run and strike.

Monkstown were, however, not about to be easily shaken off and reduced their arrears when Lee Cole’s crash ball was finished off by Carson.

And he would have levelled it up had not Jamie Carr made a great save as Three Rock held on for their first title in the Irish Hockey League.

“It’s been a long season, it’s been a difficult season, but it’s a lovely way to finish it” said Denham after their win.

“It’s a dream come through. One, to get this job and then obviously to do this with this group of players we have. We’ve a very, very young side. Ok we have one player whose final match was today and the rest are more or less under 23” he pointed out.

The win served to secure them a place in the Euro Hockey League’s KO 16 next Easter, meaning they will play in Europe twice as they also won the National Indoor Trophy.

Banbridge, as EY Hockey League champions, will be the other Irish side in the Euro Hockey League and will contest Round One next October.