The Old Campbellian Society

Unfortunately, this match report will not accurately record the content of the fixture. Simply because your intrepid reporter was so transfixed by the end to end hockey that he omitted to write the half of it down.

Campbellians welcomed Dublin side Portrane to Belmont for this Mens IHC Quarter Final. Neither side knew much about the other before the match, but it took all of two minutes for that to change.

This was a thrilling contest (worthy of a Final) played at frenetic pace. At times the intensity caused tempers to boil over and both sides were to receive two yellow cards before the final whistle. Thankfully however, the bonhomie surfaced again in the College Dining Hall after the match, and all was well.

So, back to the match report (potted version).

First five minutes, sustained Portrane pressure, resulting in two open shots by centre forward Nasir Munir. One wide, and one excellently saved by Pete Gray in the Campbellians net. Immediate Campbellians response on seven minutes leading to a penalty corner. Ball slipped right by Joel Easlea to Adam Campbell on the edge of the circle. Ball hammered across the face of goal. Conor Bannister on hand to blast it against the backboard. One nil Campbellians.

Midway through the half, Portrane attack leads to ball hit against Alex Todd lying prone in circle. The Beast was harshly adjudged to have deliberately stopped it with his body. Penalty Stroke awarded, and expertly put beyond Pete Gray by Portrane's other Pakistani forward Mukhtar Ahmad. One all.

The same forward had been involved in a monumental midfield battle with Campbellians' Robbie Sholdis throughout the half; and ten minutes before the break an ugly incident led to the Campbellians player writhing in agony with an initially suspected broken jaw, after Ahmad's stick made contact with his face in an off the ball incident (unseen by umpire Ashley Gibson). Thankfully Robbie recovered enough to return to the field in the second half. 

Campbellians went on the attack again. Ball from back, swept through the midfield, out to Andy Burnside on the right. Ball drilled back to top of circle, where Adam Campbell was on hand to stop, look, listen (and shoot) past the outstretched Tom Fee in the Portrane net. Two one Campbellians.

Almost immediately, Alex Todd having switched to the left side of the pitch, was brilliantly fed by Scott Orr, and took off on one of his mesmerising runs into the defence, finishing superbly to leave the score three one in the home side's favour at the break.

The second period was simply more of the same. Campbellians were again unlucky to have a second Penalty Stroke awarded against them (this time Captain John Rea was the supposed culprit). Once again Ahmad stepped up and expertly placed the ball out of Pete Gray's reach. Three two Campbellians.

Then, in a five minute spell of sustained Portrane pressure, Nasir Munir scored two sublime goals from open play. To the neutral observer, the Pakistani's ball skills were a joy to watch; however in hindsight the Campbellians defense know they were mad to gift him the space to perform. Four three to Portrane with just four minutes to go.

But Campbellians bounced back immediately. A penalty corner allowed Conor Bannister to get his stick on the end of a Joel Easlea shot, and the ball rocketed in to the top of the net. Four all.

The umpires signalled "Two Minutes" and everyone thought the match was heading to extra time and the dreaded Golden Goal. But Campbellians pressed again, and won another penalty corner at the death.

This time Joel Easlea (no stranger himself to scoring the occasional Golden Goal) decided he would again provide his own version (in normal time).

You could have inhaled the tension........

Rutherford sweeps the ball out from the backline. Burnside, reverse stick, stops it dead. Easlea moves in for the kill. Unleashes an absolute exocet into the top left hand corner of the net.

Thirty seconds later; FINAL WHISTLE.

Campbellians 5, Portrane 4.

Bring on the Semi-Finals.