St Vincent’s from Dublin won their second consecutive All Ireland Water Polo Championships when they beat Cathal Brugha from Belfast for a second consecutive year this evening.
The Northern Ireland team were out to avenge last year’s defeat and very nearly pulled it off.
The reigning champions went 4 – 0 down and in a game of four quarters, only managed to score their first goal 26 seconds before half time.
They could not buy a goal up to that point, and the Brugha goalkeeper Christopher Hodginson stopped every shot fired at him from all angles, even when Vincent’s had an extra man.
The Vincent’s goalkeeper, Shane O’ Brien, saved two penalties and kept his team in the game.
He was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the men’s tournament.
The Dublin men were a different team in the last two quarters.
They were helped, however, by Brugha’s persistent fouling and the consequent exclusion of key players including the former Irish International captain Johnnie Donnelly.
Vincent’s clawed their way back to make the score 7 -7 in the last quarter with minutes to go before pulling away to win by 9 – 7.
In the women’s final, which was also held in the Aurora arena in Bangor Co Down this evening, Diamonds from Belfast won their first ever all Ireland Senior Cup title.
They beat a very spirited Drogheda team and also had to fight for the cup after going three goals behind at one stage.
Maebh McGuirk was not surprisingly the Most Valuable Player of the women’s tournament, scoring seven of the Diamonds 13 goals to Drogheda’s seven.
Reporting by Paul Reynolds
