Clarke hat-trick vital for Navan

Navan showed good form in the Leinster Men's Hockey League on Saturday when they recorded a great 3-2 win against Corinthians with Ru Clarke grabbing a hat-trick.

The Navan men showed some good form against the Dublin side at St Columba's College despite the poor weather conditions.

Missing some regulars and an experienced umpire Navan started brightly and took the lead from a short corner, Ru Clarke pouncing on a rebound from his own drag flick and crashing in a reverse shot. 

Corinthians equalised in bizarre fashion, as a weak shot was easily blocked by goalie Emmet O Mordha, who then swept the ball into his own goal in the subsequent confusion.

The umpire ruled that the original shot had been on target and thus the goal stood.

Navan pleaded that the decision be a penalty corner, but they ultimately took the umpire's explanation with good grace.

Navan immediately pushed forward with strong running from Eamon Lynskey and Keith Howell in the middle of the park and Chris Booth won another penalty corner.

This time Clarke dispatched a powerful drag flick to the roof of the net, restoring the lead.

Corinthians were not done yet however and some smart passing saw them work the ball down the left wing and they equalised again for parity (2-2) at the interval.

Navan defended well in the second-half with good tackling from Bryan Harley and Ciaran Kearns restricting Corinthians chances.

Switching Booth temporarily to the right wing seemed to confuse the opposition who were unable to deal with Navan's strong counter attacking and Lynskey's aerial threat.

James McQuade and Booth had good chances in the circle, but were unlucky not to convert.

McQuade then broke down play in midfield and a swift break and square ball from the left found Clarke unmarked in front of an open goal and he duly wrapped up his hat-trick with a simple finish. 

Navan defended valiantly in the closing minutes, but Corinthians were made to rue their own missed opportunities, lacking the guile and composure to puncture a stubborn Navan defence.

Navan will host Mullingar this Saturday at King’s Hospital.

The second team lost (0-1) to Mullingar and will play Pembroke away on Saturday in the next round of the Div 7 League.

LADIES

The ladies suffered their second defeat of the season away to Loreto who won by 5-0. It was the first away game of the season and the first game on astro.

Navan kept pace for 20 minutes with some very skilful passing and clearances from the defensive line that created a few chances for Navan.

However, a strong Loreto side found themselves breaking through and using the space of the pitch and quick passing to carve holes in the Navan defence.

While players such as Helen Heaney and Grainne Hussey showed great leadership and calm in the defence, their hard work was overshadowed by Loreto finding the goal on three occasions in the first-half.

Navan's defence was kept under pressure in the second-half with Loreto winning many short corners.

Brianne Lynch was quick to run from the goal line and made light work of breaking down many of the Loreto chances, but the hosts found the net twice more to claim a deserved win.

There was a spirited display from Niamh Curtin and Alice Davis and Navan will look to get back to winning ways when they host Rathgar on Saturday at 2.30pm.

The second team had no game as the pitch was flooded at Mercy, but they will host Corinthians on Saturday at 2.30pm.