UCD, the Mauritius Cup holders, were the more creative side in the men's hockey Colours match on an icy evening at Belfield yesterday but they had to come twice from behind to settle for a draw with Trinity. Trinity, defending the laurels in this annual Dublin derby and holding a higher place in pressing for promotion in the Leinster second division, were ahead at the interval through John Lush who put away the rebound after Graham Woods had saved from Roly Budd.
UCD, though, had forced 70 per cent of attacking play in the opening half and they were awarded with a well-struck reverse-stick equaliser by Rob McDonagh 12 minutes into the second period. Again, Trinity - spurred in midfield by Greg Dunne - snatched the lead, this time through the quick reacting Gareth Hinds after Woods had kept out a set-piece shot by Simon Furney. But UCD returned to the attack for the industrious Mark Kingston to sink a centre from Keith Wilkinson.
Altough UCD pressed more vigorously in quest of a winner, they were foiled in the closing stages by Crawford Deane who stabbed away a short-corner drive by Paul Fitzroy.
UCD: G Woods; A Hetherington; C Fitzpatrick, P Thompson, S Lovell; K Wilkinson, A Jones, M Kingston; P Fitzroy (capt), R McDonagh, G O'Meara. Sub: K McNamara.
Trinity: C Deane; A Bryce-Smith; A Cullen, M Gageby (capt), G Lindsay; M Harte, G Dunne, S Furney; A Mitchell, G Hinds, R Budd. Subs: J Lush, P Hinds, J Harte.
Umpires: J O'Connor, D MacNally.
Other results: UCD II 0, Trinity II 0; UCD III 3 (B Rooney, M Manning, A Doran) Trinity III 0; UCD IV 0, Trinity IV 0.
