HOCKEY: Ulster twice took the lead against Leinster in their senior interprovincial match over the weekend but walked away with only a 2-2 draw, a score that opens up the championship for the final series of games in Cork in March.
The draw also pushes the gate ajar for defending champions Munster, who can now come back into contention.
The result means that Ulster and Leinster go into the second phase of the competition level at the top on four points, with Munster trailing with none.
It took a goal just seven seconds from the end of the Havelock Park match from Glenanne striker John Goulding to keep Leinster hopes alive after Ulster had struck twice through Andy Barbour midway through the first half and again just after the hour in the second.
Barbour caused many problems for Leinster in the first half, and the Cookstown man was rewarded on 22 minutes when he latched unto a through ball, took it round goalkeeper Charlie Henderson and threaded it in from a narrow angle.
But when Ulster failed to clear, it was Pembroke's Simon Kershaw who initiated the come back when he found the roof of the net for 1-1.
Ulster then began to look dangerous again and Irwin wriggled his way to the byline, pulling back for Barbour to score into the roof of the net what looked like the winning goal 12 minutes from time.
But Ulster, even at that late stage and with Leinster down to 10 men after Justin Sherriff was shown the yellow card for a late tackle, failed to close out the game, and finally paid the price when Goulding nicked the equaliser at the death.
In the Leinster Senior League, Avoca finally put points on the table when they drew 2-2 with UCD at Rathdown, with captain Rory Kirwan scoring twice for the home side, while in division two Trinity and Portrane served up the most festive game of the weekend with a ten goal affair, each team finishing with five goals each.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Senior Interprovincial: Ulster 2 (A Barbour 2), Leinster 2 (S Kershaw, J Goulding).
LEINSTER SENIOR LEAGUE
Division One: Avoca 2 (R Kirwan 2), UCD 2 (D Cinnamond, S Stewart) Division 2 Bray 2 (M Brooks, L Walsh), Naas 1 (M Weir); St Brendan's,Phoenix Park 2 (D Farrell 2), Clontarf 1 (R McMullen); Skerries 3 (A Early 2, T Noonan), Suttonians 0; Weston 1 (S Kirwan), St James's Gate 2 (J Glennon, P Kennedy); Dublin University 5 (J Blakeney 2, T Allum, T Johnson, P Tuttle), Portrane 5 (Mark McCann, Matthew McCann, D Ledwidge 2, C Neville pen).
