Action from the Anderson Cup match between Lisnagarvey and Instonians on Tuesday 17 February 2026. Photo: Bob Given. © FRU SPORTS 2026.

Anderson Cup: Lisnagarvey 3 Instonians 2 Semi Final

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by

Bob Given

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To say that Tuesday evening at Comber Road was crisp for the Anderson Cup Semi Final between Lisnagarvey and Instonians is an understatement. There was a determination by both the teams and umpires that the match would be played despite the pitch being barely playable. Where water droplets normally sprayed up from shoes and sticks, particles of ice flew up.

Garvey had domination in the 1st quarter stringing passes together, as they sought a weakness in the Instonians defence. With 11 men behind the ball the Instonians defence was robust as the 1st quarter ended scoreless.

Matthew McIlreavy’s strike opened the scoring for Instonians

Again, Garvey dominated the opening exchanges of the 2nd quarter but in a break, in their first real attack of the game, Matthew McIlreavy stunned the Garvey defence with a stunning shot to give Instonians a 1-0 lead after 23 minutes.

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