Ireland (7) v (3) Poland

By Andrew Erlanger

Ireland has pulled away from Poland to record an impressive 7-3 victory and advance to the semi-finals of the Dignitary Cup.

A vocal crowd packed the stands for the quarter-final clash between two of the tournament heavyweights.

And they did not have to wait long for something to cheer about. Just a minute into play Poland's Thomasz Rudyk opened the scoring with a wonderfully precise shot under pressure.

But the Irish were keen to register some highlights of their own, scoring two of the next three goals to level the game at 2-2.

The intensity was lifted to yet another level as the first half drew to a close, with each team creating a wealth of scoring opportunities.

Inspirational Irish captain James Bell held his nerve to slot the third for his side, opening up a slender 3-2 half time lead.

Whatever was said in the Irish camp during the break had a profound impact on the players and inspired football saw their lead stretch to three goals midway through the second half.

Poland had their work cut out but was not prepared to concede defeat, scoring the next goal to draw within striking distance of its opponent with enough time on the clock for a comeback victory.

However the class of the Irish prevailed, a further two goals rounded out the solid win.

Photos: Photoworx