Teenager Daniel Buser bagged Lisnagarvey a place in the Podium Kirk Cup final on Boxing Day when he held his nerve in a dramatic penalty shoot-out to eliminate holders Annadale in yesterday's semi-final at Hillsborough.

Garvey coach Mark Tumilty named the Wallace High student as the fifth penalty taker, and young Daniel stayed calm in the face of intense pressure to convert the winning penalty stroke and earn his team a crack at Cookstown in the decider.

Buser and fellow Wallace schoolboy Peter MacDonnell led the Garvey attack and repaid the coach's faith in a close game which could have gone either way.

Annadale went ahead after just three minutes with a Fraser Mills strike from the edge of the circle and had the better of the first half, although Mark Raphael levelled matters in 15 minutes.

Garvey, though, had the bigger say in the second half without scoring but lived dangerously in the final few minutes of extra time when two decisions could have gone the other way and changed the face of the game.

Mark Daniel, Mark Raphael, Greg Thompson and Jason Lynch converted Garvey's four strokes in the shoot-out but Aaron Mills put his against the upright, leaving schoolboy Buser the opportunity to claim the glory for his team.

Cookstown were never in danger in the first semi, although it took them until the final minute before finally putting Banbridge to the sword with a 2-0 success.

Andy Barbour fired them ahead four minutes from the interval, after a penalty corner broke down, and Stuart Smyth wrapped things up six seconds from the end when he shot home on the reverse stick after a fine run from Ivan Steen.

It was disappointment for Bann after Saturday's 1-0 win at Garvey which keeps them well placed in the Podium Premier League, but the absence of their two internationals seemed to have a greater effect than the two missing from Cookstown.

"For us, it was not only great to reach the final, but to have a clean sheet for the first time this season was important," said Cookstown captain Ian Hutchinson, probably referring to the goals conceded in the 6-4 win over Bangor on Saturday which keeps them firmly at the top of the table.

Podium Premier League: Lisnagarvey 0 Banbridge 1 (D Reay); Cookstown 6 (D Ames 2, A Barbour, T Smyth, S Cuddy, T Hutchinson) Bangor 3 (S Hunter 2, D McClune, C Campbell); Mossley 0 Annadale 3 (F Mills 2, P Caruth); Instonians 4 (M Martin, C Barnes, P Brown, T Welshman) Raphoe 1 (J Corry)

Senior One: Belfast Harlequins 3 (D Anderson 2, A Knox) Newry 4 (D Hogg, C Holmes, R Nummy, K McCombe)

Irish Hockey Trophy 2nd round: Bray 1 Antrim 5; Civil Service 5 (A Gill 2, P Johnston 2, R Anderson) Skerries 1; Cliftonville 1 (J Trimble) UCC 2; Galway 3 South Antrim 4; Weston 0 Catholic Inst 3; North Down 2 (A Forrest, C Speers) Queen's 1 (A Spratt); Kilkeel 9 (S Graham 2, E Coulter 2, W Annett 2, N Stevenson, G Russell, C Cunningham) Armagh 2 (D Nesbitt, D Warnock); Portadown 2 (J Barr, G Titler) Suttonians 3

Podium Kirk Cup semi-finals: Banbridge 0 Cookstown 2 (A Barbour, S Smyth); Lisnagarvey 1 (M Raphael) Annadale 1 (F Mills) (Garvey won 5-3 on penalties)