Glenanne II to face another giant in IJC

Glenanne II's reward for their shock victory over holders Hermes II in the ESB Irish Junior Cup is another tough tie as they travel to Leinster division two's Old Alex II in the sole Dublin derby of round three.

Division five's Clontarf II (pictured in action against TRL II) welcome Greenisland II to the bullring while the rest of the Leinster entrants are on the road as Railway Union II journey to Limerick to face Catholic Institute II, Corinthian II travel to Lurgan and Loreto II go to Deramore Park to play Belfast Harlequins' II.

ESB Irish Junior Cup Round Three (January 9)
Catholic Institute II v Railway Union II; UCC II v Armagh II; Galway II v UL II; Old Alex II v Glenanne II; Belfast Harlequins II v Loreto II; Clontarf II v Greenisland II; Lurgan II v Corinthian II; Bandon II v Randlastown II

Sothern hat-trick sees Ireland struggle past Chile

* Video courtesy of TazVideoSport

World Cup Qualifier
Ireland 4 (Alan Sothern 3, John Jermyn) Chile 1 (Thomas Kannegniesser)
Four second half goals belatedly eased the nerves but, despite a better connected performance than Saturday's disjointed 6-1 hammering of USA, Ireland endured a stern test against a resolute Chile.

Last time out, Ireland comprehensively got the better of the South Americans with a 3-0 win in July in the Champion's Challenge II and a penalty corner award inside two minutes gave the impression things might continue in that vein.

But, as it transpired, it proved to be the start of a frustrating day at the set-piece with seven first half corners going a begging. Chile, however, launched a huge aerial assault and earned a corner from one lengthy overhead in the 16th minute which Thomas Kannegneisser duly dispatched for a shock lead.

Chile's corner defence, backed up Mathias Antwander in the pads, was proving a tough nut to crack and it was not until the second minute of the second half before Ireland finally got back on terms after a period of near constant attacking. Graham Shaw threaded the pass and Alan Sothern opened his tournament account with his 11th international goal with a fine deflection from the flick spot past Antwander.

The pressure continued but the scoreline refused to budge in the face of an all hands to the pump rearguard effort. But, with nine minutes remaining, John Jermyn popped up to scoop in a loose ball in the circle and finally give Ireland the lead. Alan Sothern banged in two corner goals in the last three minutes to ease the tension and improve the goal difference.

Belgium, on Tuesday, showed they will be formidable opponents as they thrashed the Czech Republic 9-0 with eight goals coming from play. Tom Boon hit a second-half hat-trick, as well as being sin-binned, to give the Belgians the upperhand on goal difference after two games.

Argentina, meanwhile, hit form after their opening day troubles, beating the USA 6-1.

Ireland: David Harte, Ronan Gormley (capt), Mikey Watt, Stephen Butler, John Jermyn, Eugene Magee, Timmy Cockram, David Ames, Paul Gleghorne, Conor Harte, Tim Lewis
Subs: John Jackson, Graham Shaw, Mitch Darling, Alan Sothern, Geoff McCabe

Results: Ireland 4 (Alan Sothern 3, John Jermyn) Chile 1 (T Kannegneisser); Belgium 9 Czech Republic 0; Argentina 6 USA 1
Standings: 1. Belgium 6pts (+12) 2. Ireland 6pts (+8) 3. Argentina 6pts (+6) 4. Chile 0pts (-6) 5. USA 0pts (-10) 6. Czech Republic 0pts (-10)

* WorldHockey's interview with Saturday's hat-trick hero Mikey Watt

Women's league looks set for two-horse race

Leinster Women's Division One:
Trinity 0 Hermes 3 (Jenny Burke, Deirdre Duke, Aoife Harte)
Hermes made better use of their corners to ease to three points against Trinity in spite of the absence of Chloe Watkins (ankle injury), Aine Connery (camogie commitments) and Niamh Atcheler (wrist injury). Colin Stewart stepped in as caretaker coach for the day and witnessed Jenny Burke hit in a corner and Deirdre Duke score from play to make it 2-0 at half-time. Aoife Harte deflected in a perfect corner move in the second half while Emma Gray kept a clean-sheet against her former club, keeping out seven short corners.

Railway Union 1 (Jean McDonnell) Bray 0
Jean McDonnell (pictured, right) finally unlocked the key to Mary Goode's goal deep into the second half as Railway continued their 100pc record in the league and carved open a five-point margin between themselves and the chasing pack in third place in the process. McDonnell's virtuoso strike, reaching the baseline before pulling the ball back onto her open side and beating Goode at the near post was the high point of a scrappy affair in which Bray held out severe pressure for long periods with Grainne Howe impressing in the centre. Railway's Australian newcomer Claire McGarity enjoyed a baptism of fire on debut, facing up to Linda O'Neill as she took on the left-mid role vacated by Emma Smyth in the first half and picked up a yellow card for her troubles.

Loreto 2 (Cathy McKean, Nicci Daly) UCD 1 (Catriona McGilp)
Loreto came from a goal behind to maintain their perfect start to division one with a fifth home win on the spin, taking the laurels from a tough encounter against UCD. Catriona McGilp's excellent execution of a one-on-one with Louisa Healy had given the students the lead but Cathy McKean levelled matters when she took the ball out of the firing line of a Nikki Symmons' reverse to promptly bury in the bottom corner. And the winning goal was a truly stunning piece of team-work from the Beaufort side. Nikki Keegan (pictured, left) produced some excellent stick-work on the 25 before finding Ali Meeke on the endline and her lay-off found Nicci Daly in space to complete the move and the win.

Pembroke 1 (Sinead Loughran) Glenanne 2 (Dearbhla Kieran, Ciara Nugent)
Glenanne picked up their first league triumph as they overturned last week's cup defeat to Pembroke with a last-gasp Ciara Nugent goal. She scrambled in with three minutes to go to plunder the points at Serpentine Avenue and reconnect with the rest of the sides in the table with the bottom six covered by just three points. Sinead Loughran had given the 'Broke the lead when she finished off a fine move, instigated by Natalie Fulton who weaved a pass to Shona Doyle on the endline who picked up the final assist. But Dearbhla Kieran rebounded a broken down penalty corner on the half-time hooter to get the Glens back into the game. And their high-pressing game earned dividends in the final minutes as Nugent mopped up for the win. Pembroke skipper, meanwhile, was harshly red carded for two yellow cards - both for not retreating fully from an auto-pass.

Corinthian 0 Old Alex 3 (Laura McCoy 2, Aisling Flinn)
Old Alex produced their most fluid performance to date this season to move into a share for third place with a 3-0 away win at Whitechurch Park. The Trinity connection was in full effect as Aisling Flinn opened the scoring with a back-post tap-in before Laura McCoy arrived late from right midfield to deflect in Rachel Griffith's crash ball. McCoy rounded off the scoring in the second half with a rebound. For Corinthian, Aisling Naughton gave notice of her ability with some flashes of skill, breaking through for a one-on-one but Pamela Smithwick stood her ground well to maintain her clean-sheet.

ESB Irish Junior Cup round-up:
Reigning champions Hermes II fell at the first hurdle as they lost out to Glenanne II on a day of eye-catching results in the women's Irish Junior Cup. Hailing from the lower reaches of Leinster division four, the Glens defied the odds with goals from Siobhan Bastable and Jane Salter to secure a 2-1 win in St Andrew's.

2009 finalists Railway Union II kept their hopes alive of emulating that performance by reaching the last 16 courtesy of Michaela Ring's extra-time winner against Pembroke, 3-2. Clontarf II won the other Dublin derby 1-0 against Three Rock Ladies (pictured).

Loreto II knocked Priorians for six while Corinthian II also beat Ulster opposition, getting the better of Lisnagarvey II 2-0 while Old Alex II beat Portadown II 5-0 to make it six Leinster names in Sunday's hat for the draw.

Genesis II, UCD II, Bray II and Trinity II, though, all bowed out. Elsewhere, UCC II caused an upset against a Cork Harlequins' side featuring Rachel Kohler and Jane Chapple, leading twice before eventually prevailing on penalty strokes.

Irish Junior Cup results
Clontarf II 1 (Susan Lawless) Three Rock Ladies II 0; Priorians II 0 Loreto II 6 (Wendy Byrne, L Pomphrett 3 C Howard, C Baker); Lurgan II 1 (Chloe McCann) Ashton II 0; Coleraine II 0 Catholic Institute II 9 (Sorcha O'Dea, Gloria Joyce 2, Karen Downing 2, Orla Curtain 2, Sandra Hedgian); Greenisland II 4 (T O'Connor, G Cathcart, A MacCorquodale 2) Dromore II 3 (K Lautton 2, V Cummings) aet; Corinthian II 2 (Sara Smith, Hannah Donnelly) Lisnagarvey II 0; Cork HQ II 2 (Jane Chapple, Denise O Connor) UCC II 2 (Fiona O Connell, Vicky O Sullivan) UCC won 3-1 on strokes; Galway II 3 (Alison Hynes 2, Elaine Newell) UCD II 2 aet; Bray II 0 Armagh II 1 (Jill Johnston); Pembroke W II 2 (Marie McKeogh 2) Railway Union II 3 (Karen Clakre, Nicola Taylor, Mikaela Ring) aet; Bandon II w/o Ards II scr; Belfast Harlequins II 4 (Rachel Ross, Laura Callaghan, Tasmin Sturgeon, Claire Caruth) Dublin University II 2 (Ali O Reilly, Nicky McAllister); Randalstown II 4 (Cathy Johnston, Louise Mellor 2, Lynsey Black) Ulster Elks II 1 (Louise Wright); UL II 3 (Susie McDonough 2, Laura Davis) Genesis II 2 (Sarah Kavanagh, Anna O'Loughlin); Hermes II 1 (Orla Patton) Glenanne II 2 (Siobhan Bastable, Jane Salter); Portadown II 0 Old Alex II 5 (Hazel Agar, Sylvia Gilsenan 2, Liane Costello 2)

* For more of Deryck Vincent's pictures from the ESB IJC game between Clontarf II and TRL II, click here

Doherty double sends Corinthian top

Leinster Men's Division One:
Three Rock Rovers 1 (Pierre de Voux) Corinthian 3 (Brian Doherty 2, Lucas Piccioli)
Corinthian took their time but eventually got the goals their pressure deserved to take the derby-day points from Grange Road as Brian Doherty once again showed his prowess at the set-piece. Davy Carson's deft deflection went just wide but Doherty opened the scoring emphatically high past Charlie Henderson - in nets for one last fling with Stephen West on holiday in Barcelona - for 1-0 midway through the half. Henderson was in top form, keeping out four more corner efforts before the break.

Rovers' chances were scarce but of a gilt-edged nature. An excellent reverse-stick cross from Michael Maguire did set Patrick Shanahan through on goal but his tame finish slid past Ross Murray's post. They did level, though, 30 seconds before the break when Pierre de Voux rebounded neatly on his reverse for 1-1.

De Voux missed out on a second, set free by Sven Galjaardt, denied by Murray's speed off his line before the reds took control. The go-ahead goal was a fortunate one; Lucas Piccioli broke brilliantly down the left flank before pulling back from the endline. He found the stick of Garry Ringwood who sent Henderson the wrong way and the ball dribbled into the backboard.

And Doherty - following up an incredible aerial assault with some 60-metre bombs dropped into Rovers' territory - sealed the deal with a low corner late on for 3-1.

Clontarf 0 YMCA 4 (Mikey Fry, Rob Whelan, Simon Mills, Luke Chadwick)

YMCA closed the gap on the top five courtesy of a fine second half performance to put away Clontarf at Mount Temple. The Bulls had the two clearest chances of the first half with both Ben Hewitt and Tom Noonan giving up clear openings in the face of Graeme Woods to leave the score-sheet blank at the break. But the Y stepped up a gear in the second period, hitting the front when Mikey Fry deflected in Cliff Bailey's pin-point pass. Simon Mills netted a low corner, Rob Whelan scored from play before Luke Chadwick's reverse-stick effort completed the scoring.

Railway Union 2 (Mark English, Peter English) UCD 5 (Robbie McFarlane 2, Rob Lynch, John McInroy, Tim Hill)
An incredible four-goal burst in the first half saw UCD pick up their first win of the campaign and raise spirits for the second half of the season as they disposed of Railway Union at Park Avenue. Mark English had given Railway the lead inside five minutes but a blistering spell saw the students 4-1 up in jig-time. Robbie McFarlane struck twice finding an innovative route past Stephen O'Keefe from play and deflecting home a corner. Rob Lynch's squeeze-shot from a tight angle and John McInroy's deflection made up the comfortable half-time margin which Tim Hill augmented in the second half with a third, well-worked corner move of the day. Peter English's drag-flick pulled one back for Railway but the two sides are now level in eighth on four points.

* For more of Deryck Vincent's pictures from Clontarf vs YMCA, click here

Suttonians' counter-strike nets first place

Men's Division Two
Avoca 1 (Stephen Brownlow) Suttonians 3 (Reuben Holden 2, Simon Walsh)
Suttonians created the first daylight between themselves and the chasing pack as they survived multiple penalty corners before stinging Avoca twice on the counter-attack to claim the points at Newpark. Reuben Holden's (pictured, left) drag-flick opened the scoring and he made it 2-0 from the penalty spot following a razor-sharp break-out as Avoca appealed for a stroke of their own at the far end. Stephen Brownlow pulled one back, beautifully redirecting Enda Gallanagh's pass into the net but the goal of the game fell to Simon Walsh. He cracked in a reverse to round off a pitch-length move with Conor Gillette claiming the assist. Suttonians, though, were thankful to the goalkeeping of James Murtagh and Richie Wormold's number one running at corner-time as they repelled 12 efforts en route to victory. They now lead the table by four points.

Bray 1 (Simon Cox) Navan 3 (Ruairi Clarke 2, Nick Parkhill)
Ruairi Clarke's double helped the Badgers nabbed their first win of the season as they grabbed the points at Loreto this afternoon. Simon Cox gave the hosts an early lead but Clarke dragged the game level from a short corner and swapped the lead with his second, accurately picking off the bottom corner for 2-1. And, in an even contest with few chances, the Meath side took the honours when new recruit Nick Parkhill zipped in a second drag-flick with five minutes to go.

Weston 2 (Vikram Singh, Shane O'Hare) Dublin University 0
Two goals inside the opening ten minutes were enough to see Weston home against Dublin University for the second match day on the spin. A quick free worked to Vikram Singh's stinging reverse was too quick for Jack Hegarty and broke the deadlock and Shane O'Hare rebounded a penalty corner to make it 2-0. Hal Sutherland had a goal chalked for the student when he used his back-stick en route to netting but the Lucanites stayed well clear of the challenge and move into a tie for second.

Ireland open with thumping win

World Cup Qualifier
Ireland 6 (Mikey Watt 3, Stephen Butler 2, Mitch Darling) USA 1 (Nate Coolidge)
Ireland swept past the challenge of the USA in Ireland produced a confidence-building 6-1 thrashing over the USA – ranked just one rung below them on the world list – to lead their World Cup Qualifying group on goal-difference after day one of the competition in a sun-soaked Quilmes following deluges in Argentina during the build-up days.

They burst out of the blocks in fine style with Mikey Watt fizzing in a high, fourth minute reverse from Stephen Butler's quick, one-touch pass. And within nine more minutes he had a hat-trick to his name with two more open play goals. The second was a sublime effort, rushing down the left-wing, exchanging a one-two with Timmy Cockram before looping over goalkeeper Tom Sheridan's shoulder.

The third was scrappier as Watt again combined with Cockram to tap home in the 14th minute for 3-0. Stephen Butler increased the difference to 5-0 when he scored Ireland’s second corner before slotting home from play 36 seconds before the break after Graham Shaw had won the ball in midfield and set his club mate free.

The Americans came out of their shell in the early second half stages while the boys in green missed a few decent opportunities on the break.

But it was former Corinthian player Nate Coolidge who was next on target as he tidily tucked home a deflection.

The response was immediate though and Mitch Darling sank another from close range - Geoff McCabe serving up a sublime reverse-cross - to restore the five goal margin inside two minutes in the 55th minute.

Tomorrow’s opponents Chile began the day by taking a surprise against tournament top-ranked side Belgium inside two minutes from the stick of Andrez Fuenzilada.

However, the European side composed themselves and two goals in four minutes switched the lead around before half-time before Jeffrey Thys and Jerome Dekeyser’s drag-flick confirmed a 4-1 win.

Hosts Argentina, meanwhile, laboured to a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic – the only goal coming in the 10th minute from Mario Almada.

Ireland: David Harte, John Jackson, Ronan Gormley (capt), Michael Watt, Stephen Butler, John Jermyn, Eugene Magee, Graham Shaw, Timmy Cockram, Conor Harte, Tim Lewis
Subs: Mitch Darling, Alan Sothern, Geoff McCabe, Paul Gleghorne, David Ames

Results:
Ireland 6 (Mikey Watt 3, Stephen Butler 2, Mitch Darling) USA 1 (Nate Coolidge); Belgium 4 (Maxime Luyckx, Thomas Briels, Jeffrey Thys, Jerome Dekeyser) Chile 1 (Andrez Fuenzilada); Argentina 1 (Mario Almada) Czech Republic 0

Standings (points/goal difference):
1 Ireland 3pts (+5) 2. Belgium 3pts (+3) 3. Argentina 3pts (+1) 4. Czech Republic 0pts (-1) 5. Chile 0pts (-3) 6. USA 0pts (-5)

* Video courtesy of TheTAZVideoSport

Ireland aim to bridge 19-year gap

The time for talking is over. After a hectic summer of action, the Irish men face their biggest challenge of 2009 as they endeavour to reach their first major tournament since the 1990 World Cup in Lahore.

They go into this week’s World Cup Qualifiers in Argentina with less than ideal preparation with David Hobbs a major name to miss out with 143 caps worth of experience unavailable as he lost his race against time to be fit for the tournament.

Joe Brennan, too, is another big absentee having become a stalwart of the Paul Revington regime and a near certain starter in the centre-backs had he not picked up a broken thumb in the Barcelona in EHL Round One.

From the Europeans' squad, Mikey Watt (below, left, in action against Chile) does return to action while Paul Gleghorne and David Ames (right) get first ranking tournament call-ups with Alan Giles the third change to the panel.

The withdrawal of Argentina from a test series also hampered the build-up, causing the management to scramble but two high quality friendlies against the European champions has helped alleviate any sense of ring-rust.

More so, two finals in consecutive tournaments has given rise to optimism in the panel with many of the squad used to winning more often than not in an Irish jersey.

Such positivity may be tempered, though, by the trickiest group of the three Qualifiers. Ireland must outdo two of the world’s top ten – Argentina and Belgium – if they are to progress from their six-team group and take the last ticket to the World Cup in New Delhi.

The first target is to break into the top two of that group to qualify for the final on November 22. The group is split into two very distinct halves with three opponents – USA, Chile and Czech Republic – Ireland has never lost to, making the battle on paper a shoot-out with the Quilmes hosts and the Belgians.

Paul Revington’s side open up today against a USA side who feature Nate Coolidge who spent the early part of the 2008/09 season at Corinthian. As recent form goes, Ireland have won all six of their encounters with the Americans, the last of which came in the Olympic qualifier. The unavailable Mark Gleghorne netted four that day in an 8-0 rout but, as Revington stated in an interview with RTE last week, USA are very much an emerging force, as evidenced by their 3-2 win over Canada a fortnight ago.

Chile, on Sunday, are well known to the Irish with the Champions Challenge providing plenty of video analysis opportunities. A comfortable win in a training match this week, too, should add to a confident mood for that tie ahead of Tuesday’s crunch game.

Ireland will need to reverse a poor run of form which has seen six losses on the spin, most recently in July in Waterloo, to the Belgians. Since then, they have blown hot and cold with two thumpings of Japan interspersing losses to the Netherlands and England.

Match four sees Ireland face the Czech Republic, another side Ireland have a 100pc record against in four meetings. The drag-flicking of Tomasz Prochazka will be a threat, though, as will the lively Jakub Kyndl.

According to their team listing, however, it appears Dutchman Gino Schilders has parted company with the panel since their European campaign in August in Wrexham to be replaced by Michal Toms while there is still no place for Glenanne’s Filip Jaros whose injury problems persist.

The final group opponent could prove the toughest, though, if things pan out, Ireland could possibly end up facing the Argentinian hosts twice in a weekend.

Recent test matches have shown the Irish can compete well with the South Americans, many of whom are European-based, as well as the notable in the 1-0 win in the last competitive fixture between the sides in the Olympic qualifier. The bad blood from that day may well have subsided but the group fixture is always likely to be vital.

Match schedule:
Saturday, November 14 (4.05pm Irish time) Ireland vs USA
Sunday, November 15 (2.05pm Irish time) Ireland vs Chile
Tuesday, November 17 (7.45pm Irish time) Ireland vs Belgium
Thursday, November 19 (7.45pm Irish time) Ireland vs Czech Republic
Saturday, November 21 (6.05pm Irish time) Ireland vs Argentina
Sunday, November 22 – Classification matches

Ireland squad (club, caps/goals)
David Harte (Pembroke Wanderers, 47/0); Iain Walker (YMCA, 20/0); Stephen Butler (Glenanne, 157/77); Graham Shaw (Glenanne, 145/6); John Jermyn (Cork C of I, 105/52); Eugene Magee (Banbridge, 97/21); Ronan Gormley (Pembroke Wanderers, 91/4); Timothy Cockram (Lisnagarvey, 89/19); Michael Watt (Dragons, 58/14); Tim Lewis (Pembroke Wanderers, 57/3); Geoff McCabe (Dragons, 56/0); John Jackson (Loughborough Uni, 36/0); Mitch Darling (KHC Leuven, 35/13); Conor Harte (Pembroke Wanderers, 36/0); Alan Sothern (Pembroke Wanderers, 31/10); Peter Caruth (Annadale, 15/5); David Ames (Cookstown, 7/1); Paul Gleghorne (Loughborough, 5/1)

The opposition at a glance:
Argentina: Played 11, 2 wins 2 draws 7 losses Goals for-against 15-33
Last meeting: 30 Oct 2008: 2-2 draw (Sothern, Jermyn) Venue: Dublin (test match)

Belgium: Played 43, 14 wins 8 draws 21 losses GF-A 95-78
Last meeting: 19 Jul 2009: 3-5 loss (Magee, Darling, Hobbs) Venue: Waterloo (Bel) (test match)

Chile Played 3, 2 wins1 draw GF-A 11-2
Last meeting: 6 Jul 2009 3-0 win (Jermyn 3) Venue: UCD (Champions Challenge II)

Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia Played 4, 4 wins GF-A 17-2
Last meeting: 26 Aug 07 10-0 (Jermyn 3, Gleghorne 2, Barbour 2, Magee, Maguire, Shaw) Venue: Manchester (European Nations Cup)

USA Played 6, 6 wins GF-A 29-4
Last meeting: 6 Feb 2008 8-0 win (Gleghorne 5, Magee, Barbour, Gormley) Venue: Auckland (Olympic Qualifier)

* To keep up to date with the tournament, follow the FIH's dedicated website here. ESPN Argentina will be televising the tournament though I have yet to find out if it will be available online. If anyone finds out more in the meantime, please let me know.

Hermes on look-out for new coach

Hermes will hope they feel no ill-effects in the wake of Simon Filgas’ departure earlier this week as they pay an early visit to Santry to face up-and-coming Trinity.

A statement from the Booterstown club this morning said: “The club would like to thank Simon for his time and commitment this season and wish him well in the future. The club is looking for a new coach for the rest of the season.”

Their opponents, though are not likely to give them an easy ride. Trinity have shown signs of promise, with Katie Grehan one to catch the eye, and will hope to catch the IHL finalists on the hop.

Their university rivals, UCD, meanwhile will be aiming to build on their 3-0 win over Pembroke, especially with the recovering Liz McInerney possibly able to play a greater role.

A trip to unbeaten Loreto, though, will be a serious test of their mettle with the link-up play of Nicci Daly, Nikki Symmons and Niamh Small beginning to bear fruit.

Pembroke host Glenanne for the second time in a week at Serpentine Avenue and will hope to bounce back from Thursday night’s defeat to UCD. Hilda Maguire, Aoife O’Gorman and Jane Coyne both were unavailable for that tie though Sinead Loughran did prove a lively presence up front and could give the spark to unlock the Glens’ defence.

Railway will be without Emer Dillon (work reasons) and possibly Emma Smyth (exams) for the visit of Bray but the bug that had reeked havoc with their panel looks to have subsided with a number of players likely to play bigger roles than recent weeks.

Old Alex, meanwhile, will hope to continue their league revival when they travel to Whitechurch Park to play Corinthian – one of three sides currently sharing third place on six points.

Women’s Division One (Saturday):
Trinity vs Hermes, 11am, Santry Avenue; Pembroke vs Glenanne, 1pm, Serpentine Avenue; Railway Union vs Bray, 1.30pm, Park Avenue; Loreto vs UCD, 2pm, Beaufort; Corinthian vs Old Alex, 3.15pm, Whitechurch Park

Reds and Rovers vye for top spot

With Ireland's men beginning their World Cup Qualifiers on Saturday, Leinster division one will have a shortened programme for the next two series of matches as Glenanne and Pembroke enjoy a mid-season month off.

It means the hughlight on Saturday is likely to be at Grange Road where Three Rock will face a Corinthian-side featuring the return of Lucas Piccioli. Charlie Henderson, though, is a player not likely to face his old club as he has taken semi-retirement with Stephen West stepping into the number one jersey for Three Rock.

Rovers will be hoping for Peter Blakeney to return after a rare leg injury kept him out of the trip to YMCA while Kyle Good - who underwent a scan on his back earlier in the week - and Ali Haughton are doubts.

In the corresponding fixture last time out, Rovers crept come amid a deluge which almost threatened an abandonment but, provided such an eventuality is avoided on Saturday, whoever wins will go top. Traditionally cagey affairs, expect a tight battle as Rovers' grind comes up against the flash and dash of the reds forward line.

The other pair of division one fixtures concern sides in the bottom half with UCD desperate for points at Park Avenue. Their tie with Railway Union already represents the midway point in their season with just one point accrued to date. As such, the late concession against Clontarf ups the ante and they will hope to find a route past former goalkeeper Stephen O'Keefe - a recent Intervarsity guest - to escape the bottom rung of the standings. Gavin O'Halloran is their biggest injury concern.

Clontarf, meanwhile, are in a similar predicament and will need to up their game to right a 5-0 defeat at the hands of YMCA in the Neville Cup in September. The Y are at full strength bar Todd Gill and could re-connect with the top five with three points.

Division Two returns after a three-week lay-off with top two Avoca and Suttonians meeting at Newpark. The latter will be bouyed by their midweek 5-3 friendly win over northside neighbours Clontarf with Richie Wormold in fine form while Simon Walsh fired a double. The winnner is guaranteed top spot.

Third and fourth clash in the form of Weston and Trinity in a repeat of the last series of fixtures when Alan Browne's side nicked the points and their IHT win in Armagh will have a galvanising effect.

Bray and the Navan Badgers, fifth and sixth in the division, face off in the garden county looking to escape the bottom rung of the ladder.

Division 1
Railway Union vs UCD, 3pm, Park Avenue; Clontarf vs YMCA, 2pm, Mount Temple; TRR vs
Corinthian, 3pm, Grange Road

Division 2
Weston v Trinity, 2pm, Griffeen Valley; Bray v Navan, 1pm, Loreto Bray; Avoca v Suttonians, 1.45pm, Newpark

UCD sharpness earns Pembroke win

Leinster Women's Division One: 
UCD 3 (Rachel Burke 2, Kerry McComish) Pembroke 0

UCD cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Pembroke as their greater sharpness in either 25 proved the difference at Belfield tonight. Rachel Burke gave College an early lead with a superb solo effort, breaking down the right-hand baseline, beating a trio of tacklers before pulling the ball on to her reverse and scoring with a reverse at full stretch.

Thereafter, UCD pinned Pembroke back and got their second just a minute before the break when Kerry McComish swept in a penalty corner - won by Fiona Braddish's intercept inside the 25 - to make it 2-0 against her former club.

Lisa Jacob slipped two chances by the post to extend the margin - the latter well deflected wide by Lisa O'Rourke - while Pembroke struggled to test Grace O'Flanagan with six penalty corners.

They did, though, enjoy a better second period with Karen Hales a driving presence throughout but Burke flicked home her second near the end, after Bradish and Jacob had created the chance, to add some gloss to the scoreline.

Kilkenny, Sutton and Temple set to challenge school's hierarchy

Tightly contested early stages of the Leinster schoolboy’s senior league suggest that while St Andrew’s and Wesley are still the teams to beat, they will be pushed all the way by the chasing trio of Kilkenny, Sutton Park and Mount Temple.

Sutton have already nicked a draw from Andrew’s and held All-Ireland champions Wesley – who swept all before them in Belfast recently – to 3-0 in the opening half of the campaign. Kilkenny’s 7-0 win, though, over Mount Temple means they could be the team to watch when it comes to the newly inaugurated Development Cup in January.

At Junior level, results have been similarly tight with Wesley needing two late Andrew Malcolm goals against Mount Temple to convert a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win in one of the games of the season to date.

Former Ireland U-16 captain Mark Ryan was central to the Temple assault. Wesley held much of the possession, creating numerous chances but found Senan O’Mahony in inspired form between the posts.

Their high-pressing game, though, left wide open spaces at the back and Ryan’s ability to deliver 60-metre overheads found Nathan Northcutt in space to open the deadlock midway through the first half. And Matthew Owen doubled that lead from a penalty corner rebound early in the second half to raise hopes of an incredible upset.

But Wesley continued to plug away and got in with a shout when Ian Stewart – one of a number of players moving straight up from last year’s U-14 team – showed his predatory instincts to net. And the side kept coming forward and broke the Clontarf school’s resolve in the 64th minute when Malcolm popped up to equalise before the same player snatched the winner with the last touch of the game.

Elsewhere, the Cats nabbed a 3-3 draw against St Andrew’s while St Columba’s won a thriller against Temple with the odd goal in nine.

Senior A: Wesley 3 Sutton Park 0; Sutton Park 3 Mount Temple 2; St Andrew 2 Sutton Park 2; St Andrews 3 Sutton Park 1; St Andrews 4 Kilkenny College 0; Kilkenny College 7 Mount Temple 0
Senior B: Wesley B 6 St Andrew’s B 1
Junior A: St Andrews 3 Kilkenny 3; St Andrews 3 St Columbas 2; Mount Temple 4 St Columbas 5; Wesley 10 St Columbas 1; Wesley 3 Mount Temple 2
Junior B: St Killians 5 Mount Temple 0
Junior C: Wesley C 0 High School 6
Minor A: St Andrews 6 St Columbas 0; Wesley 3 Sutton Park 1; Sutton Park 5 St Columbas 2; Newpark 2 St Columbas 1; St Andrews 7 St Columbas 0; Wesley 2 St Columbas 0; Mt Temple 3 Newpark 1
Minor B: Kilkenny 1 Drogheda 1; Kilkenny 1 St Andrew’s 1
Under 13 A: St Andrews 5 Sutton Park 0; St Andrews 4 Sutton Park 0; St Andrews 1 Wesley 0; Wesley 1 King’s Hospital 0
U-13 B League: Mount Temple 5 Newpark 0; Mount Temple 0 St Killians 0; Wesley B 0 King’s Hospital 0
U-13 C League: Wesley C 1 King’s Hospital B 1

* If you have any information, updates or stories from any of the schoolboy leagues, please let me know by emailing stevie_findlats@yahoo.com

Pembroke Rotterdam-bound: News in brief

* Pembroke will play their EuroHockey League KO16 match in Rotterdam on either Friday, April 2 or Saturday, April 3, 2010 following an announcement from the EHL this morning. The fixtures draw will be made next Thursday morning and winners from these fixtures will play in KO8 matches on either April 4 or 5.

It will be the third time that the club has hosted an EHL event, with the Finals weekend in both 2008 and 2009 taking place at the world class venue.

Elsewhere, Phelie Maguire has been speaking to the EHL about his time with KHC Leuven. To read the full interview click here.

* Cookstown will play their first match on their new water-based pitch at Coolnafranky this Saturday against old rivals Banbridge.

The pitch is complemented by a banked spectator area, floodlighting and a video system that can be linked to the changing rooms for video analysis.

Project Manager Stephen Cuddy said of the pitch opening: "It’s great that the new facility will have such a prestigious match on its first weekend. Ourselves and Banbridge probably have the largest support in Ulster so I am hoping for a good crowd at Coolnfranky.”

* Pembroke Wanderers are holding a black tie ball in the D4 Ballsbridge Inn (formerly Jury’s Ballsbridge) on Saturday, November 14.

The Ireland v France soccer World Cup play-off match will be shown on the big-screen during the 4 course dinner; ‘Jungle Boogie’ (the chosen band for the Irish Rugby team Grand Slam home-coming celebrations) will provide live post-dinner entertainment before a DJ takes the event through to the end of the evening

In excess of 125 tickets have been sold so far but if some other clubs would like to take a table or just get a few people together to come along, the club would be delighted to have you. If you would like to buy tickets, please phone the club office on 6685217. Tickets are €75 (Visa / Laser etc accepted over the phone).

Revington dealt double injury blow

Paul Revington was dealt a huge blow on the eve of Ireland’s World Cup Qualifying campaign as both Joe Brennan (below, right) and David Hobbs (left) were ruled out of the trip to Argentina.

The Irish team flew out to South America this morning without the duo as they both lost their race against time to be fit for the competition and have been replaced by David Ames and Peter Caruth.

Speaking about the late changes, Revington said: “The team will miss David's power in midfield and the experience he brings to the Team, and will also miss the presence and quality that Joe Brennan has added to our Team throughout 2009.

“The squad has, however, developed a good degree of depth in strength over the past few months and weare very fortunate to announce David Ames as the replacement for David Hobbs and Peter Caruth as the replacement for Joe Brennan.

“David Ames returned to the squad over the Summer (Celtic Cup) after a tough start to 2009 filled with injury and he has progressively built up the form that makes him such an exciting prospect for Irish Hockey.

"Ames brings a terrific skill set, a strong physical engine, a penalty corner injection and a youthful energy that will benefit the Ireland Team immensely in Argentina. Peter Caruth has improved consistently throughout 2009 and will be a player going to Argentina with form and confidence on his side."

The squad finished their build-up last week with two fixtures against England, something which Revington believes was of huge benefit, especially in light of cancellations earlier in the warm-up schedule.

"The games against England mid week were of great benefit to the players attending as well as for our efforts to improve the depth of the Irish Squad in general.

“England offered an extremely high tempo opportunity to all players and this will have massive benefit for our Team traveling to Argentina. It was also great to have the full team together in Banbridge on Saturday evening and I know the guys are all excited to be together again and continue the friendship and locker room spirit that has been the foundation for their performances in 2009."

Ireland tip off their campaign against the world number 19's when they play USA on day Saturday.

UCD and Loreto to enjoy home comforts

Reigning ISC champs UCD and IHL winners Loreto both picked up home ties in the quarter-final draw of the ESB Irish Senior Cup. The students face Cork Harlequins at Belfield while Loreto host the only all-Dublin tie against Pembroke.

Railway Union will hope to repeat their recent 4-1 win over Ards in the last eight, though the trip north could become a factor as the Ulster side used such an advantage well to oust UCC. Pegasus play an all-Ulster derby for the second successive round, this time going to the Joey Dunlop centre to face Ballymoney.

On the men's side, just two Leinster side's were gifted byes with Fingal and Glenanne going straight into the second round hat. Railway Union will hope to remaster their recent 3-3 performance against Corinthian and serve up a club classic in one of two Dublin derbies - the other being UCD and Monkstown.

YM and Three Rock both welcome southern visitors though the task for the Sandymount club looks much steeper, hosting Cork Harlequins. Rovers will need to be wary of Bandon's threat, especially in light of their performance against Cork C of I last Friday night where they led for the majority of the tie. Clontarf travel the opposite direction with a daunting trip to Garryduff in prospect.

Pembroke's retention hopes begin with a home fixture against Ulster strugglers Bangor while the only tie not contested by a Leinster team is Banbridge's tie with North Down.

ESB Irish Senior Cup
Saturday, November 28 - quarter-finals
Loreto vs Pembroke Wanderers; UCD vs Cork Harlequins; Ballymoney vs Pegasus; Ards vs Railway Union

Men's Irish Senior Cup - Round One (January 16, 2010)
YMCA vs Cork Harlequins; TRR vs Bandon; Pembroke vs Bangor; UCD vs Monkstown; Railway Union vs Corinthian; Cork C of I vs Clontarf; Banbridge vs North Down
Byes to Round Two: Glenanne, Fingal, Annadale, Instonians, Lisnagarvey, Kilkeel, Mossley, Cookstown, Raphoe

Smyth stormer sinks Hermes

That six of the eight ties ended in 2-1 results tells the tale of an incredibly tight day of ESB Senior Cup action as Railway battled back from a goal down to beat Hermes and Loreto and UCD needed golden goals to seal places in the quarter-finals.

At St Andrew's, Hermes showed many fine qualities, exemplified by Fiona Connery, but were cracked by a tenacious Railway side who soaked up sustained first half pressure and struck with a superb second-half goal from Emma Smyth to advance.

Jenny Burke gave the Booterstown club the lead when he exploded into the circle from the right wing and, under pressure, picked off a brilliant shot to beat Helen Stevenson. It was the only time the 'keeper would be beaten as the Ireland A player kept the navy hordes at bay with a string of quality interventions.

Cecelia Joyce subsequently tied the game up before the break with a hotly-contested effort. Nikki Evans' - who made a 20-minute cameo - shot ballooned up only for Joyce to, with Emma Gray in very close proximity, tap in at close to shoulder-height.

And, in spite of second half pressure, Railway took the glory with a superb strike. Kate Dillon's overhead was taken in by Kate McKenna to feed Smyth in the circle. Dragging the ball to the vacant space wide on the right of the circle, Smyth unleashed a spectacular, chipped effort over Gray.

At Beaufort, Loreto also went through by the odd goal in three by virtue of a fine team goal. Niamh Small was on target for the second time in a week, shooting home following a pitch-length move instigated by Nikki Symmons and included contributions from Nicci Daly, Aisling Campion and Nikki Keegan.

That golden strike broke the hearts of the Ulster side who made this a high-quality tussle, typified by Symmons' battle with Emma Stewart in midfield. Ali Meeke had given Loreto the lead with an excellent, knee-high touch to round out Nicci Daly's incredible left-wing run and reverse-stick cross but Armagh were level inside two minutes courtesy of Jackie Orr.

UCD were another side who needed extra-time to progress but Kerry McComish was on hand to score her first goal in College colours to nick the win in Bray. Pembroke were the other Leinster side to advance as goals from Shona Doyle and Hilda Maguire saw the purples sneak home ahead of Glenanne.

Old Alex, however, were ambushed by Cork Harlequins at Farmer's Cross despite holding a tenth minute lead when Lucy Cotter applied an immaculate deflection to Roisin Flinn's cross. Flinn was a danger throughout but Quins always held the balance of power and were back on terms when Cliodhna Sargent smashed in a straight hit from a corner.

And Karen Bateman won the tie in the second half with a brilliantly executed first time shot to a bouncing ball, served up by Sinead McCarthy.

Munster's contingent in the competition, though, was cut in half as UCC failed to recover a 2-0 deficit at Ards while Pegasus were the only side in the competition to enjoy a modicum of comfort when they beat Randalstown 4-2.

In the Trophy, Clontarf and North Kildare were the only Leinster sides to advance. They beat NUIG and   Kilkeel respectively on 3-1 scorelines.

Avoca, Botanic, Kilkenny, Newbridge and Genesis were all bested - the latter by a very impressive Queens' side. In the late game, Weston were denied a second round date with Carrickfergus by Banbridge on golden goal.

ESB Irish Senior Cup Round 1
Hermes 1 (Jenny Burke) Railway Union 2 (Cecelia Joyce, Emma Smyth); Pembroke Wanderers 2 (Shona Doyle, Hilda Maguire) Glenanne 1 (Audrey McCormack); Loreto 2 (Ali Meeke, Niamh Small) Armagh 1 (Jackie Orr) after golden goal extra-time; Ards 2 (Katie Fraser 2) UCC 1 (Julia O’Halloran); Cork Harelquins 2 (Cliodhna Sargent, Karen Bateman) Old Alex 1 (Danielle Costigan); Pegasus 4 (Michelle Harvey, Shelley Sloan, Suzanne Beaney, Clare McMahon) Randalstown 2 (Vanessa Surgeoner, Jane McGrillen); Bray 0 UCD 1 (Kerry McComish) after golden goal extra-time; Lisnagarvey 1 (Jane Clarke) Ballymoney 2 (Lynsey McVicker, Rachel Lightbody)

ESB Irish Junior Cup
Pegasus II 1 (Hannah Clarke) Randalstown II 3 (Emma Clarke, Pamela Muir, Holly Steele)

ESB Irish Hockey Trophy:
Queens 2 Genesis 1; NUIG 1 Clontarf 3; Avoca 0 Ashton 4; Kilkenny 1 Galway 5; North Kildare 3 Kilkeel 1; Newbridge 2 Carrickfergus 3; Knock 2 Botanic 1; Banbridge 2 Weston 1 after golden goal extra-time; Parkview-Coleraine

* For Deryck Vincent's photos from the Hermes vs Railway Union game, click here