WOMEN'S HOCKEY:A FORTNIGHT after their Irish Hockey League fixtures against Loreto and UCD were postponed Pegasus and Ballymoney travel south again to Dublin in the hope that the weather is sufficiently kind to allow Sunday's rearranged games go ahead.
While Loreto and Pegasus might initially have been regarded as favourites to emerge from Pool A and go through to the semi-finals of the competition, the form of Railway Union this season, currently topping Pool A and Division One in Leinster, makes the battle for a place in the last four a hugely competitive one.
A win on Sunday would lift Loreto or Pegasus above Railway in the table, leaving the defeated side with plenty of work to do over their remaining three pool games.
Following last weekend's double-header and tomorrow's league meeting with Glenanne Sunday's game with the Ulster champions will be Loreto's fourth in nine days. They can't afford any slip-ups, though, against Glenanne, if they are to keep in touch with Railway.
With no league game tomorrow UCD can focus all their thoughts on the IHL fixture against Ballymoney, both sides looking to catch up with leaders Hermes and the teams in second and third, Cork Harlequins and Pembroke Wanderers, in Pool B.
Before last weekend UCD's form had dipped, the students dropping five points in two league games, but their win over Glenanne lifted them back up to third in the Leinster table, a timely boost ahead of this crucial IHL game.
Railway complete the first half of their league campaign against Trinity tomorrow, champions Hermes are away to Corinthian, badly in need of a win to stay in the title race, while Bray host Old Alexandra.
Irish coach Gene Muller, meanwhile, will take a panel of 25 players to Spain in February for a week-long training camp as part of the preparations for August's European Championships in Amsterdam.
WEEKEND FIXTURES: Irish Hockey League - Second round - Sunday - Pool A: Loreto v Pegasus, Loreto Beaufort, 3.0. Pool B: UCD v Ballymoney, Belfield, 3.0.
Leinster League - Division One - Tomorrow: Bray v Old Alexandra, Loreto Bray, 2.15; Corinthian v Hermes, Whitechurch, 12.45; Glenanne v Loreto, Tallaght, 1.0; Railway Union v Trinity, Park Avenue, 12.30.
