THE race to complete the majority of the women's domestic hockey fixtures by the beginning of March, so that international players will be free to prepare for August's World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, continues apace this weekend.

Loreto, Muckross, Hermes and Pembroke Wanderers are each forced to play two matches in two days in the league on Saturday and Leinster Senior Cup semi-finals on Sunday at Grange Road.

Successive league defeats by Hermes and Muckross before the Christmas break and an Irish Senior Cup exit at the hands of Randalstown earlier this month, makes it a particularly important weekend for Loreto, whose coach, Noel Keogh, was left with a confidence rebuilding job on his hands after those disappointments.

Victories over Trinity in the league and Muckross in the semi-final of the Leinster Senior Cup this weekend would go some way towards easing the pain of those earlier setbacks. But, says Keogh, "the best is yet to come from this team - it may come this season, if not, then next season".

Hermes, too, face a crucial double weekend which begins with a league match against fellow title-challengers Old Alexandra at Belfield and finishes on Sunday with their cup semifinal against Pembroke Wanderers.

Muckross should be untroubled by bottom-of-the-table Clontarf tomorrow but, on the evidence of their league meeting last month, their cup tie against Loreto on Sunday could prove to be one of the matches of the season.