HOCKEY/Men's and Women's All-Ireland Club semi-finals:The timing of the Glenanne match against Irish championship holders Pembroke in the All Ireland Club semi-finals on Saturday morning in UCD hasn't pleased all of those involved in the game. With two Dublin teams playing each other and therefore amounting to one of the more attractive packages of the day, it was expected the game would get one of the prime slots along with one of the women's semi-finals in the first day's play.

As it now stands, Pembroke and Glenanne, who usually spark off each other enough to make their matches lively and often tetchy affairs, will tip off at the rather early hour of 10am. That match is followed by Cork Harlequins' semi-final against Cork C of I with the Sunday final scheduled for Belfield at 1pm.

Given the healthy crowds that attended last's week's championship pool stages at Serpentine Avenue, the match will be well supported with many fans looking forward to seeing how Pembroke will go about breaking Glenanne's dominance in Leinster.

This season Glenanne were not only undefeated in their league campaign but beat Pembroke twice on their way to winning the league title. But Pembroke's 13 goals over the three matches last weekend suggests that finding the net is not difficult for them and with new South African recruits Ian Symons and John McInroy dovetailing with Pembroke's regular Irish and Leinster players, the deal there looks very solid indeed. Overall a lot of goals are likely.

Last weekend yielded 61 goals from 12 matches. An average of over five goals a game is bound to be an attractive prospect.

In the other semi-final the two Cork sides meet again and again and . . . The recent matches between C of I and Harlequins have been close enough to suggest that on the day either could emerge as finalists.

One aspect of the two semi-finals is whether C of I's John Jermyn will meet up with Glenanne's Stephen Butler in the final. Both specialist short corners takers amongst other things, the two have scored over 40 goals each this season.

C of I last won the event in 2003 while Harlequins won it the year before in 2001. Glenanne were winners in 200, while Pembroke won last year and were champions in 1995 and 2001.

Fixtures

Club championship semi-finals (Belfield) - Pembroke v Glenanne 10.0am; Cork C of I v Cork Harlequins 12.30pm.