Women's Hockey Weekend preview: Should results go their way this weekend, Loreto could win the Leinster Division One title for the first time since 2000, ending Hermes' quest for a four-in-a-row and their sixth title in seven years.
Loreto need just four points from their three remaining games to guarantee the league, but that requirement will, of course, decrease if Hermes fail to win their final five fixtures, starting with Railway Union tomorrow and Corinthian on Sunday.
Corinthian could yet play a significant part in the title race, with games against Loreto and Hermes to come, and after losing midweek to Genesis they're in need of points to maintain their challenge for a top-three finish: just one point separates Hermes, Old Alexandra, Pembroke Wanderers and Corinthian, with only two places in the All-Ireland quarter-finals available.
Corinthian should get back to winning ways tomorrow when they play bottom club Trinity, while on Sunday they will have a chance to avenge last weekend's Irish Senior Cup semi-final defeat by Hermes when they meet them at Whitechurch.
Old Alexandra, too, need to put a midweek defeat behind them (they lost 2-0 to Pembroke on Monday) when they play Loreto at Milltown tomorrow, while Pembroke will hope to keep their momentum going when they meet Three Rock at Serpentine Avenue.
If the top-three permutations are complicated, the title "maths" are straightforward enough: if Hermes fail to win both games this weekend and Loreto beat Alexandra, Siobhán Keogh will have led Loreto to the league in her first season charge.
Loreto II won the Division Two title last weekend by drawing with Clontarf who remained in second place after Pembroke II's defeat by Hermes II. Clontarf, though, are just a point ahead of Pembroke II and Alexandra II, with Hermes II another point behind. With three games to go they must hold on to second place if they are to keep their promotion hopes alive.
After Randalstown's draw with Ballymena last week, Pegasus are odds on to, yet again, win their league. They play Ballymena tomorrow while Randalstown are away to Victorians.
Kilkenny College and Scanlon Park host the junior interprovincial tournament over the weekend, with Ulster defending the title they won in Belfast last year.
LEINSTER LEAGUE - Division One - Tomorrow: Corinthian v Trinity, Whitechurch, 12.45; Old Alexandra v Loreto, Milltown, 1.15; Railway Union v Hermes, Dalkey, 1.0; Pembroke Wanderers v Three Rock, Serpentine Avenue, 2.0; Genesis v UCD, Belfield, 2.45. Sunday: Corinthian v Hermes, Whitechurch, 2.15.
MUNSTER LEAGUE - Division One: Waterford v Church of Ireland, Newtown School, 1.0.
ULSTER LEAGUE - Section One: Ballymena v Pegasus, Ballymena, 2.30; Ballymoney v Ards, Joey Dunlop Centre, 2.30; Belfast Harlequins v Coleraine, Deramore, 2.30; Victorians v Randalstown, Olympia Leisure Centre, 1.0.
JUNIOR INTERPROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT (at Kilkenny College and Scanlon Park) - Tomorrow: South East v Connacht, 9.30; Leinster v Munster, 11.0; Connacht v Ulster, 12.30; South East v Munster, 2.0; Leinster v Ulster, 3.30. Sunday: Munster v Ulster, 9.0; Leinster v Connacht, 10.30; Ulster v South East, 12.0; Munster v Connacht, 1.30; South East v Leinster, 3.0.
CONNACHT: N McKeown, M Hughes, A Bourke, A Bennett, A M Hawkins, A Pursil, R Hutchinson (capt), C Kenny, S Kennedy, L Fitzgerald, C Freeman, K Cassidy, A M Delaney, A Clarke, D Kirwan. Coach: Martin White.
LEINSTER: F Dowling, M Harkin, L Bredin, S Sunnane, G Dawson (capt), S Doyle, K Henderson, L Jenkinson, V Jones, J Motherway, S Murphy, L O'Brien, C O'Leary, C Sharkey, J Stewart, M Willoughby. Coach: Jonathon Harte.
MUNSTER: C Lundie, V Sargent, D Burkley, F Connelly, L Davis, Y Delaney, J Dennis, O Donovan, A Galvin, N Guile, J Mackey, M O'Connell, C O'Connor, T Ruddy, D Ryan (capt), K Treacy. Coach: Fergus O'Brien.
SOUTH EAST: D Colfer, G Porter, O Brennan, D Bolger, L Codd, S Dempsey, L Fanning, D Gahan, S Hedigan, A Jones, T Mennis (capt), J Peppard, O Power, O Rynhart, J Wallace, O Williamson. Coach: Ross Harding.
ULSTER: H McCarthy, S Richardson, J Campbell, A Christie, J Clarke, D Dowey, R Gallagher, F Hamilton, K Harvey, D Hood, E McMullan, H Morrison, A Nixon, M Rainey, N Rosa, H West. Coach: Alison McNeil.
