Between them, seven of Hermes-Monkstown and Cork Harlequins’ players contributed to Ireland’s 3-0 series win away to Scotland earlier in the week but now they turn their attention back to club duty with the two sides meeting in Dublin in the Hockey League, both with 100 per cent winning records to protect.
It was an especially memorable week for Hermes’ Ellen Curran and Harlequins’ Róisín Upton who made their senior debuts at Clydesdale Hockey Club in the first of the three games, UCD goalkeeper Clodagh Cassin and Queen’s Jessica McMaster also making their first senior appearances in the series.
McMaster marked her debut with the last-minute winner in the second of the games, Graham Shaw’s side picking up 2-0, 2-1 and 1-0 victories in the latest phase of their build-up to January’s World League in Kuala Lumpur.
The series also saw the return to the side of Nicci Daly after her spell working in America as a data engineer for a motor racing team, the Muckross player getting the only goal of the final meeting between the teams.
Busy schedule
Before setting off for Kuala Lumpur, the bulk of Shaw’s squad have a busy Hockey League schedule ahead with five games due before Christmas, as well as the second round of the Irish Senior Cup next month.
While the joint leaders meet in Rathdown, third play fourth at Belfield in the game between UCD (13 points) and Pegasus (seven), the Ulster side badly in need of a win after taking just a point from their last three games.
The students would move nine points clear of Pegasus with a victory, boosting the chasing pack’s hopes of moving in to the top four.
Fifth-placed Railway Union, whose goalkeeper Grace O’Flanagan had an impressive series in Scotland, are one such side, and with a struggling Ulster Elks their opponents at Park Avenue they will be hopeful of collecting their third win from six games.
Like Railway, Ards are on six points and will also be optimistic about adding to their tally when they take on second-from-bottom Belfast Harlequins at Deramore Park, while Loreto (five) host a Pembroke Wanderers side still looking to get off the mark.
