WOMEN'S HOCKEY/All-Ireland Club final/Pegasus 3 Hermes 1:Pegasus clearly proved themselves the season's leading club when beating their arch-rivals Hermes in yesterday's ESB All-Ireland League Club final at Belfield to add to their Irish Senior Cup win last month. They lifted this trophy for the seventh time the past decade to claim their place in next season's European Club Championships.

Pegasus captain Arlene Boyles, their long-serving international sweeper, said, "We made hard work of it for ourselves but we took our chances in the first half."

On the question of their vigorous protests over the Hermes goal scored by Jenny Burke, she explained, "Well as we saw it, the ball struck her foot before she scored but the umpire saw it otherwise."

Burke's goal came on 28 minutes as she collected a pass from Mary Logue to score from close range after Pegasus had jumped into a 2-0 lead.

The first goal came when Suzanne Beaney steered a free hit past Nicky King on 19 minutes, and Claire McMahon, voted Player of the Match, made it 2-0 four minutes later.

The disputed Hermes goal seemed to spur Pegasus, who stormed back on the attack, forcing three penalty corners, and then from a set-piece two minutes before the break, Boyles picked out Beaney to glance the ball home.

The expected Hermes fight-back never materialised as Pegasus shut up shop on their out-of-touch opponents.

Boyles confirmed afterwards it was their first time to beat Hermes three times in a row.

It all means Pembroke Wanderers, runners-up in the Irish Senior Cup final, go into next season's European Cup Winners Cup, with Pegasus taking their place in the more prestigious Club Championship event.

Saturday's semi-finals ran their predictable course as the pre-tournament favourites gradually got the better of their challengers, with Pegasus accounting for Cork Harlequins 3-1 after a "bumpy first-half ride".

Hermes were twice hauled back by Loreto but second-half goals by Burke and Logue sealed the issue, 4-2.

PEGASUS: S Moffett; A Boyles, K McCollum, N Brown, F McIlwaine, C McKee, J Orbinson, C McMahon, K Kennedy, S Beaney, A Speers. Subs: M McCaughan, K McConnell, H McClurg, G Irwin, R Aiken.

HERMES: N King; J Hodgins, A McCarthy, L Costello, C Carey, F Connery, L Caulfield, A Harte, A O'Flanagan, J Burke, M Logue. Subs: C Sullivan, M Powers, E McInerney, C McGilp, S McDonnell Umpires. C Metchette, Z Howe.