Men's Hockey: It might be the foothills of the competition, but the Irish Senior Cup gets moving this weekend with some of the less likely winners of the cup up first. The men's trophy, which dates to 1894, is one of the world's oldest, and again is an open draw with all senior club teams eligible.
The teams which qualified for the previous year's club championships receive byes in the first two rounds, which explains why Pembroke, Glenanne, Cork Harlequins, Lisnagarvey and Instonians are not scheduled to play for silverware just yet.
Once more, cup final day, along with the club championships finals, is one of the highlights of the domestic calendar and will be played as a double-header at the end of the season along with the women's final, and will be live on national television at the National Hockey Stadium in Belfield.
Despite much heated debate last season over the proposed new structures within the sport, which were rejected by the clubs, there was an issue of just what team would represent Ireland in Europe as champions. The winner of this year's Senior Cup will represent Ireland in the European Cup Winners' Cup for the following season.
Elsewhere, in Leinster the top match of the weekend looks like Corinthians' game against Glenanne at Whitechurch Park tomorrow. It pits the league winners against one of the sides looking to make an impression this year, and with talk of Venezuelan players and young blood coming through at Corinthians, Glenanne may have their hands full.
But a 3-1 win over Three Rock Rovers midweek will have given the Tallaght side a boost after the bad-tempered game at Glenanne Park last Saturday.
Good to hear, then, that the evening match was conducted without any animosity and that the niggle between Rovers and Glenanne has been patched up.
Last season Glenanne beat Corinthians 7-1, but few think that result will be repeated. Glenanne also have French forward Henri de Canter, recruited over the internet and who scored last weekend, giving the match quite an international flavour.
SATURDAY: IRISH SENIOR CUP: First round: North Down v PSNI, Comber Leisure Centre, 2.30; Suttonians v Bandon, Sutton Park Sch, 1.45; Weston v Newry, King's Hospital, 2.30; Ballynahinch v Skerries, Laurel Hill, 2.30. LEINSTER SENIOR LEAGUE: Division One: Corinthians v Glenanne, 2.0, Whitechurch Park; Fingal v Dublin University, 1.0, ALSAA; Monkstown v YMCA, 1.30, Rathdown School; Pembroke Wanderers v Railway Union, noon, Serpentine Ave; Three Rock Rovers v Bray 1.0, Grange Road. MUNSTER SENIOR LEAGUE: Division One: Church of Ireland A v Harlequins B, Garryduff 3.0; Catholic Institute A v Church of Ireland B, Rosbrien 1.30.
