MEN'S HOCKEY/IRISH SENIOR CUP:THESE NEXT two weekends could make or break a team's season as hockey goes into consecutive weeks of Irish Senior Cup action. Because of the recent bad weather, there has been a pile up of fixtures with Raphoe still to play their first-round match against Banbridge. That hopefully takes place tomorrow at Royal Prior school.
Three Rock Rovers and Glenanne are on the road to Bangor and North Down respectively.
Rovers, who have just returned from their trip to France, where they came fifth in the European Indoor Championships, may be anxious that their focus over the last few weeks has been indoor.
They will need to hit the ground running and quickly fall into the outdoor routine.
A win at the seaside resort would reward them with a home fixture next week against either Glenanne or North Down.
Glenanne’s powers of recovery are well documented but their comeback from three goals down against Pembroke in the league is not the sort of heart-stopping match they want this weekend. They too would savour what would be a tough quarter-final meeting with Rovers at Grange Road.
Fingal have a tough fixture against Cookstown at the airport but are equipped to cause an upset, while Corinthians face Railway Union in a Leinster derby at Whitechurch.
Corinthians will expect to win at home, which would then earn them a stern challenge against either Lisnagarvey or Annadale, who play each other tomorrow in Hillsborough.
A joint merger committee has invited club members to attend one of two presentations outlining the proposal to merge the three Leinster Branches – LLHU, LBIHA and the South East into a single body – ie “Leinster Hockey”. Clubs will be later asked to vote on the creation of this new branch.
The meetings are scheduled for Wednesday 25th February at 8pm in the Talbot Hotel, Carlow and Thursday 26th February at 8pm in the Montrose Hotel, Dublin.
TOMORROW: Irish Senior Cup 2nd Rd –
Mossley v NICS, 2.30 The Glade; Corinthian v Railway Union, 1.0 Whitechurch; Lisnagarvey v Annadale, 2.30 Hillsborough; Bangor v Three Rock Rovers, 2.30 Bangor; North Down v Glenanne, 2.30 Comber; Fingal v Cookstown, 1.0 ALSAA. Irish Senior Cup 1st Rd: Raphoe v Banbridge, 2.30 Royal and Prior. Leinster Senior League: UCD v Monkstown, 1.0 Belfield.
SUNDAY: Leinster Senior Cup semi-final: Glenanne v Corinthians, 1.30 Glenanne Park; Clontarf v Pembroke, 4.0 Mount Temple.
