HOCKEY:Ulster's Under-21 squad dominated the weekend at Hillsborough, collecting the interprovincial trophy after yesterday's 4-1 win over Munster.

In truth, the final game of the championships was not much more than a formality after the hosts saw off Leinster 2-1 on Friday more comprehensively than the actual scoreline suggested.

But for the acrobatics of YMCA goalkeeper Ian Walker, who withstood a barrage of penalty corners, the damage sustained by the losers would have been a great deal worse.

Leinster's 5-1 Saturday romp against Munster, in which both Mitch Darling and Alan Sothern scored on the double, only underlined the inevitability of a home success.

In the event, Munster withstood the Ulster siege until 28 minutes into the game when Annadale's Neil Hamilton put away a corner.

Dean Ward, Simon Todd and Peter Caruth followed him on to the score sheet before the end, while Dan Hobbs registered the consolation score for the off-the-pace southerners.

The new champions had impressive strength-in-depth and a capable leader in captain Christopher Boyce, who plays his club hockey in Scotland.

Meanwhile, in Dublin, yesterday's north versus south affair in the Mills Cup went the way of Fingal, who defeated Monkstown 4-3.

The postponed second-round tied at Rathdown swung the way of Fingal as early as 11 minutes when Adrian Sweeney teed up Glen Shackleton for the opening goal.

Gareth Watkins roofed a fine equaliser, but Monkstown were 3-1 ahead by the break as Sweeney laid on another assist, this time for Paddy Gahan.

Then David Bane slotted home a corner just before the interval, putting his low shot with admirable precision past stand-in goalkeeper Andrew Griffin.

The hosts rallied after the break, with Ian Allen and Simon Groves picking up the scraps around disjointed set-piece attacks to leave the match all square.

But Fingal responded immediately. Groves' knocked in the rebound from Fran Lee's initial effort, and then David Bane's shot on the hour found its way past Griffin with a deflection.

The victory was win number three for Fingal this season over their Dun Laoghaire rivals, whom they had already bested in the league and in the Neville Cup.

The meeting of the clubs once more next month in the return league fixture at Rathdown promises to be even more combative than yesterday's hard-fought affair.

Both clubs are very much in the running for fourth position, which offers the incentive of an automatic place in next season's new national league.