The final placings in the women's Olympic hockey tournament have boosted Ireland's hopes of making it in to the line-up for next September's World Cup qualifier in France. "We're almost definitely there," said Irish coach Riet Kuper yesterday, although she is reluctant to take qualification for granted until the International Hockey Federation meet in Paris next month.
"We were told that we needed four European teams to finish in the top eight in Sydney and that is what happened - Holland finished third, Spain fourth, Germany seventh and Britain eighth. Our chances are, then, quite good but it is a very complicated system so we cannot be absolutely certain."
Sixteen nations will compete in the 2002 World Cup, as opposed to 12 in 1998, with the top eight in Sydney expected to automatically qualify. That leaves Ireland fighting for one of the remaining eight places but their only hope of winning a slot is by coming through the qualifier. South Africa and Korea, on the other hand, should make it as continental champions.
On the club front Old Alexandra and Hermes are the only Leinster Senior A clubs with 100 per cent winning starts to the season after defending champions Loreto were held to a 2-2 draw by Pembroke Wanderers on Saturday. Alexandra beat UCD 5-0, with Ruth Gibson scoring twice and a goal in each half from Jenny Osborne gave Hermes a 20 win over Genesis. Glenanne and Railway Union picked up their first point of the season when they drew 1-1 while Trinity opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Muckross.
Karen O'Brien made it five goals in two matches when she scored a hat-trick for Harlequins in their 5-0 win over Lansdowne while Pegasus bounced back from their surprise defeat last week by beating a hapless Knock 11-1.
