Avoca, after three Leinster League defeats, shook themselves out of the doldrums to beat Glenanne 3-0 at St Mark's on Saturday. It was a rare reverse for the all-Ireland champions in their own stronghold as they were contained in the first half and then were unable to respond to the visitors' spirited performance in which David Hanna relished his midfield role.
Avoca took the lead 10 minutes into the second half when Trevor Dagg put away a penalty stroke after Graham Dowling had been brought down in the circle. After Charlie Batt had denied Stephen Butler an equaliser, Galahad Goulet made it 2-0 with a drag flick and Cliff Bailey pounced on a misplaced clearance to complete the day's surprise result.
It leaves Pembroke Wanderers five points clear at the top of the table, increasing their figures to 19-0 from four games after the six-goal crushing of inexperienced Three Rock Rovers at Serpentine Avenue.
Justin Sherriff helped himself to a quick hat-trick and with Alan Giles revelling in space on the left flank, the home side were five up by the interval. Subsequently, Gordon Elliott achieved a solitary breakthrough as Wendel Armstrong and Alan Bothwell managed to close down the shutters. Rovers, though, had nothing in response as Allan Kershaw dealt expecially crisply with sporadic raids.
YMCA also won handsomely, 5-1, at Park Avenue where Sean Southgate opened the scoring against his former Railway Union team-mates. Stephen Thompson replied on his debut for the home team but, missing Mark Henderson and Padraig O'Brien, there was little hope of holding the maturing YM side.
Although Trinity - with Michael Harte to the fore - twice seized the lead against Corinthians at Santry, the cosmopolitan visitors finished vigorously to win 5-3. Monks town, for whom Richard Beere, Brian Groves and Ian Allen have won their interprovincial spurs, find themselves in second place after a 1-1 draw with Aer Lingus.
Leinster Squad (for Interprovincial Championship, Blaris, next Saturday and Sunday) - N Henderson (Pembroke Wanderers) capt, I Clarke (Glenanne); I Allen (Monkstown), R Beere (Monkstown), A Bothwell (Three Rock Rovers), C Brady (Avoca), A Browne (Glenanne), S Butler (Glenanne), P Carley (Pembroke), D Donnelly (Pembroke), G Elliott (Pembroke), J Goulding (Glenanne), G Goulet (Avoca), B Groves (Monkstown), M Henderson (Railway Union), W Powderly (YMCA), G Shaw (Glenanne), J Sherriff (Pembroke); coach: A Kidney; manager: J Clarke.
Dual Roles: Simon Filgas (Pembroke coach) turned out for Avoca III (v Pembroke IV, 0-2); Angus Dunlop (YMCA Saturday coach) played for Three Rock Rovers II (v Pembroke II, 2-2).
