Although Cork C of I have become the popular choice to carry off the Irish Senior Cup, they have had critical lapses over the past two years and certainly they will be fully tested when Avoca visit Garryduff in tomorrow's quarter-final which was postponed for a week because of the Dubliners' involvement in European indoor circles.
Avoca's main advantage will be their match hardness, not only from their experiences in Budapest last weekend but from the intensity of Leinster hockey which helped them in the elimination of Banbridge in the fourth round. In contrast, C of I's only game of significance (apart from local jousts with Harlequins) was the 5-1 dismissal of Corinthians in their opening appearance in the Nissan-sponsored competition.
That win was impressive, ranging from the central defensive control of Ger Burns and Derek Hales, the midfield assertiveness of Nigel Buttimer and Alastair Dunne, and the front-running punch of Darren Hanna and Colin Hanna.
Yet Avoca, meeting the illustrious Cork side for the third successive season, will feel that they can at least match their performance of two years ago when, defending the trophy they had won in 1996, they conceded defeat only in extra time. Medal winners such as Trevor Dagg, Colin Hade, Galahad Goulet and Anton Scott have been galvanised by the addition of Paul Derham to the squad while fresher personnel, with European experience (notably from the Reading tournament of 1997) have also been making their mark.
Indeed, only if C of I produce a peak performance will they gain a place for Munster in the semi-finals, leaving Leinster to be represented only by Glenanne or Three Rock Rovers. Home advantage gives Glenanne the opportunity of repeating a 3-1 league win in this fourth quarter-final, though if the day were mellow at St Mark's, Rovers might feel relaxed enough to challenge Stephen Butler's set-piece expertise with a full response from open play.
Pembroke Wanderers, no doubt feeling deflated by their cup exit at the hands of Lisnagarvey, may find it difficult to raise their game against Railway Union at Park Avenue tomorrow, but a win would clinch the Leinster title and rekindle ambitions of taking all-Ireland laurels.
It's going to be a demanding weekend for the country's leading players, 35 of whom have been called up for two trial matches at Belfield on Sunday by national coach John Clarke. The competition for strikers' berths is bound to be a feature in the build-up for the European Championship in Padua in September.
