HOCKEY: For the second year running Leinster experienced something of a wipe-out in the Club Championship quarter-finals: not one of the province's top-three teams reached next weekend's All-Ireland finals.
The line-up, then, will be an Ulster (Instonians and Lisnagarvey) v Munster (Cork Harlequins and Church of Ireland) affair, with Harlequins the only change from last year's list of qualifiers.
Of the four teams to fall at the quarter-final hurdle, Corinthians are, perhaps, most entitled to feel sorry for themselves after staging the feistiest of comebacks against Instonians at Whitechurch. Trailing 5-1 (6-3 on aggregate), they fought back to make it 6-6 on aggregate, but Instonians held on to go through on away goals.
The performance of the round, though, came at Lough Moss where C of I beat Annadale 2-1, following the scoreless draw between the sides in the first leg. John Jermyn put the defending champions a goal up after just 80 seconds, from a penalty corner, and his team then withstood incessant Annadale pressure before Ian Hamilton equalised 11 minutes into the second half.
An away goal "down", Annadale upped the pressure again, but a defensive blunder by David Robb presented David Hobbs with an opening 25 minutes from time, which he took to seal the tie for C of I.
Pembroke Wanderers and Three Rock Rovers, meanwhile, put up spirited second-leg displays against Lisnagarvey and Cork Harlequins, respectively, but both went out 3-5 on aggregate.
