NEVER have the Irish Senior Cup quarter finals yielded such stimulating pairings as those which involve the IHU's top eight teams tomorrow. Nissan have motored in as sponsors of the world's oldest hockey competition at an opportunistic time.
All four ties are finely balanced but a casual forecast is that Lisnagarvey will edge out Instonians in Belfast that Three Rock Rovers and Avoca will survive in Dublin at the expense of Holywood and Annadale, and that Cork C of I will make the most of home advantage against Pembroke Wanderers.
Both of C of I's leading international figures, Ger Burns and Alistair Dunne, have recovered from injury and are bound to make a considerable impact on the game at Garryduff. Burns and Dunne can be particularly formidable at short corners and Pembroke, without Peter Young and Ian O'Keeffe, have not been as effective in clearing up the loose ball as they used to be.
Yet, as All Ireland champions, Pembroke must be respected and their overall liveliness and tenacity could well cook up a replay in this meeting of great friends and rivals.
Everything seems to be running right for Three Rock this season. Tomorrow, Holywood will be understrength at Grange Road. Geoff Clarke and Alan Irwin are out through injury while the captain Paul Johnston has committed himself to a skiing holiday (normally a trait in the Rovers camp).
Furthermore, a damaged knee is likely to confine Holywood striker Alan Roper to a Calum Giles set piece role. Kenny Morris will still cause the home defence some discomfort but even Billy McConnell will hardly relish coping with Liam Canning at full throttle for Three Rock.
Avoca seem likely to come under a good deal of pressure at Rathdown from the talented young Annadale side. Chris Jackson, Julian Lewis and David Smyth made significant contributions to Ulster's retention of the under 21 laurels at Stormont last weekend, yet they will be wondering if they can outwit Avoca goalkeeper Peter Darley, whose understudy Stephen Kinsella earned the player of the tournament award in the Belfast interprovincials.
Probably, Avoca can resist the pressure and build steadily from the back through, say, Trevor Dagg and leave Nigel Kingston to carve out a decisive opening or two.
Lisnagarvey, who have so ofien spoiled Avoca's hopes of taking the Blue Rib and, may still have enough ambition to try winning the trophy for the eighth time in nine years. Instonians, the holders, will resist the challenge stoutly at Olympia but a goal from Robbie Taylor could decide the issue in Lisnagarvey's favour, as it did in their most recent league match.
. While offside will be abolished at international level from August 5th, the FIH has stated that this, and the other experimental rule changes, may be implemented before that date in domestic competition. It is likely therefore that the IHU will use the Senior Interprovincial Championship in April to get the country's leading players familiar with greater freedom of movement.
