HOCKEY: It had looked like their quarter-final ties would be tricky enough, with the Munster champions and the second and third-placed sides in Ulster providing the opposition, but Leinster's top three - Loreto, Old Alexandra and Hermes - made light of the challenge, qualifying for next weekend's club championships with a combined aggregate success of 20 goals to four.
All three sides completed their task with emphatic victories on Saturday, most notably Alexandra who trounced Randalstown, Ulster's runners-ups this season, 4-0 at the Antrim Forum, to win 7-1 on aggregate.
Randalstown were already without Ulster captain Shauna Parkhill, who was getting married on Saturday, and most of their squad spent the morning at the wedding, before rushing back to play the game. Alexandra took full advantage of what wasn't exactly a textbook preparation for an All-Ireland quarter-final.
Anya Bowers converted a penalty stroke after 13 minutes to effectively seal the tie for the Dublin team. Randalstown's hopes were further hit when Pamela Orr limped off with an ankle injury. Five minutes into the second half, Trish Conway made it 2-0 (5-1 on aggregate), before Bowers again and Hazel Agar completed the rout.
Hermes, too, cruised through their tie with Cork Harlequins, earning the right to defend, at Belfield next weekend, the All-Ireland title they won for the first time last year. Remarkably, they disposed of the Munster champions 6-0 on aggregate, winning 3-0 at Farmers Cross on Saturday. Jenny Burke killed off Harlequins' hopes of a comeback with a first-half goal, and Carol Devine and Jill Hodgins added two more after the break.
Coleraine player-coach Caryn Bentley gave Loreto a brief scare at Beaufort when she equalised Cathy McKean's early strike, reducing Loreto's aggregate lead to 4-3, but a gem of a solo effort from Linda O'Neill, her first for the club, and two more goals from Nikki Keegan completed a 7-3 aggregate victory for the Leinster champions.
Pegasus, meanwhile, came through against Bandon with predictable ease, winning both legs, at Belfield on Saturday and yesterday, by a 4-0 scoreline.
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS - Quarter-finals, second legs - Saturday: Cork Harlequins 0, Hermes 3 (J Burke, C Devine, J Hodgins), Hermes won 6-0 on aggregate; Loreto 4 (C McKean, L O'Neill, N Keegan 2), Coleraine 1 (C Bentley), Loreto won 7-3 on aggregate; Randalstown 0, Old Alexandra 4 (A Bowers 2, one pen, T Conway, H Agar), Alexandra won 7-1 on aggregate. Quarter-final, first leg - Saturday: Bandon 0, Pegasus 4 (S Wilkinson 2, C McMahon, A Boyles). Second leg - Yesterday: Pegasus 4 (A Boyles 2, C McMahon, S Wilkinson), Bandon 0. Pegasus won 8-0 on aggregate.
