WOMEN'S HOCKEY: FOR THE third time this week, the balance of power in the Leinster title race will be put to the test with the quartet of title contenders locking horns on Saturday.
First plays second at Park Avenue as Loreto and their quintet of internationals hope to put a dent in Railway's title hopes, while the two sides tied for third spot, Hermes and UCD, meet for the second time in a couple of weeks.
Railway took pole position in midweek, with a tight-fought 1-0 win over UCD at Belfield thanks to a first-half Jean McDonnell penalty stroke.
Both sides showed great defensive organisation in a game of few chances, with Railway profiting from the one gap that appeared through the middle of the UCD defence - marshalled excellently by Holly Jenkinson.
Fiona Braddish had a late chance to level the game but her spectacular effort flashed just over the bar from Rachel Burke's cross in a game that yielded just one penalty corner.
Mary Logue - the UCD coach - though, was pleased with the students' performance against Leinster's pace-setters, coming off the back of eight games in nine days, despite losing her first league encounter since taking the job.
She feels the side has progressed quickly and in Lisa Jacob have a livewire up front who could cause some damage this weekend against the youthful All-Ireland champions, Hermes.
The game will give Logue an instant chance to see how far the side has come, having already played Hermes in the Irish Hockey League. Liz McInerney will return for the Belfield side on Saturday, recovering from a bruised foot, to play her former club. Leigh Pelow, though, may miss out after receiving a ball to the chin on Wednesday.
That result means Mick McKinnon's Railway go into the weekend four points clear of Loreto with Hermes and UCD a point further back.
Loreto should provide the toughest test yet for his side. They go into the fixture in a rich vein of from, scoring 21 times in their past four games and have internationals Nikki Symmons, Niamh Small, Cathy McKean, Louisa Healy and Lizzie Colvin all available.
There are also crucial battles at the bottom of the table. Corinthian and Trinity will hope to get off the mark as they face the sides just clear of the relegation zone - Bray and Glenanne respectively.
SATURDAY: Leinster Senior League: Division One: Glenanne v Trinity, Glenanne Park, 11.30; Bray v Corinthian, Loreto Bray, 1.15; Hermes v UCD, St Andrew's, 1.15; Old Alexandra v Pembroke, Milltown, 1.30; Railway Union v Loreto, Park Avenue, 3.15.
