Loreto take difficult route

Women's Hockey/ All-Ireland Club Championship: While Hermes, Pegasus and Railway Union could be more than content with their day's work in Saturday's first legs of the Club Championship quarter-finals, Loreto coach Siobhán Keogh was left wondering quite what it is about this competition that has her players reaching for the self-destruct button so regularly.

Cathy McKean and Linda O'Neill had given Loreto a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead against Randalstown, but they conceded three goals in the first six minutes of the second half, all scored by Shauna Park from short corners and two coming when the Ulster side were down to 10 players. In the end they needed a penalty stroke from Nikki Symmons to level 15 minutes from time.

Loreto should still prove strong enough to win the return at Beaufort next weekend but, after Saturday, will hardly be complacent.

Just as they did in the second half of the Irish Senior Cup final, Ballymoney will need to dig deep to find a way back against Hermes after losing the first leg of their quarter-final at home on Saturday, the defending champions winning 2-0 with goals from Aoife Mitchell and Shirine Young.

Ballymoney would have been in a far healthier position going in to the second leg if not for Hermes keeper Tara Browne, who saved a penalty stroke from Lynsey McVicker, denied the Irish captain on two more occasions, and also denied Nikki McCaughren and Judith McVicker.

There were plenty of chances at both ends in the tie between Railway Union and Cork Harlequins in Dublin but the deadlock wasn't broken until 12 minutes from time when Karen Clarke converted a short corner for the home side. Sinéad Dooley made it 2-0, from another set-piece, with just three minutes to go, giving the competition's debutantes an impressive victory over the Munster champions.

The biggest win on Saturday was, predictably, that of Pegasus, who beat Church of Ireland 5-0 in Cork, Arlene Boyles scoring a hat-trick.

Elsewhere the Ulster Women's Union are seeking legal advice in an attempt to prevent an international hockey website allowing abusive messages, many directed at an Irish international, to be posted.

ALL-IRELAND CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP - Quarter-finals (first leg): Randalstown 3 (S Park 3) Loreto 3 (C McKean, L O'Neill, N Symmons pen); Ballymoney 0 Hermes 2 (A Mitchell, S Young); Railway Union 2 (K Clarke, S Dooley) Cork Harlequins 0; Church of Ireland 0 Pegasus 5 (A Boyles 3, 1 pen, C McMahon, S Wilkinson).