WOMEN'S HOCKEY: Weekend previews: With two matches over the weekend Old Alexandra and Pembroke Wanderers have the chance to go top of the Leinster League first division table, overtaking the three teams above them - Hermes, the leaders, Loreto and Corinthian. Alexandra and Pembroke meet on Sunday, in what will be Alexandra player-coach Orla Bell's first "reunion" with the club she left during the summer.
"To a large extent it's a do-or-die weekend for us," said Bell, "anything less than two wins, over Trinity and Pembroke, would knock us back in the league. It's a 'tournament' weekend, two tough matches, but I hope we can win them both.
"We've been playing well, although losing to Hermes was a big disappointment - but their draw with UCD last weekend has opened it up again."
"That draw brought UCD back into it," said Pembroke coach Roy Horsfield, "and just showed how competitive the top six in the league is this season. It's a difficult weekend for us, two games against two top-six teams, but we're playing well and are in good form."
Hermes should make it four wins out of five when they play Genesis on Sunday but Loreto will be wary of UCD tomorrow after the students' stirring 4-4 draw with Hermes last weekend.
Tomorrow marks the first day of the introduction of the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) modification of existing rules, with the taking of penalty strokes, the bully and the "obstruction" rule all simplified.
Oddly enough, the FIH has also provided a definition of a draw, which, one assumes, wasn't much of a mystery to hockey folk before now: "How the result of a match is decided is now specified: the team scoring the most goals is the winner but if no goals are scored, or if the teams score an equal number of goals, the match is drawn."
Meanwhile, Pegasus II open the defence of their Odlums' Irish Junior Cup crown with a difficult away tie to Loreto II at Beaufort while All-Ireland Junior League winners Belfast Harlequins II are away to Cobh in the first round of the competition.
IRISH JUNIOR CUP - First round: Cork Harlequins II v Kilkenny, Farmers Cross, 1.30; Ards II v Larne, Ards Leisure Centre, 2.30; Wexford v Yeats County, Kilkenny College, 1.0; Bandon II v Coleraine II, Bandon Grammar School, 2.0; Clontarf v Church of Ireland II, Glasnevin, 12.30; Aer Lingus v Enniscorthy, ALSAA, 1.0; Cobh v Belfast Harlequins II, Midleton College, 3.0; Waterford II v Glenanne II, Newtown School, 2.0; Greenisland v Ballymoney II, Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, 2.30; Diocesan v Randalstown II, High School, 2.0; Pembroke Wanderers II v Trinity II, Serpentine Avenue, 2.0; Hermes II v North Down, Booterstown, 3.15; Corinthian II v Belvedere, Whitechurch, 12.0; Ashton v Kinvara, Ashton School, 2.30; Lurgan v Old Alexandra II, Craigavon Leisure Centre, 2.30; Loreto II v Pegasus II, Beaufort, 2.30.
LEINSTER LEAGUE - Division One - Tomorrow: Trinity v Old Alexandra, Santry, 12.0; Loreto v UCD, Beaufort, 12.30; Pembroke Wanderers v Corinthian, Serpentine Avenue, 3.30; Three Rock v Railway Union, Grange Road, 4.0. Sunday: Old Alexandra v Pembroke Wanderers, Milltown, 2.0; Hermes v Genesis, Belfield, 1.15.
MUNSTER LEAGUE - Division One - Sunday: Bandon v UCC, Bandon Grammar School, 3.0.
ULSTER LEAGUE - Section One: Pegasus v Randalstown, Queens, 2.30; Ballymoney v Belfast Harlequins, Joey Dunlop Centre, 2.30; Ballyclare v Portadown, Valley Leisure Centre, 2.30.
