Men's Hockey: More and more Monkstown are looking like a side who might challenge for honours this season. Last year the team was as consistent as the weather; up one week, leaking goals the next.
The noises coming from the Borough over the least few months were of a changed team that would deliver considerably more level performances and so it has been shown.
With coach Stephen Jackson travelling down to the club on Thursdays and Saturdays, more organisation has crept into the side with Monkstown now winning matches they may have drawn last season and drawing those that may have slipped away from them.
Yesterday's win over Three Rock Rovers emphasised the point, their 3-0 victory asking questions of where Rovers challenge has gone while also shunting Monkstown up the table into third place on equal points with Pembroke.
Cliff Bailey opened the scoring from play at Grange Road to give the visitors a 1-0 half-time lead. Michael Trounce followed up 10 minutes into the second half for 2-0, Alan Lewis finally nailing down the win with a third goal, again from play.
Glenanne, although still holding the top place on the table, suffered their first defeat in nine outings when they fell 2-1 to the revived YMCA.
The Claremont Road side travelled to Tallaght where Dave Johnson and Rob Willis outscored Paul Fitzpatrick. That win usefully lifts YMCA further from the bottom, where, as a side of quality, they had spent too long at the start of the season.
Pembroke also kept their challenge going with a 3-1 win over neighbours Railway Union while Corinthians went down 2-0 to Aer Lingus and slipped out of the top four.
It was also the preliminary stages of the Irish Senior Cup where both Leinster promotion hopefuls UCD and Avoca came through to the third round.
The students edged past Portrane 3-2 while Avoca saw off St James Gate with some ease, hitting six goals in the process.
Bandon also advanced, beating Cliftonville 2-1 while Suttonians came through by the narrowest of margins. Their match against Ballynahinch ended 4-4 with the Dublin side finally winning 3-1 on penalties.
LEINSTER SENIOR LEAGUE: Division One: Clontarf 2 (R McMullen, R Abbott), Trinity 6 (P Blackeney 3, P Maguire, M Stewart, B Scully); TRR 0, Monkstown 3 (C Bailey, M Trounce, A Lewis); Pembroke 3 (A Sothern, G Elliott, G Ryan), Railway Union 1 (P O'Brien); Glenanne 1 (P Fitzpatrick), YMCA 2 (D Johnson pen, R Willis); Corinthians 0, Aer Lingus 2 (D O'Gorman 2).
IRISH SENIOR CUP: Second Round: Portrane 2, UCD 3; Mossley 3, Kilkeel 4; Antrim 6, PSNI 3; North Down 3, Belfast Harlequins 1; Cliftonville 1, Bandon 2; Bray 1, Portadown 5; Avoca 6, St James Gate 0; Suttonians 4, Ballynahinch 4 (Suttonians win 3-1 on pens); Skerries 0, South Antrim 2.
