In the end Three Rock Rovers did Glenanne a favour last week with a 1-1 draw against Banbridge in Grange Road. That's surely a first.
Glenanne, taking advantage of the Ulster's side's slip up in Grange Road, move to the top of the table again after pumping five goals past struggling C of I, four in the second half.
They now face Pembroke on Saturday in the hope of keeping their winning way intact. It’s probably the pick of the weekend games in Dublin, with Rovers’ trip to Hillsborough to face Lisnagarvey also a match of consequence, especially for the Ulster team.
Lisnagarvey need a win to stay in touch with Banbridge and Glenanne, who are three points ahead on the table with 22 points to ‘Garvey’s 19 points.
While YMCA celebrated their first win of the season last weekend with a 4-1 win over Cookstown, the difficulty of repeating that has considerably increased with Banbridge arriving in Wesley knowing that every point now counts with just goals separating them from Glenanne. The Ulster team, however, does have a game in hand over their closest rivals, with nine games played to 10 for Glenanne.
At the bottom of the table Annadale’s meeting with C of I in Belfast could move the home side comfortably into mid-table if two other matches fall favourably for them. If Monkstown’s visit to Cookstown and Rovers; trip to Lisnagarvey do not go the way of the two Dublin sides, Annadale could leap up, a move that would see Monkstown slipping into the bottom four.
Saturday
Irish Hockey League - YMCA v Banbridge, Wesley College 2.15pm; Annadale v Cork C of I, Strathearn Grammar 2.30pm; Cookstown v Monkstown, Cookstown 2.30pm; Pembroke v Glenanne, Serpentine Avenue, 2.30pm; Lisnagarvey v Three Rock Rovers, Comber Road 3pm.
