Men's Hockey/ Weekend previews: A few tasty ties this weekend and none more so than a couple of Leinster sides' away games.
Pembroke's visit to Belfast for their Irish Senior Cup third-round game against Instonians is probably the pick. The Serpentine Avenue side are riding high enough in Leinster, and with Alan Sothern, Justin Sherriff and four-goal Gordon Elliott on song last weekend, they should travel in expectation against one of the stronger Ulster sides.
Monkstown, too, have a challenge on their hands as they go to Farmers Cross to face last year's champions, Cork Harlequins, who have been cruising in Munster so far this year.
Harlequins, who won the cup for the first time in their history last season, when they beat Lisnagarvey 2-1, face one of the coming sides in Leinster.
Monkstown are fourth in the Leinster senior league, only three points behind leaders Pembroke, and will travel having already beaten Pembroke in the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup.
But Monkstown will travel to Cork as very much the underdogs and meet the side that currently top the Munster senior league.
In Harlequins' biggest game of the season to date, against Cork C of I in early November, the Farmers Cross side won handily, 5-1. The question is whether the fourth-best-placed team in Leinster are as good as the first-placed team in Munster.
Glenanne's visit to Skerries should go with form, the gulf in class between division one and two usually showing quite markedly, while YMCA's away match against Banbridge could prove a bigger ask than they are capable of answering.
Last weekend's defeat of the Dublin side in Leinster suggests lively Banbridge may have too much.
Corinthians, too, have a challenge but should have the confidence to meet it head on. Garvy are not the team of 10 years ago when Jimmy Kirkwood et al were often unbeatable. But the Dublin side did go out after a 6-0 whacking last year and are likely to be that bit more tentative.
IRISH SENIOR CUP: Round three: Fingal v Annadale, ALSAA 2.15; UCD v NICS, UCD 1.0; Glenanne v Skerries, St Marks 2.0; Sth Antrim v Raphoe, Laurelhill 1.0; Instonians v Pembroke, Shaw's Bridge 1.0; UCC v TRR, Mardyke 3.0; CI v Railway Union, Rosbrien 1.0; North Down v Cork C of I, Comber 1.0; YMCA v Banbridge, Claremont Road 2.0; Naas v Bray, Caragh Road 2.0; Cookstown v Dublin University, Cookstown 2.30; Belfast Harlequins v Belvedere, Deramore 1.0; Kilkeel v Antrim, Kilkeel 2.30; Mossley v Bangor, Mossley 2.30; Lisnagarvey v Corinthians, Hillsborough 2.30; Cork Harlequins v Monkstown, Farmers Cross 2.0.
