Pembroke out to stretch lead

It's a case of all hands on deck, both on the pitch and in the pavilion, at Serpentine Avenue tomorrow as Pembroke Wanderers …

It's a case of all hands on deck, both on the pitch and in the pavilion, at Serpentine Avenue tomorrow as Pembroke Wanderers entertain Corinthians in another significant joust in the Leinster Senior League and then host Lisnagarvey II in the plum tie of the Irish Junior Cup.

The cup match may well feature a duel between Jimmy Kirkwood, holder of 10 All-Ireland senior medals, and another notable figure `in retirement' Pembroke's Ian Battle.

The host club will probably have needed unstinting service from their floating first/second XI players for what promises to be an absorbing league game. Wanderers, with broader options in attack than Corinthians, will be expected to stretch their lead at the top of the table.

Avoca, in a nomadic state because of widespread activity in Dublin, may lose some ground in tackling Glenanne at Grange Road. This pairing, which will be repeated in the Neville Cup final on St Stephen's Day, is bound to be contested strenuously, particularly as Glenanne have fought their way back into championship contention and aim to reverse the 1-0 win gained by Avoca in September. Monkstown and YMCA would also welcome a reversal of fortunes. Monkstown, having lost 4-2 to Aer Lingus, have since found a rhythm which has put the leading teams under pressure and they should win at Rathdown tomorrow. YMCA were hit for four goals by Graham Berry at Ballinteer when he first arrived in Ireland but the Railway Union striker is sure to be tightly marked in the return game at Park Avenue.

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Three Rock Rovers, at home to Kilkenny in league fare, also start their defence of the Irish Junior Cup with the second XI travelling to Galway.

Newtown School, Waterford, was a nostalic venue for the interprovincial youth championships last weekend where Denis Pritchard astutely guided Munster to the under-18 laurels while Richard Willis made the most of the Leinster under-16s' talents. Not only did David Roche spearhead a strong attack but Kenny Carroll and Ronan Gormley were among other creative players.