An extraordinary four-year undefeated run in Leinster League hockey came to an end yesterday at Loughlinstown when Muckross were beaten 3-2 by Trinity. The defending league champions had beaten Genesis at the same venue on Saturday but the students, who also played two matches over the weekend, ended Muckross's hopes of further closing the gap at the top of the table by pulling off a remarkable victory over the team going for seven titles in a row.
Goals from Sarah O'Connor, Linda Caulfield and Louise O'Hagan gave Trinity only their second win of the season and left Muckross four points adrift of Hermes, who regained the top spot from Loreto after relinquishing it last week following their defeat by Muckross.
Loreto, badly missing the injured Mary Barnwell, drew 0-0 with Trinity at Belfield on Saturday while at Serpentine Avenue, Hermes, who were without five first-team regulars, beat Pembroke Wanderers 3-0 to go a point clear at the top of the table. The third of Hermes' goals came from former Irish international Jacqui Potter, who was making her first-team debut for the club, while Ciara O'Leary, who stepped up from the second team to play on Saturday, produced an outstanding performance at sweeper.
Old Alexandra were indebted to a late equaliser from their Tasmanian forward Anna Ancher against Railway Union, who had gone 2-1 up through a superb lobbed goal from a short corner from Mary Logue. Meanwhile, at Dardistown, Glenanne's Martha O'Neill scored all of her team's goals in their 4-1 victory over Clontarf and they now move to fifth in the table.
A 2-1 win for Leinster over Ulster in the final game of the tournament was not sufficient to prevent the host team from clinching the girls' under-18 interprovincial title at Portadown on Saturday. There was a three-way tie but Ulster got the verdict by virtue of having a superior goal difference.
Mairead Berkery hit Leinster's winning goal eight minutes after the re-start after Pamela Orr had equalised Jennifer Osborne's opener. Munster also finished on nine points after competing their programme with wins over Southeast and Connacht but the holders' 1-0 defeat by Ulster on Friday proved decisive.
