College primed for double Railway test

Railway Union will be hoping they can translate their league form onto the national stage when they visit Cork to cross swords with UCC in an intriguing double-header at the Mardyke on Saturday (12pm). The Park Avenue’s first and second teams have been drawn away to College in both the Irish Senior and Junior Cups, and will provide a stern test of the students’ credentials in both clashes. Unbeaten Leinster league leaders Railway have won plaudits around the eastern province this term for their pacy, free-flowing style, yet amazingly, the likes of Jean McDonnell and Emma Smyth continue to be ignored by Irish coach Gene Muller.

For College, it is a chance to prove they can mix it with the big guns on the national stage, having floundered in last season’s Irish Hockey League wildcard playoffs and suffered an ignominious defeat to UL in last season’s ISC. They are hopeful of having Irish international duo and recent injury victims Hollie Moffett (cheekbone) and Audrey O’Flynn (foot) back in harness for the clash, and will be in determined mood themselves following their recent penalty strokes victory over Cork C of I in the Munster Senior Cup. Meanwhile, College club captain Sarah Gray looks set to line out in the sides’ IJC clash later that day (2pm) as she makes her first appearance following a four-month layoff with a knee ligament injury. While the students, skippered by goalkeeper Caroline Levis, have stuttered in their league campaign, they arrive at this juncture thanks to a superb 2-0 win on the road at Portadown, and have the carrot of a home quarter-final against Armagh if they can progress. Elsewhere, two big guns are set to fall by the wayside at the first hurdle as Cork Harlequins trek to Ballymoney and Hermes meet UCD. Quins will be out to avenge last season’s ISC defeat out to eventual runners-up ‘Money, who have looked out of sorts this term, and will be buoyed by the 1-1 draw they earned at the Joey Dunlop Centre in the IHL earlier this term. UCD’s title challenge in Leinster has gone off the rails somewhat since they claimed the intervarsities last October, but international forward Roisín Flinn has returned from her travels to give them a boost. They gave Leinster champions Hermes a fright in the IHL earlier this term, going down 3-2, and will be well up for this one. Catholic Institute will be in buoyant mood when they host Lurgan following last weekend’s golden-goal win over Three Rock Ladies in the Irish Trophy quarter-finals, a win which earned them an ISC berth along with Ulster Elks, Cookstown and Genesis. Round one of the men’s ISC sees Cork Harlequins visit Belfast to meet a resurgent Instonians side at Shaw’s Bridge. The return of Mark Gleghorne, Steven Redpath and Paddy Brown from injury has seen Inst recover in style from an awful start to the season, and they served notice of their intentions by troucning Annadale 4-1 and coming back from the dead to defeat Pembroke Wanderers 3-2 in one weekend. For their part Quins will be hoping recovering injury victims Paul and David Lombard, Dan Hobbs and Sean Nicholson are fit and available to bolster their challenge. Cork C of I should have things slightly easier despite having to travel to Antrim, while Bandon go to Fingal in the hope of overturning the 3-2 defeat that cost them an IHL place last term. Catholic Institute’s reward for their progress in the Irish Trophy is a glamour tie at Glenanne, but on evidence of last weekend’s 9-0 home defeat to Quins, they will need a miracle to constrain a classy Glens outfit led by Irish international veterans Stephen Butler and Graham Shaw.

Cookstown’s visit to Monkstown will also generate plenty of interest, as the Rathdown side – buoyed by a Mills Cup victory over Three Rock Rovers earlier in the week – look to test themselves against the Ulster champions. Meanwhile, Cork Church of Ireland’s ladies have been dealt a serious blow with the news that skipper Sandra Hackett’s season is over after she tore her cruciate knee ligament. Remarkably, Hackett played through two and a half games with the injury, but an MRI scan this week has confirmed the worst, and she faces around six months on the sidelines. It is the latest in a series of setbacks for the talented midfielder, who broke her wrist last season only to break a finger in her comeback game. Men’s Irish Senior Cup Round 1: YMCA vs Pembroke Wanderers (Claremont, 1.30pm); Kilkenny vs Three Rock Rovers (Kilkenny, 2pm); Fingal vs Bandon (ALSAA, 1.30pm); Glenanne vs Catholic Institute (St Mark’s, 3pm); Monkstown vs Cookstown (Rathdown, 1.30pm); Instonians vs Cork Harlequins (Shaw’s Bridge, 1pm); Raphoe vs Banbridge (Royal and Prior, 1pm); Antrim vs Cork C of I (Antrim, 1pm); UCD vs Bangor (Belfield, TBC). Byes to Round 2: Lisnagarvey, Corinthians, Mossley, Annadale, Railway Union, NICS, North Down. ESB Women’s Irish Senior Cup Round 1: Ballymoney vs Cork Harlequins (Joey Dunlop Centre, 2.30pm); Armagh vs Genesis (Ardmore, 2.30pm); Knock vs Pembroke Wanderers (Balmoral, 1pm); Lisnagarvey vs Bray (Hillsborough, 2.30pm); Trinity vs Loreto (Santry, 2.45pm); Corinthians vs Victorians (Whitechurch, 3.45pm); Randalstown vs Cookstown (Antrim Forum, 2.30pm); Ards vs Ulster Elks (Ards, 1.30pm); Catholic Institute vs Lurgan (Rosbrien, 12pm); Hermes vs UCD (St Andrew’s, 2.30pm); UCC vs Railway Union (Mardkye, 12pm) Byes to round 2: Belfast Harlequins, Glenanne, Old Alex, Pegasus, Cork C of I ESB Women’s Irish Junior Cup Round 2: UCC vs Railway Union (Mardyke, 2pm).