Countdown begins to new season

With the domestic season getting underway in just over a week’s time, Munster clubs will be fine-tuning their squads and throwing young players in at the deep end in a number of pre-season encounters this weekend. The U21 men’s squads of Bandon, Cork Harlequins and holders Cork Church of Ireland will gather in the west Cork town on Sunday for the annual David Kidney Memorial Cup, while UCC’s women make a trip across the Irish Sea to take on Loughborough and Leicester.

The Mardyke outfit are hoping the warm-up encounters will help alleviate their traditional slow start to the season, which last year saw them surprisingly exit the Irish Senior Cup at the hands of UL. Meanwhile, Cork Church of Ireland will host a senior EHL-style men’s and women’s tournament at Garryduff this weekend, with Mick McKinnon’s Railway Union outfit the main attraction. The recently-departed IHA coach development manager is also in town to host a seminar at the Munster Coaching Conference at Quins, alongside Sports Institute of Northern Ireland (SINI) high performance director Stephen Watt. McKinnon’s Railway side will take on the hosts C of I, Trinity and Galway, who pushed the Leinster League runners-up close in a 1-0 friendly defeat earlier this week. The Dublin students, meanwhile, may include Cork native Caroline Murphy, who starred as a schoolgirl at Midleton College, in their ranks. Railway are also featuring in the men’s event alongside C of I, Avoca and Bandon, who stepped into the breach at the last minute after Corinthians were forced to withdraw this week due to Neville Cup commitments in Leinster. Friday Ladies: Cork C of I vs Trinity (6.30pm) Men: Cork C of I vs Railway Union (8.15pm) Saturday Ladies: Railway Union vs Galway (9.30am) Men: Avoca vs Bandon (11am) Ladies: Cork C of I vs Railway Union (12.30pm) Ladies: Trinity vs Galway (2pm) Men: Railway Union vs Bandon (3.30pm) Ladies: Trinity vs Cork C of I (5pm) Men: Avoca vs Cork C of I (6.15pm) Sunday Ladies: Cork C of I vs Railway Union (9.30am) Men: Railway Union vs Avoca (11am) Ladies: Cork C of I vs Galway (12.45pm) Ladies: Railway Union vs Trinity (2.15pm)