Ulster seek to maintain stranglehold

Ulster will begin their bid to continue their domination of the girls’ underage interprovincials at Alexandra College tomorrow, as the U16 and U18 showpieces get underway. The northern province have completed doubles at these grades in the past two seasons, and with a half-dozen Youth Olympians — including Irish captain Leah Ewert — anchoring their challenge at U18, they will be favourites at this grade again. Munster haven’t won at that level since 1999, but David Egner will be quietly confident his squad, one of the strongest on paper in recent seasons, can cause an upset.

C of I full-back Amy Kate Trevor and Catholic Institute schemer Rebecca Barry both tasted Home Nations glory in an Irish U18 shirt this summer, and were joined at the Youth Olympics in Singapore by  Ireland U16 skipper Roisin Upton and her international team-mate Antonia McGrath. Elsewhere, Leinster and Connacht both have a sprinkling of internationals to look to aswell — Lisa McCarthy and Emily Beatty are among those in blue while Ireland U17 soccer captain Dora Gorman and Freddie Timmins are still around to anchor the challenge from the westerners. South East will be game opponents but are hampered by the lack of club experience in their ranks — just five of their 18 players have experience outside schoolgirls hockey. As usual, the U16 tournament contains fewer well-known names, with the majority of participants making their interpro debuts. Ulster skipper Zara Thom (Belfast Harlequins) and her Munster counterpart Acacia Taylor (Cork Harlequins) are two who have already made an impact at senior club level however, while Leinster’s Molly Lamb will be familiar to GAA followers in the capital, having won an U16 All-Ireland with Dublin during the summer. The interpros have limited top-level club hockey this weekend, leaving Munster’s two university sides — who naturally have no underage representative players in their ranks — to battle it out at the Mardyke. UCC will be heavy favourites to defeat UL, who have conceded an average of eight goals a game this term, on home turf (3pm). The Cork venue also hosts the central men’s fixture of the weekend, as UCC host Cork Harlequins (12pm). The high-stakes games have come thick and fast for College this term, and they can expect a backlash from a Quins side frustrated by last weekend’s Irish Hockey League defeat to Pembroke Wanderers.

The hosts are coming off a 1-1 draw with Bandon, when a last-minute goal dashed their hopes of a first three points this term, and will have to plan without broken hand victim Nathan Gokul. Elsewhere, Cork C of I will be expected to make it five wins from five as they host Catholic Institute, looking to bounce back from their IHL defeat to Lisnagarvey last time out. Further afield, Pembroke are in EuroHockey League action this weekend, with Cork natives Karl Lynch and Adam Pritchard in tow. They play the tournament’s lowest ranked side, Olimpia Kolos Sekvoia (8.30am, Irish time), before facing the might of HGC on Sunday. A win in their opening game is likely to confirm a place in the last 16. For more details and an interview with new Pembroke coach Brendan Carolan, click here. Men’s Div 1: Cork C of I vs Catholic Institute (Garryduff, 11am); UCC vs Cork Harlequins (Mardyke, 12pm); Women’s Div 1: UCC vs UL (Mardyke, 3pm). Girls U18 & U16 Interpros, Alexandra College, Milltown, Dublin U18 Tomorrow: Leinster vs Connacht (10am); Ulster vs South East (11.30am); Munster vs Leinster (1pm); South East vs Connacht (2.30pm); Ulster vs Munster (4pm);  Sunday: Munster vs Connacht (9.30am); South East vs Leinster (11am); Ulster vs Connacht (12.30pm); South East vs Munster (2pm); Leinster vs Ulster (3.30pm). MUNSTER U18: E Wolfe (GK, Midleton College/Cork C of I); A McGrath (Ursulines Thurles/Cork Harlequins), V Burns (Bandon GS/Bandon), R Upton (Crescent/Catholic Institute, vice capt), AK Trevor (Scoil Mhuire/Cork C of I), N Kerr (Bandon GS/Cork C of I), S Sullivan (Bandon GS/Bandon, capt), R Barry (Laurel Hill/Catholic Institute, vice-capt), C Hayes (Laurel Hill/Limerick), U Llewellyn (Loreto Fermoy/Fermoy), A Moore (Mount Mercy/Belvedere), E O’Leary (Mount Mercy/Cork Harlequins), C O’Sullivan (Crescent), E Reidy (Scoil Mhuire/Cork C of I), E Dobson (Scoil Mhuire/Cork C of I), L Mullins (Ashton/Cork Harlequins), K Fitzgerald (Crescent), N Flanagan (GK, Laurel Hill/Catholic Institute). U16 Tomorrow: South East vs Ulster (10am); Munster vs Leinster (11.30am); South East vs Connacht (1pm); Ulster vs Munster (2.30pm); Leinster vs Connacht (4pm). Sunday: South East vs Leinster (9.30am); Ulster vs Connacht (11am); South East vs Munster (12.30pm); Leinster vs Ulster (2pm); Munster vs Connacht (3.30pm). MUNSTER U16: A Taylor (Bandon Grammar/Cork Harlequins, capt); A O’Grady (Ashton/Cork C of I); C Cogan (Scoil Mhuire/Cork C of I); C Moloney (Crescent/Catholic Institute); E Nyland (Ursulines Thurles); E Ryan (Laurel Hill Coláiste); G Lee (Bandon Grammar); H Durrant (GK, Midleton College); K Coombes (Bandon Grammar/Cork C of I, vice-capt); K Brosnahan (GK, Laurel Hill Secondary/Catholic Institute); K Harvey (St Anglea’s/Ashton); L Buttimer (Bandon Grammar/Bandon); M Egan (Scoil Mhuire/Cork C of I); O Lynch (Ursulines Thurles); P Wolfe (Midleton College/Cork C of I); S Collery (Laurel Hill Coláiste); S Fagan (Mount Mercy/Ashton); S Houston (Bandon Grammar/Bandon).