It’s come a little later than usual, but the headline fixture in Munster men’s hockey is finally upon us today, with Harlequin Park the stage for the Munster Senior Cup semi-final meeting between Cork C of I and Cork Harlequins (1pm).
A tense encounter is guaranteed in the ongoing battle to be Munster’s standard bearer, a title held by C of I in recent years, particularly given how long these sides have waited to meet.
Yet to cross swords in the league, this cup tie was twice-postponed, first by ice and later by fog, and Quins will be straining at the leash to have a cut off their local rivals.
As always, quelling the influence of John Jermyn is priority number one for Quins; he scored five in a bizarre 7-4 win the last time C of I visited Farmer’s Cross.
C of I have been Monkstown-esque in the frequency with which they both score and concede goals in recent games; the clashes with Kilkeel, Glenanne and Cookstown have yielded 12 goals for and 10 against.
That should be incentive enough for Quins, for whom David Eakins will be hoping to put one over a side he tormented regularly throughout the mid-noughties.
Darren Farrell is another in ominous scoring form recently, while these encounters tend to bring the best out of Mark Black too.
Elsewhere, UCC begin their quest to climb the table – they have three games in hand on most of their rivals – with a trip to Limerick to play Catholic Institute (2pm).
A 7-1 win in the reverse fixture and Institute’s ongoing poor form suggest the students should prevail but, as many sides have learned to their cost, the Rosbrien outfit can never be taken for granted on home turf.
The other tie sees Bandon travel city-wards to play Quins B in a tie that’s not as easy as it could have been.
Quins’ second string have notched some confidence-boosting league wins recently – though they are coming off the back of a 2-1 defeat to C of I B – and they will view this as serious preparation for their upcoming Irish Junior Cup quarter-final assignment against Three Rock Rovers.
Bandon, buoyed by a golden goal MSC semi-final win over UCC last week, will still believe they can prevail however. They’ll also hope the goals plundered by skipper Ali Smith for CIT in midweek will help open the floodgates for the Ireland A hitman, who has encountered something of a drought by his own high standards recently.
Further afield, it is quarter-final weekend in the men’s Irish Senior Cup, which has no Munster teams nor any of Leinster’s top three left competing.
That represents a major opportunity for 2008 finalists Monkstown – comfortable 3-0 winners over Pembroke Wanderers in a midweek Mills Cup semi-final – as they host Instonians.
Having vanquished C of I in dramatic circumstances in the last round, Cookstown are on something of a crusade to go all the way after being humbled by Pembroke in the 2009 decider. Home advantage against Fingal should see them advance.
The two other ties are all-Ulster clashes.
Lisnagarvey are the strongest side left in the tournament on paper but won’t have things their own way at Glenanne’s conquerors Annadale, while Banbridge must hope to navigate a tricky tie at NICS’ Stormont home, where the semi-final draw will take place after the action.
Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals: Cookstown v Fingal (Coolnafranky, 2.30pm); Annadale v Lisnagarvey (Lough Moss, 2.30); NICS v Banbridge (Stormont, 2.30); Monkstown v Instonians (Rathdown, 2pm).
Munster Senior Cup semi-final: Cork Harlequins v Cork C of I (Harlequin Park, 1pm);
Munster Div 1: Catholic Institute v UCC (Rosbrien, 2pm); Cork Harlequins B v Bandon (Harlequin Park, 4.30).