C of I tie the sole survivor

Just one Irish Junior Cup round one fixture looks set to survive the weather this weekend, with Three Rock Rovers’ visit to Cork C of I in the men’s tournament the last match standing. Despite the recent thaw, many pitches in Ulster and Leinster still have up to a foot of compacted ice on them, prompting the Irish Hockey Association to postpone all games in these provinces. Although most pitches in Cork are playable — bar Bandon’s, which has put paid to the visits of Fingal and Loreto — fears over potentially hazardous travelling conditions have prompted Galway and Genesis’s women’s teams to cry off their games at Ashton and UCC, with the IHA’s blessing.

However, Three Rock say they are happy to make their trip to Garryduff today (2pm). C of I’s side will be boosted by the inclusion of recent intervarsity medal winner Andrew Daunt and ex-UCC man Philip Sweetnam. Andrew Whitaker will be hoping to win the battle of two excellent goalkeepers with Rovers’ Wendell Armstrong, while the likes of the Colton brothers and Greg Chambers provide the youthful exuberance. The league and Peard Cup fixtures planned in Munster for this weekend are currently all due to go ahead, though UCC women’s visit to Bandon on Sunday is in the most doubt. Meanwhile, UCC’s men host Cork Harlequins in a Peard Cup semi-final, hoping to cause a shock that would see them make a rare appearance in the St Stephen’s Day decider. But Quins passed the students off the park at the Mardyke in a 4-1 league win back in October, and will be hopeful of a repeat performance. Catholic Institute can put further daylight between themselves and their challengers at the top of the women’s Division One if they see off Cork C of I on home turf. Institute lead the way by five points from Quins — who are not in action — and UCC, who are not guaranteed of taking anything from their trip to Bandon, having drawn 1-1 in the reverse game earlier this term. Belvedere host Ashton, a game Bryan O’Donovan’s troops will be targeting to pick up their first points of the season. Elsewhere, captain Ronan Gormley will come face-to-face with his hometown club Pembroke Wanderers in the last 16 of the EuroHockey League, after his Club de Campo were drawn against the Dubliners. Gormley is in his second spell with the Madrid-based outfit, but was captain of a Pembroke side that had unprecedented success in recent years. They will be hoping to become the first Irish side to progress to the quarter-finals, as will Glenanne, who have also been handed a tough draw against Dutch giants HGC. The ties – and subsequent quarter-finals – will take place at Bloemendaal HC, west of Amsterdam as part of a four-day Easter extravaganza from April 22-25. A number of other Irish exiles will also be in action; David Ames’ Beeston take on Dinamo Kazan, while Belgian outfit KHC Dragons – who have Stephen Butler and Eugene Magee on their books – have a tough encounter against Germany’s Rot-Weiss Koln. For Bangor man Chris Cargo, Reading have an all-English dust-up with East Grinstead, against whom they recently were beaten 8-1 in the English Hockey League. EuroHockey League KO16 draw (Bloemendaal HC, April 22/23: UHC Hamburg (Ger) vs Bloemendaal (Ned); Oranje Zwart (Ned) vs Real Club de Polo de Barcelona (Spa); KHC Dragons (Bel) vs Rot-Weiss Koln (Ger); Reading (Eng) vs East Grinstead (Eng); Beeston (Eng) vs Dinamo Kazan (Rus); HGC (Ned) vs Glenanne (Irl); Mannheimer (Ger) vs Atletic Terrassa (Spa); Club de Campo (Spa) vs Pembroke Wanderers (Irl). Men’s Irish Junior Cup Rd 1: Cork C of I vs Three Rock Rovers (Garryduff, 2.30pm); Peard Cup semi-final: UCC vs Cork Harlequins (Sunday, Mardyke, 2pm). Women’s Div 1: Bandon vs UCC (Sunday, Bandon GS, 1pm); Belvedere vs Ashton (Ballincollig CS, 11.30am); Catholic Institute vs Cork C of I (Sunday, Rosbrien, 1pm).