C of I and College resume rivalry

Another chapter in what has become one of the most enduring rivalries in Irish club hockey will be written today when Cork Church of Ireland and UCC meet in the quarter-finals of the women’s Munster Senior Cup at Garryduff (2pm). An open draw for the tournament has resulted in last year’s finalists meeting again at the first hurdle this time around, with history weighing heavy on the students’ minds. College will feel they owe C of I one, as the Rochestown girls have won the sides’ last five encounters by a single goal. Their most recent meeting on December 20 saw C of I’s Mel Ryan hit a last-ditch winner, after College had recovered from 2-0 down to level it up. That win put a serious dent in College’s league ambitions and revived C of I’s, following their 2-0 loss to champions and leaders Cork Harlequins earlier this term. C of I also annexed their first Munster Senior Cup in three decades at College’s expense last season, with Rebecca Sweetnam’s golden goal the only strike of the game, and there will be little love lost between the sides this afternoon. The hosts go into the clash slightly under-strength. Forwards Suzy Herbert and Lauragh O’Neill are currently out of the country, while new signing Jennifer Kenefick, who arrived from Railway Union, is unable to take her place at centre-back having not played the requisite number of league games. The same applies to another talented central defender, Jenifer Hales,  who has resumed training in recent weeks after taking a year out for personal reasons. College coaches Denis Pritchard and Paidi Hartnett won’t have a full deck to pick from either; captain Jean Long is abroad while defender Sarah Gray is in the final stages of recovery from a long-term knee injury. Elsewhere, UL have given Bandon a walkover in one of the other quarter-finals, as they are unable to field a team with the academic term yet to begin.

In the other two ties, Catholic Institute will be favourites to oust Ashton despite having to travel. But the Rosbrien girls didn’t have it all their own way in a league encounter with the Division One basement side before Christmas, winning by the odd goal in three. Nonetheless, they should have enough firepower in the form of that day’s goalscorers Kym Daly and Naomi Carroll, along with Rosie Pratt, to claim a spot in the last four. The same applies to Cork Harlequins, who head to Ballincollig to take on Belvedere. This is the most mismatched tie on paper, with Quins in their familiar position at the top of the table while Belvedere are at the wrong end. But if the hosts can show some strength in resolve by frustrating Quins and prevent them from scoring early, it may be an uncomfortable afternoon for the defending league champions. There’s a repeat of the Peard Cup final in the men’s Division One as Quins meet Bandon at Harlequin Park, with the west Cork men determined to have another crack at the city side after narrowly going down 1-0 on St Stephen’s Day. That game is likely to be Geert Fromme’s last for Quins, as the Erasmus student is set to return to Holland later this month. Fromme has had an interesting soujourn in Cork, having been instrumental in his side’s 4-2 win over rivals C of I, while he helped CIT to the final of the intervarsities. Meanwhile, UCC will be hoping to overturn a surprise 8-1 hammering at the hands of Quins B when the sides clash in the Charity Cup. A flood of second-half goals put paid to the students’ hopes before Christmas, and they will be mindful of not yielding once again to a side they are likely to be battling with at the wrong end of Division One. In Division Two, Galway can finally resume their promotion bid after a series of postponements left them inactive for more than two months. They put their 100% record on the line at Belvedere.