Cork sides out to make the most of home comforts

Hockey fans in Cork are spoilt for choice this weekend, as eight of the country’s top sides do battle on Leeside in round three of the Irish Hockey League. Both the men’s and women’s teams of Cork Church of Ireland and Cork Harlequins have home comforts on Saturday against Leinster and Ulster opposition. The pick of the ties is sure to be the Pool A meeting of Quins’ men and Annadale, given that Stephen Dale’s side must take at least three points from the tie to keep their hopes of making the last four alive. They will no doubt have been buoyed by last weekend’s golden goal Irish Senior Cup win at Instonians, and have all of their big guns available, including Mark Black who can exclusively focus on club hockey following his retirement from the international game earlier this week. However, Eddie Dore is out injured and will be replaced in the squad by Colin Ross, as the ‘Dale also come in search of their first win in the tournament.

They looked well on their way to achieving that until their November tie with Cookstown was abandoned with the Belfast outfit leading 4-1, but following a six-week dispute it has been decreed that the game will be replayed in full. Quins host UCD in the women’s Pool B, with both coming off the back of contrasting fortunes in the ISC last weekend. The students upset Hermes on penalty strokes and also reignited their league campaign with a defeat of Pembroke, while Quins succumbed 6-3 at Ballymoney. The Farmers Cross girls have the upper hand in the league so far having amassed five points to UCD’s four, but have a job on their hands to shackle the students’ Irish international forward duo of Róisín Flinn and Lisa Jacob. However, Cliona O’Connor is unavailable, depriving Quins of one of their own striking talents. Over at Garryduff, Cork C of I can probably think of better opposition than Loreto to be playing as they look to bounce back from their 5-1 mauling at the hands of Belfast Harlequins in Pool A. The Beaufort side boast the bones of 300 caps of international experience via Nikki Symmons, Cathy McKean, Lizzie Colvin, Niamh Small and netminder Louisa Healy, and they lead the group by virtue of hugely impressive wins over Belfast Quins and Pegasus. C of I’s task is made all the more difficult by the absence of skipper Sandra Hackett, who is out for the season after tearing her cruciate ligament, with Deirdre Casey – already a talismanic figure for the Cork girls – taking over the captain’s armband. The Rochestown side’s men host Monkstown in a tie that is set to yield plenty of goals, given both sides have been prolific up front but occasionally lax at the back in recent weeks. The ‘Town have a real gem in their arsenal in the form of roaming teenage forward Stephen Cole, but he and the likes of skipper Gareth Watkins will face a huge test in trying to break down the hosts’ all-international spine of David Hobbs and Karl Burns. Elsewhere, the pick of the men’s ties is the top-of-the-table clash in Pool A of Glenanne and Instonians, where respective drag-flickers Stephen Butler and Mark Gleghorne will surely have a big say in the outcome.

Third-placed Pembroke Wanderers head to Tyrone to face Cookstown, while in Pool B, Three Rock Rovers journey out of Dublin for the fourth weekend running to play Lisnagarvey. The sides produced an 11-goal thriller when they met in last year’s Club Championships semi-final, and Rovers will be hoping for another virtuoso performance from Mitch Darling, who hit five of his side’s goals in that 6-5 victory. Ousiders Fingal host table-toppers Banbridge in the pool’s other game, where the sand at the ALSAA venue is likely to level the odds, as Three Rock found to their cost when they were downed 2-0 there in round two. Pegasus get the weekend underway tonight when they meet Randalstown, and the experienced Belfast girls will be hot favourites based on their 5-1 league win earlier this term. Railway Union clash with Belfast Harlequins for the first time ever, with Mick McKinnon’s side keen to build on the momentum generated by last weekend’s 3-0 ISC victory at UCC. In Pool B, Hermes are at home for the first time in the competition against Pembroke Wanderers, and there’s an appetising Ulster derby at the Joey Dunlop Centre as Ballymoney tackle the young guns of Armagh. Elsewhere, the men’s indoor Tony Byrne Cup gets underway at the National Basketball Arena on Sunday, with ten Leinster sides battling for the right to represent Ireland in the 2010 European Club Championships. Irish Hockey League, Round 3 (all fixtures Saturday unless stated) Men’s Pool A: Cookstown vs Pembroke Wanderers (Coolnafranky, 6pm); Cork Harlequins vs Annadale (Harlequins Park, 1pm); Glenanne vs Instonians (St Mark’s, Sunday, 1pm). Men’s Pool B: Lisnagarvey vs Three Rock Rovers (Hillsborough, 5pm); Fingal vs Banbridge (ALSAA, 2.30pm); Cork C of I vs Monkstown (Garryduff, 4pm). Women’s Pool A: Pegasus vs Randasltown (Havelock Park, Tonight, 8.15pm); Cork C of I vs Loreto (Garryduff, 2pm); Railway Unions vs Belfast Harlequins (Park Avenue, 6pm). Women’s Pool B: Hermes vs Pembroke Wanderers (UCD, Sunday, 2.30pm); Ballymoney vs Armagh (Joey Dunlop Centre, 3pm); Cork Harlequins vs UCD (Harlequin Park, 3pm). Men’s Tony Byrne Indoor Cup, National Basketball Arena, Tallaght (Sunday) Group 1: Kilkenny v Corinthian (10.10am); Dublin University v Kilkenny (1.30pm); Three Rock Rovers v Corinthian (2.20pm); Dublin University v Three Rock Rovers (4.50pm); Glenanne v Dublin University (6.30pm); Glenanne v Three Rock Rovers (7.20pm); Group 2: Railway Union v YMCA (9.20am); Avoca v Railway Union (11am); Avoca v Monkstown (11.50am); YMCA v Pembroke Wanderers (12.40pm); Pembroke Wanderers v Railway Union (3.10pm); Monkstown v YMCA (4pm); Monkstown v Pembroke Wanderers (5.40pm).