Institute and UCC hunt ISC spots

Two of the quarter-finals of the Irish Trophy are down for decision for this weekend, with UCC and Catholic Institute travelling to NICS and Suttonians respectively in rescheduled games that fell victim to the weather before Christmas. Neither side has had an easy time of it recently; College have shipped 15 goals in their last two games, while Institute leaked 11 in their last outing against Cork C of I. College are likely to be without Brendan Woods, who was red-carded in their 2-1 win at Cliftonville in the previous round. But the carrot of a semi-final spot – and a place in the revamped Irish Senior Cup – should be motivation enough for the Munster duo, who will both go into their ties as underdogs. Should UCC progress, they have a bye to the ISC second round, while Institute will have a glamour tie with Glenanne should they advance. In the women’s competition, Ashton have already progressed to the last eight having been given a walkover from Queens, while Catholic Institute await the winners of Bandon’s visit to Three Rock Ladies. Elsewhere, Pembroke Wanderers and Instonians will be hoping it will be a case of third time lucky as they look to finally get their twice-postponed Irish Hockey League round two encounter at Shaw’s Bridge played on Sunday. The frosty weather prevented the clash of two giants of Irish club hockey going ahead in November and December, meaning the landscape is now vastly different in how both will approach the tie, which Cork Harlequins will be keeping a close eye on. Inst were in disarray earlier this term as they were without a number of their star players, with the nadir coming with a 5-0 Ulster league rout at the hands of Lisnagarvey.

But the return of talismanic drag-flicker Mark Gleghorne and Steven Redpath from injury has galvanised them in recent weeks, and they have leaped from sixth to third, scoring 19 goals in their past four games. They face a season-defining weekend, as they also meet leaders Annadale in the league on Saturday. That means Craig Fulton won’t have to warn his Pembroke side – who have yet to catch fire this season but possess the country’s form forward in Alan Sothern – of complacency, while they know a win here could all but end Inst’s hopes of making the last four. Queens University have set aside a pitch in the advent of Shaw’s Bridge being frozen for a third time, to ensure the clash gets played. Having already lost to Pembroke and Glenanne – who drew with Annadale in round one – Quins will be hoping for an Inst win or a draw, as either result will prevent Pembroke from opening up an extensive gap at the business end of their pool. Domestically, things are staying in-house at Munster’s big two this weekend, as C of I and Cork Harlequins will both expect to take full marks from their own B sides to maintain their two-horse race for the title. In the women’s league, Cork Church of Ireland face a double-header as they look to bounce back from last weekend’s heartbreaking Munster Senior Cup penalty strokes defeat to UCC. The Garryduff girls can call on new recruit Jennifer Kenefick in defence as they lock horns with Belvedere and Catholic Institute, though it remains to be seen whether recent returnee Jenifer Hales will be risked.

Wins in both games would close the gap on leaders Cork Harlequins to just three points, assuming the champions take all three points from their clash with UL, but C of I will still have a game in hand. Elsewhere, UCC travel to Limerick to face Institute in the hope of keeping their title challenge alive, but will have to do without vice-captain Hollie Moffett, who is recovering from a suspected cheekbone fracture sustained last weekend. Despite being handed a walkover from Queens, Ashton have no fixture this weekend and will be hoping none of their rivals pull away from what is a tight scrap at the bottom. It’s a cup weekend in Division Two, with UCC’s visit to Quins one of the most intriguing ties on paper. The Farmers Cross outfit won 4-1 in the sides’ most recent league fixture, but College have shown they are well capable of getting a result on their day, drawing 1-1 with Waterford earlier this term despite only having 10 players available. Institute host Moyne/Thurles in a clash of last year’s top two, while Ashton meet Bandon and Waterford travel to C of I in search of revenge for last weekend’s 2-0 defeat.