Trinity bank on Dutch inspiration

Trinity College Dublin will be hoping their Dutch wildcard can help inspire them to victory as the most open intervarsity tournament in recent years gets underway in UCD on Sunday. Roderick Beudeker plays his club hockey for HDM in the Dutch Hoofdklasse, widely considered the world’s best domestic league, but will don a Trinity shirt for the first time at the weekend. European regulations forbid Beudeker – who is on a four-month placement in Ireland – from playing in full domestic competition here, but he is eligible to line out for the Trinity varsity side.

The Dubliners are in the toughest of the two pools on paper, however, in the battle for Mauritius Cup glory. While Royal College of Surgeons are unlikely to be competitive, UCC and UCD are both established Division One sides in their provincial senior leagues. Captain Andrew Gray and livewire attackers Peter Catchpole and Fionn O’Leary will provide the greatest threats for the Cork side, while fellow Leesider Ben Dobson is quickly becoming the main man at UCD, alongside Luke Chadwick and Conor Moyter. The other men’s pool sees a battle of the invitational sides, including tournament holders University of Ulster (UU). Alongside CIT and DCU, they are not senior clubs in their own right so can often cast their net wider. As revealed in yesterday’s Irish Examiner, that has helped CIT obtain the services of Cork GAA stars Aidan Walsh and Lorcan McLoughlin for their campaign. The arrival of Malcolm Coombes and Andrew Daunt was strengthened the quality of a CIT side already containing John Hobbs, Roger Gray, Ali Smith and Darren Beamish. UUJ and DCU are not as strong on paper as in previous years, but both can call on noted dragflickers in Neil Hamilton and Stephen Brownlow respectively. The women’s Chilean Cup looks likely to produce a repeat of last year’s final between UCD and UU Elks, though UCC – who claimed glory in 2007 and 2008 – will hope to put a spanner in the works. UCD sit atop the Leinster league and can call on Irish international prodigies Chloe Watkins and Niamh Atcheler, and they are likely to emerge from Pool A with UCC. The latter have been weakened by the departures of Irish internationals Julia O’Halloran and Audrey O’Flynn, but Miriam Crowley, Ali O’Connor and Ali O’Regan boast plenty of know-how at the top level. UUJ – again boasting a cosmopolitan side featuring French international Philippine Berly and South African starlet Roxy Turner – should win out in the other pool, where Trinity will be eyeing the other semi-final spot. Domestically, Catholic Institute’s mettle as early women’s league leaders in Munster will be tested when Cork Harlequins come calling to Rosbrien tomorrow (12pm). Quins won here 3-2 last season to kick-start their title ambitions, but have since been weakened by a raft of departures, meaning Institute will be hoping to turn the tables. Ashton host Bandon in a fixture both sides will be keen to amass three points from, while the second-string sides of Cork Harlequins and Cork Church of Ireland meet in the only men’s fixture of the weekend. On Thursday night, Cork C of I picked up a welcome first win of the season at home to Belvedere. Grace Young and Amy Roberts were joined on the scoresheet by Ireland U18 triallist Nicola Kerr, with Ally Moore netting Belvedere’s response. Intervarsities, UCD (Sunday to Tuesday) Men’s Pool A: Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), Dublin City University (DCU), University of Ulster (UU), Queens University Belfast (QUB). Men’s Pool B: Dublin University (DU), University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI). Women’s Pool A: University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), Dublin City University (DCU). Women’s Pool B: University of Ulster (UU), Dublin University (DU), Queens University Belfast (QUB), Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI), University of Limerick (UL). Men Munster Div 1 (tomorrow): Cork C of I B vs Cork Harlequins B (Garryduff, 2pm). Women Munster Div 1 (tomorrow): Catholic Institute vs Cork Harlequins (Rosbrien, 12pm); Ashton vs Bandon (Ashton School, 1.30pm).