Three Rock were brought the distance by a compact student outfit in a low quality tie at Belfield. Rob Anderson flicked home a 19th minute opener after Nick Burns’ push was deflected onto the inside of the post.

But the students subsequently sat back deeper and deeper to ship plenty of pressure and were undone when Ali Haughton’s pace out-stripped their defence before he squared for Ross Canning to nudge home. Eight corners went unconverted by Rovers while Conor Quinn saved well from former club mate Canning as UCD also endured sin-binnings to Sam O’Leary and Luke Chadwick.

They held on in extra-time but, on strokes, Stephen West dived to pick off three low saves as Rovers prevailed 3-1.
Corinthian completed their tie one step earlier, grabbing their winner in the second half of golden goal extra time as Ross Murray had an outstanding game.

Davy Carson’s sublime right wing attack and undercut shot over Gareth Carragher’s head handed the reds the lead but Glenanne ran up a corner count into double figures and were on terms when Jonathan Kane dived to deflect a corner in the 50th minute. The winner, though, came from the second phase of a penalty corner to put Corinthian through with Dan Treacy weighing in.

Monkstown, meanwhile, kept their retention hopes alive with the most clear-cut win of the day as Eoin O’Connor’s reverse was added to by Andrew Ward’s effort, created by Darren Farrell’s fine approach work, for a 2-0 lead which was only cut in half late on by Marcus Richardson. They play Pembroke in the next round with Three Rock going on to meet Corinthian in a Marlay derby.

Mills Cup, quarter-finals: UCD 1 (Rob Anderson) TRR 1 (Ross Canning), TRR win 3-1 on penalties; Monkstown 2 (Eoin O’Connor, Andrew Ward) YMCA 1 (Marcus Richardson); Corinthian 2 (Davy Carson, Dan Treacy) Glenanne 1, on golden goal

Men’s Leinster Division Two
Avoca 2 (Cliff Bailey, Peter Haughton) Portrane 2 (Ralph Billings, Mukhtar Ahmed)
Portrane twice came back from a goal deficit to nab a share of the spoils but drop to fifth in the tables while Avoca also were knocked down a peg, falling from a top spot they once held with an eight-point cushion. Cliff Bailey’s rising hit broke the deadlock but a classy Ralph Billings drag-flick put the sides back on terms. Peter Haughton’s deflected corner restored the lead after the interval only for Mukhtar Ahmed to mop up the scraps on his reverse from a broken down corner. With both sides playing half-court, momentum was tough to come by with the conversion of possession into chances an issue for Avoca, ending with just four shots despite decent bout of ball throughout.

Mullingar 0 Rathgar 2 (Brian Cleere, Mervyn McDowell)
Injury-hit Rathgar battled their way to a 2-0 victory in Tullamore against Mullingar to rise to fourth in the division two standings. Mervyn McDowell scored his first goal for the first team as he stopped an off-course push-out and duly clattered home on the stroke of half-time. Brian Cleere then fired a bolt from the blue on his reverse to shore up the result, a cracking effort from the top of the circle.

Suttonians 1 (Conor Gillett) Dublin University 0
Conor Gillett continued his excellent form to snatch all three points at Sutton Park with a winner five minutes from time. It stole a fairly even game as Trinity used a good press to keep the hosts penned in for long periods while Sean Flynn went close twice with a couple of deflections going wide of either post. Mick McGuinness and Gillett almost created a simple tap-in for Chris Tyrell against his former club but the Trinity keeper got a vital stick in to maintain parity while three corners each did not produce any return. An exchange of yellows also occurred before Sutton won a late corner which Gillett dragged home and they held on for the remainder and the points.

Loreto were thankful to stand-in goalkeeper Ruth Murphy in the final reckoning, the regular third teamer filling in for the international-tied Louisa Healy and the unavailable Mary Harkin. She and Clarke kept out two corners after the final whistle to hold onto a point as well as picking off a decent late save to deny Jean McDonnell.

In the first half, Lloyd finished off the first goal of the game with a nicely clipped reverse but a penalty stroke was conceded within two minutes which Hannah Matthews converted for her fourth goal of the campaign.

The second period followed a similar pattern despite the hosts enjoying more of the possession. Railway, as is their wont, were sharp on the break and were back in front when McDonnell picked up a loose ball and tore into the circle. She feigned to shoot before squaring for Lloyd to put her side back in front going into the closing quarter.

But Niamh Small jagged back inside to win a corner in the next wave of play and Clarke applied a thunderous strike. With Matthews, the two defenders have now provided 11 goals between them showing the value of their set piece routines.

Railway went closest to winning it as both sides were down to ten players for breaking down play; Zara Delany just missed out on the back post while McDonnell’s corner hits were denied. It leaves them a point off UCD who now have a game in hand while Loreto are one further back.

Of the three main contenders, the students appear to be the ones most likely to push on after the weekend, too, as they face colours rivals early on Saturday in Santry. They must do it without Chloe Watkins but Niamh Atcheler is available for selection for the game as she has been rested for the national team’s South Africa trip.

Railway and Loreto, though, have tough battles ahead as they play Old Alex and Hermes away, respectively. Attack-wise, the Park Avenue outfit’s forward line will be blunted by the absence of Nikki Evans and Alex Speers and the creative drive of Emma Smyth for much of the remainder of this campaign.

Alex have to cope without netminder Pam Smithwick and midfield firebrand Shirley McCay while Loreto are shy a quartet of players – including a fit-again Nikki Symmons.

But it is Hermes who are most affected as six of their number travel out to Johannesburg on Sunday. Mary Goode will cover goalkeeping duties while a number of their youngsters will likely be added to a panel short Miriam Crowley, Lisa Jacob, Aine Connery, Sinead McCarthy and Audrey O’Flynn.

At the bottom, there are also two vital games. Three Rock travel to Pembroke in a make or break tie between the basement pair with the visitors needing a win to move level on four points.

It is one of two meetings between the sides in quick succession – the next coming next Wednesday night – which could go a long way to defining their respective seasons. Corinthian and Glenanne, meanwhile, will be looking for points to pull themselves further away from impending danger.

On the men’s side, Pembroke started the New Year’s action with a comprehensive 6-1 win over Weston at Serpentine Avenue to knock out the last remaining division two side from the Mills Cup.

Alan Sothern snagged a hat-trick while Mick O’Connor got two to build a 6-0 half-time lead. Rob Lynch finished off a two-on-two attack to pull one back and win the second half for Weston – his tenth goal of the campaign.

All the rest of the Mills’ ties have also been brought forward from their initial Sunday date to Saturday. Monkstown against YMCA is the pick of the bunch at 1.30pm in Rathdown while Corinthian face Glenanne and UCD host a Three Rock side with a few players set to return.

The students will miss Shane O’Donoghue and possibly Conor Motyer while Rovers will need to find an alternative scoring source than Peter Blakeney. Alan Bothwell returns from suspension while Ali Haughton and Peter McConnell eased back over Christmas through the indoor campaign.

The Town are the side most affected by the international trip to Spain with goalkeeper Dave Fitzgerald unavailable along with David Cole and attacking linchpin Gareth Watkins. With Iain Walker unable to tend the goal, YM have top back-up in the form of Graham Woods.

Division two sees Avoca, Portrane and Trinity all make their first appearances of 2012 as the race hots up considerably for the title.

Mills Cup, round two result: Pembroke 6 (Alan Sothern 3, Mick O’Connor 2, Scott Furlong) Weston 1 (Rob Lynch)
Fixtures, Saturday: UCD v Three Rock Rovers, 1pm, Belfield; Corinthian v Glenanne, 1pm, Whitechurch Park’ Monkstown v YMCA, 1.30pm, Rathdown
Men’s Leinster Division Two: Avoca v Portrane, 2pm, Newpark; Suttonians v Dublin University, 2pm, Sutton Park; Mullingar v Rathgar, 2pm, Tullamore Harriers’ pitch

Women’s Leinster Division One, result: Loreto 2 (Hannah Matthews, Sarah Clarke) Railway Union 2 (Kate Lloyd 2)
Fixtures, Saturday: Trinity v UCD, 11.15am, Santry; Hermes v Loreto, 1.30pm, St Andrew’s; Old Alexandra v Railway Union, 3pm, Milltown; Glenanne v Corinthian, 3pm, St Mark’s; Pembroke v Three Rock Ladies, 3.30pm, Serpentine Ave
Division Two: Pembroke v Newbridge, 12.30pm, Serpentine Ave; Loreto v North Kildare, 12.45pm, Beaufort; Hermes v Genesis, 3.15pm, St Andrew’s; Corinthian v Railway Union, 3.45pm, Whitechurch Park; UCD v Old Alexandra, 4.15pm, Belfield

Coming just over a decade since the club’s most recent cup final appearance, they showed a more assured touch throughout, led by Kenny Carroll – the sole survivor from that St Patrick’s Day Mills Cup loss to Pembroke.

The dual cricket and hockey international made some vital interventions as the Belfielders threatened to come back from an early 2-0 deficit, forged by Fiachra Maher and Rob Abbott’s diving touches.

Cork man Nick Burns made up for an earlier sin-binning by converting from the penalty spot in the third quarter but the students missed the guile of Shane O’Donoghue as his poise was conspicuous by its absence.

Plenty of goal openings presented themselves – equally so at the far end – but the students snatched too often while they were finished off by a soft effort.

A timidly conceded long corner fell invitingly to Chapple to cross. He swept straight for goal, however, and saw his effort bounce in off goalkeeper Rob Fitzgerald’s instep for the winner.

Throughout, midfield interchanges between Fergal Keaveney and Jeremy Duncan were pulling UCD out of position, and creating plenty of ball down the channels for the forwards to gobble up.

It paved the way for both of their early goals, both times finding their way from right to left. The first was neat enough, Maher ghosting in at the back post after Carroll’s slap was deflected his way at the top of the circle to snatch the lead inside five minutes.

The second was a beauty. Mark English – well marshalled for the most part – picked out a sublime diagonal pass from the right, half-way line to Richie Forrest, overlapping from the full-backs to the left edge of the circle.

He controlled and had time to pick out the diving stick of former Clontarf club mate Abbott who got a neat touch for his 15^th goal of the season.

Two goals up, Railway were soon also two players up as a manic few minutes for Burns saw him take green for dissent, receive a low-slung Peter English overhead to the mid-drift before a loose back pass caught him unawares at sweeper and cracked his foot.

As last man, he endeavoured to slow play and duly took his yellow for breaking down a dangerous attack. Rob Burke joined him on the side within a minute for afters with Eoin MacArthur but the Belfielders held on.

Patrick Shanahan was instrumental in this phase, holding possession while drawing the foul which saw Donal O’Mearain off too, making it briefly ten against nine in the first half.

Restored to 11, UCD made better use of the overload with Rob Anderson cracking in his second meaningful shot of the half and Burke came back on to smack Carroll’s sliding foot to win his side a corner. O’Keeffe saved well.

Anderson then set up Sam O’Leary – the sky-blue’s liveliest forward – but the half-time whistle beat his shot by mere moments to leave it 2-0 at the break.

The restart precipitated an avalanche of chances as structure dissipated and blood and guts effort took over. Railway could have settled matters when Keaveney’s sly slipped pass found Abbott three yards out but he never got a shot away under pressure from UCD’s defensive controller Keith Kenning. He called for a stroke but nothing came of it.

O’Leary subsequently got ahead of O’Keeffe to open the goal up but Carroll slipped in to get the crucial touch away before a shot rained in. Kenning’s searching balls to the corners were the root of their joy, skipping midfield for the most part.

In reply, Jeremy Duncan thumped the outside of the post; Shanahan’s reverse was smothered while Burns could not find space to gobble up the rebound. Abbott lobbed a one-on-one chance just wide while David McCarthy’s similarly placed effort was shut down by Rob Fitzgerald in a manic phase of play.

John Brennan’s reverse was another to be smothered before squirming away from O’Keeffe. The follow-up saw calls for a stroke as a body blocked the second phase but a corner ensued, given due to the volume of covering defenders.

Burns’ switch flick was parried to Conor Motyer and he hit Carroll on the line. Burns dispatched the stroke to make it game on with a quarter of the tie still to play.

Duncan reversed a rifled effort over while Burns went within inches of levelling on the spin as he measured his position and thumped a forehand cross-court from the right of the circle.

But the manic nature of the tie was settled when an aimless ball forward should have been either controlled or let drift over the endline. But it clipped the edge of a stick and the long was duly worked in to Chapple by Abbott who swept powerfully in the right direction for his second Neville goal of the campaign – the other ironically coming from a similarly tight angle in round one when aiming away from goal but finding a Three Rock defender’s stick.

Plenty of time remained thereafter but UCD were unable to summon a second coming and Railway played out the closing phases in comfortable fashion to match their recent improvement with silverware.

Elsewhere, Steven Arbuthnot’s double saw Lisnagarvey beat Cookstown 2-1 in Ulster’s Kirk Cup final while Cork C of I won Munster’s Peard Cup with a 4-1 defeat of city rivals Harlequins.

UCD: Rob Fitzgerald, John Brennan, Keith Kenning, Conor Motyer, Shane Nolan, Philip Byrne, Sam O’Leary, Luke Chadwick, Rob Anderson, Mark McNulty, Ben Dobson
Subs: Nick Burns, David Watkins, Patrick Shanahan, Jamie Haughton, Johnny Walker

Railway Union: Stephen O’Keeffe, Donal O’Mearain, Fiachra Maher, Rob Abbott, Peter English, Mark English, Richard Forrest, Jeremy Duncan, Fergal Keaveney, Eoin MacArthur, Kenny Carroll
Subs: Ravin Nair, Jeffrey Spillane, Karl Chapple, Rob Devlin, David McCarthy

Umpires: Martin Keane, Graeme Caulwell

Peard Cup final: Cork C of I 4 (N Buttimer, R Lynch, S Sweetnam, G Wilkinson) Cork Harlequins 1 (D Hobbs)
Kirk Cup final: Lisnagarvey 2 (S Arbuthnot 2) Cookstown 1

Neville finals of recent past have been blighted by notable absentees. And while Railway and UCD both have large contingents originally from outside Dublin, the vast majority have adjusted plans to get back in time for what could be a formative day for the two emerging clubs.

But perhaps the final’s marquee name will not be in situ as Shane O’Donoghue – along with his father and coach Rory – will be in South Africa for a family wedding.

Peter Chadwick and Alan Dobson take on the coaching role for the day while Nick Burns, one of those to travel up from Cork, assumes an increased leadership role.

The Douglas man has been part of a student uprising, which has seen the perennial strugglers reach the first senior final in the club’s history as well as taking the scalps of both Pembroke and Glenanne.

Looking forward to the tie, he told Southern Fried Hockey’s Alan Good that it is a big moment in the club’s history but there is the talent available to take home the title.

“With UCD it goes in cycles as students come and go; this year there is a great bunch of lads with plenty of hockey ability,” he said With the backing we are receiving from everyone at UCD it’s a great chance to really give something back. I feel we’ve displayed that we can match anyone on our day, so who knows how things will go on Stephen’s Day.”

Burns, a forward by trade, has had to adapt to a new central midfield role and increased responsibility with his new club, but announced his arrival in Leinster hockey with two goals in UCD’s shock 4-2 semi-final win over Glenanne.

“That was a real stepping stone for us, and gave us the self-belief we needed, (as it) maybe wasn’t there in previous seasons. Since then we’ve gone on to beat Pembroke Wanderers, league leaders at the time, in a 6-4 thriller.

“I’ve found myself learning a new trade as a centre mid, it’s certainly a big change from playing up front and comes with a lot more responsibility, but I’ve adapted my game and I’m working hard to improve all the time, albeit without getting the tap-ins at the back post! I’m more than happy to take on the challenge.”

UCD’s preparation hasn’t been ideal, as the side have been focusing on exams before scattering around Ireland as they return home for Christmas. Burns says they’re hoping to learn from the mistakes of their early-season loss to Railway, who boast a fine short corner unit and are hoping to win a first senior trophy since their 1980 Mills Cup success.

That day was won against Pembroke with goals coming from Paul Delany and Dermot Byrne while legendary club names like former Irish captain Joey O’Meara and Ginger O’Brien – father of the sporting talents Paul, Ciara, Niall, Kevin, Ger and Conor – among their leading lights.

They reached back-to-back finals at the time, winning in 1980 before coming unstuck against Three Rock in 1981. Given the long-serving nature of the O’Brien family in the first team, it is a surprise that none are likely to be in their 16 for the final.

Another Railway family name – the English’s – is likely to play a key role at Serpentine Avenue as Mark has been the catalyst for much of their intricate forward play while Peter’s 15-goal haul shows the set-piece potency. Father Eddie dons the management duties.

Players will travel to the game from Kilkenny, Donegal and London for the tie to make up a full strength panel which go into the tie as slight favourites, especially after a 3-1 win in October at Belfield.

But the students have improved markedly since then and the creative sparks of Luke Chadwick and Conor Motyer will look to pick out David Watkins who has shown a taste for goal of late.

** Entrance to the final is free but there will be a collection for charity at the final from Leinster Branch officials

Runar O’Moore and Gary Shaw – with his 13^th of the season – exchanged goals inside the first ten minutes before Town hit the front for a second time when Cole nabbed the ball off Joe Brennan and found Gareth Watkins to make it 2-1, his sixth in three games. He was subsequently sin-binned and Glenanne were level at the break when Richie Shaw scored from a corner.

Gary Shaw could have put the hosts in front for the first time from the flick spot after a quick counter attack but Dave Fitzgerald saved to keep the tie in the balance and the Town prospered. Cole finished off at the back post for 3-2 before Graham Shaw made his way to the sin-bin, also for dissent. And the win was capped in the final minute as Richard Sykes roofed a drag-flick to copper-fasten the win.

For the Glens, they sit eight points off the pace but have a game to rearrange against YMCA to earn back some of the lost ground, a tie most likely to be played in early January.

Fingal 1 (Glen Shekleton) Corinthian 0
Glen Shekleton’s drag flick saw Fingal scramble a result against Corinthian to continue their resurgent run of results and blunt the reds’ IHL hopes in the process. It was a frustrating afternoon for both outfits as neither got much fluidity going. The visitors to ALSAA held most of the possession but found space limited high up the pitch and resorted mainly to crash balls from the likes of Henry Micks and Andrew Sutton but they could not get the crucial deflections. Fingal for their part turned over ball in good areas but could not link up their forward movements . But Shekleton did finish off a corner to put his side in front. There was late nervousness as Corinthian won a last second corner but Adrian Sweeney and Eamon Bane combined to charge down the effort to snag three points and drop UCD back into the playoff position.

Pembroke 4 (Scott Furlong 2, Mick O’Connor 2) YMCA 0
After two sub-par performances against UCD and Railway Union, Pembroke showed their potential in a high quality second half performance as they put YMCA to the sword, putting a major dent in their title ambitions going into the winter break. Their forward options looked blunted at the end of the first half when Alan Sothern was withdrawn to get a scan on his foot with fears over a repeat of a broken bone. But two penalty strokes under-pinned their win as Scott Furlong and Mick O’Connor stepped into the breach.

Alan Giles was the catalyst for the first, intercepting at pace on halfway to tear into the circle. A YM stick got tangled in his shorts in his shooting stride and yanked him back, handing Furlong the chance from the spot to net his first goal of the campaign. He later added a drag-flick while O’Connor was on the mark from the stroke-spot when Ronan Flannery was bundled over by the YM post-man after an in-to-out corner move.

O’Connor’s other goal came after Maurice Elliott beat several players with his 3d skills before a quick interchange with Giles opened the door for the striker to delicately chip over Iain Walker. A feisty tie, there were plenty of cards to go around as Geoff Walker’s dissent got a green upgraded to yellow, while Maurice Elliott and Jonny Bruton were done for tackles to leave the game ten v ten for a time. The loss leaves YM eight points off the pace while Pembroke trail Monkstown by four.

Clontarf 1 (Andrew Poynter) Railway Union 5 (Rob Abbott 2, Jeremy Duncan, Karl Chapple, Peter English)
With Fingal doing them a big favour against Corinthian, Railway took full advantage and moved to the cusp of an automatic IHL qualification place. Rob Abbott continued his fine scoring form, nabbing the first against his former club before Jeremy Duncan made it two, rebounding his own shot after a good one-two opened the space. It was 4-0 by the 45^th minute before Andrew Poynter pulled one back but a final whistle corner from Peter English added an extra gloss to the Railway win. Prior to this weekend, they had a near identical record to Corinthian in terms of whom they had beaten and drawn with, making their next meeting look like a direct showdown for fifth. But this success combined with the Fingal result, means four points divide the sides going into Christmas.

Division Two
The promotion race took on a more congested feel at fourth, fifth and sixth all prevailed with home wins but Avoca’s lead remains three points as Suttonians also fell on Saturday afternoon to leave any one of the top six harbouring promotion aspirations.

Despite the late withdrawal of Paul Tuthill, Rathgar garnered a first league win since October as they transformed a 1-0 half-time lead into a 3-1 success. Willy Wilshere put them in front as a high press yielded possession for Shane Gould and Cian Denham’s cross-come-shot was finished off the back post.

Simon Creane added a reverse from a tight angle while Dan Needham’s drag-flick was going wide until Wilshere got a classy mid-air touch to put the High School side well clear. It capped a fine performance from Wilshere who kept Cliff Bailey reasonably quiet in a man-marking role. Avoca did pile on late pressure with Enda Gallanagh and Willie Aylmer to the fore and got one back when Bailey chased a ball to the right endline. Two home defenders stopped thinking the ball would run dead but it did not and the ball was centred for Sean Walsh to bag his sixth of the season.

Dublin Uni rode their luck at times at Grange Road but a third successive win – this time a 2-1 success against Suttonians – rekindled their interest in the upper echelons of the table. Harry Spain missed an early stroke after Reuben Holden saw his effort hit a body on the line. Sean Flynn, though, was the guiding light to get Trinity into the game and they took the lead through Dan Ryan when possession was turned over on the 25 and passed around and into an empty net. The second was a carbon copy with Jack Kirwan this time finishing off the move.

Chris Tyrell, against his former club, did lay up for Wormold to slot home and make it a lively finish but Trinity defended well to maintain their lead.

Ralph Billings, meanwhile, continued his superb scoring form to add another hat-trick to his tally, making it 15 goals for the season to date, seven clear of his nearest rival in the division. It helped win against Mullingar for whom Ashley Wiley grabbed his third of the campaign and Torben Marl was also on the mark but a pair for Barry Lydon confirmed a 5-2 win.

Billings’ drag and a Lydon rebound built a 2-0 lead before Gar enjoyed a purple patch as they countered to level the game at half-time. A brilliant Billings reverse restored the lead before Lydon’s rebound and another drag-flick earned the points.

Results: Rathgar 3 (Willie Wilshere 2, Simon Creane) Avoca 1 (Sean Walsh); Dublin University 2 (Dan Ryan, Jack Kirwan) Suttonians 1 (Richie Wormold); Portrane 5 (Ralph Billings 3, Barry Lydon 2) Mullingar 2 (Ashley Wiley, Torben Marl)

Leinster Senior Mills Cup, round one
Jamie Tobin struck YMCA’s golden goal to get the better of Railway Union and earn a second round date with Monkstown in the Mills Cup. Marcus Richardson scored the only goal of a scrappy first period but the Unionites were back on terms when Jeff Spillane netted a nice deflected goal. Richardson dinged the bar while Iain Walker denied Mark English and Rob Abbott for would-be winners in extra-time. Tobin was the man to seal the deal when he found the bottom corner from turnover ball.

Glenanne advanced from their tie with a tired Fingal, playing their fifth match in eight days as Jonathan Kane and Stephen Brownlow put their side into a 2-0 half-time lead. Glen Shekleton pulled one back from the penalty spot while Brian Gray hit the bar late on but Fingal could not capitalise while Glenanne were down to nine men and they held on for the win.

Avoca gave Three Rock a couple of jitters at Grange Road, getting the game back to 2-1 in the second half following a comical own goal. Peter Blakeney made it 3-1 before Martin Naughton scored on the final hooter to pull one back. There were first goals for Three Rock for Jody Hosking and David McCrea. Corinthian had the most comfortable win, Davy Carson’s four-goal blitz bringing his seasonal tally to 14.

Results: Clontarf 2 Corinthian 9 (Davy Carson 4, Lucas Piccioli 2, Glenn Holmes, Barry Glavey, Stephen Reid); Three Rock Rovers 3 (Jody Hosking, David McCrea, Peter Blakeney) Avoca 2 (own goal, Martin Naughton); Fingal 1 (Glen Shekleton) Glenanne 2 (Jonathan Kane, Stephen Brownlow) YMCA 2 (Marcus Richardson, Jamie Tobin) Railway Union 1 (Jeff Spillane), after golden goal

Second round draw (January 22): Pembroke vs Weston; Monkstown vs YMCA; Corinthian vs Glenanne; UCD vs TRR

Trinity vs Loreto – postponed due to frozen pitch

Division Two: North Kildare 3 (Shelly Spillane, Liz Hasset, Louise Kelly) Hermes II 0; Railway Union 0 Newbridge 0; Corinthian 0 Genesis 1 (Laura Barrie); Pembroke 3 (Rachel McGrath 2, Anna O’Grady) Old Alex 1 (Hannah McDermott)

Jacqui Potter Cup, second round:

Helen Roche proved the unlikely heroine for Railway Union II as the club’s regular fourth team goalkeeper stepped in to save three penalty strokes against Trinity and earn a place in the Jacqui Potter Cup quarter-finals. Railway had led from a 40^th minute corner which Mary O’Dwyer deflected in. Eanna Horan levelled five minutes later from another corner and Rachel Scott thought she had put the students in front when she hit home a corner but it was disallowed as Maebh Horan had encroached into the circle before the push out to see a retake given. It led to extra-time and subsequently strokes with Roche saving three times to make it 2-2 after regulation strokes before Railway won it in the first round of sudden death.

Elsewhere, UCD were the big winners as former Alex students Nicola Gray and Deirdre Duke netted in a 2-1 victory over Loreto. Corinthian beat Glenanne 2-0 with both Jenny Heggie and Helene Peters getting their first goals of the season. Railway’s firsts  were comfortable victors over North Kildare with Orla Fox getting her first ever goal for the first team. It was a similar story for Hayley Sarratt as she netted in a 7-1 win over Loreto II while Pembroke had too much in the tank for Corinthian II, Joanna McDonald firing a double.

Results: Railway Union II 1 (Mary O’Dwyer) Trinity 1 (Eanna Horan), Railway won 3-2 on strokes; North Kildare 0 Railway Union 7 (Jean McDonnell 2, Orla Fox, Sinead Walsh, Julia O’Halloran, Emma Smyth, Zara Delany); UCD 2 (Nicola Gray, Deirdre Duke) Loreto 1 (Cathy McKean); Corinthian 2 (Jenny Heggie, Helene Peters) Glenanne 0; Hermes 7 (Lisa Jacob 2, Hayley Sarratt, Sadhbh Hoban Logan, Eimear Horan, Gillian Pinder, Jenny Burke) Loreto II 1 (Sarah Scott); Corinthian II 0 Pembroke 4 (Joanna McDonald 2, Claire Picard, Ciara Howard)

But the second half was much more open. Derek O’Gorman levelled from a corner move, Glen Shekleton spinning the ball into his path and he flicked into the top corner. Fingal were certain they deserved a stroke from their next corner when they produced the same move. This time, the shot was blocked to injector Eamon Bane and he pushed goalward where the ball appeared to hit a foot on the goal-line.

A long corner was given, leading to O’Gorman’s complaints earning a green card while Railway countered with Fiachra Maher almost nut-megging Nigel Grothier but he just managed to close his legs in time to trap the ball. English added another flick – his 14th of the season – to restore the lead and the game looked safe with 16 minutes to go when Jeremy Duncan’s stickwork beat several loose sticks and Rob Abbott eventually fumbled the ball over the line.

Fingal got one back when they got a lucky break in midfield to turnover. Tom Manning simply laid off around O’Keeffe to Eamon Bane who smacked into an open goal with six minutes to go. Kenny Carroll put in some huge tackles while David McCarthy was brilliantly denied by Grothier to keep the game alive into the last minute when Adrian Sweeney took in a overhead that was missed by two home defenders. He seemed to be clipped but played on and smacked the left post to deny extra-time and set up a St Stephen’s Day date with UCD.

It gives them the chance of winning a first Neville Cup and bridging a 31-year gap since their last senior trophy – 1980 Mills Cup. They did it without Mark English who was absent due to a disciplinary meeting following his red card last week against Glenanne, the timing of it effectively making his punishment a two-game ban as he was barred from playing in next Saturday’s game against Clontarf.

The Glens started better and had more first half corners owing to a typically competitive performance which the students struggled with but they were stung against the run of play by Nicola Gray’s hammered penalty corner. Claire Shillington responded when a UCD corner broke down and three passes later Stella Davis was forced into a save but the returning Irish cricket international picked up the pieces.

Loreto 3 (Jessica McGirr, Nikki Keegan, Sarah Barnwell) Pembroke 0
Loreto moved up a place to third in the division following a reasonably comfortable success over Pembroke at Beaufort as teenager Jessica McGirr netted her first senior goal. She completed the win when she followed up a Cathy McKean shot which deflected her way. Earlier, Sarah Barnwell scored the only goal of the first half off the back of Ali Meeke and McKean’s good work. Nikki Keegan made it two with a stunning effort, cutting in from the right to shoot home on her reverse. It lifts Loreto above Old Alex in the standings and three points off top spot.

Old Alex 1 (Sarah Canning) Corinthian 1 (Carol Magowan)
Carol Magowan’s fortuitous equaliser handed Corinthian a handy, unexpected away point and left Old Alex rueing a dent in their title ambitions. It was a frustrating afternoon for the Milltown side who controlled play but saw the reds’ goal lead a charmed life while Siobhan Burke pulled off a number of good stops. Sarah Canning did open the scoring from a corner in the 15^th minute but Magowan got the response a minute into the second half. She seemed more to be lining up a cross but her hit across goal took an Alex stick to redirect into their own goal. From there, Magowan in midfield and Sarah Walker posted strong resistance to Alex to grab the point from the day’s play.

Railway Union 4 (Jean McDonnell 2, Emer Lucey, Sinead Dooley) TRL 0
Jean McDonnell extended her seasonal tally to 13 to move three clear at the top of the Leinster goal-scoring charts as Railway eased to a second league victory in three days. She buried a corner switch while Emer Lucey was also on the mark at a set-piece. Sinead Dooley rebounded off a post for her first goal of the season while Sarah Hawkshaw impressed on her first team debut.

Sunday: Hermes 2 (Kerry McComish, Sadhbh Hoban-Logan) Trinity 0
Hermes were grateful to take the spoils from their key mid-table battle with Trinity to make sure they have the edge in the race for IHL places. They got on the board from the penalty spot in the seventh minute after Kerry McComish’s shot was saved on the line, batted away by the defender. Hermes followed up to score but play was the whistle had already gone for a stroke as the clearance was deemed dangerous and McComish scored against her former club. She had another chance from the spot after a foot on the line but Jessie Elliott picked this one to save but it was 2-0 when good play from Gillian Pinder and Lisa Jacob set up Sadhbh Hoban-Logan on the half hour. It moves Hermes three points ahead of Trinity, a vital wedge given the absence of their international contingent.

Jacqui Potter Cup and Irish Junior Cup
Old Alex and Railway Union completed the sides to play in the second round of the Jacqui Potter Cup as they chalked off wins over Three Rock Ladies and Newbridge. For Alex, Erika Hinkson set her side on course with two goals in the first 20 minutes before Sarah Canning – her third in three games – and Rebecca Coll completed a 4-1 win. TRL did get one back to record their first goal of the season when Julie Garvey netted against her former club. Alex will face a novel second round date when they meet their seconds.

For Railway, Sarah Hawkshaw went goal-crazy in just her second first team game when she netted four times. Kate Dillon, on her return from New York within the previous 24 hours, grabbed her first goal of the season while Isobel Joyce and Sinead Walsh rounded out a 7-0 win over Newbridge. Railway must now travel to North Kildare in round two.

In the Junior Cup, meanwhile, most of Leinster’s big guns advanced as Loreto did for Portadown with plenty to spare, Eimear McCarthy’s goal saw Pembroke beat last year’s finalists Lisnagarvey in Hillsborough while Hermes managed a 3-1 win at Queen’s University. With Railway Union and UCD assured of byes into Monday morning’s second round draw, it means there are seven Leinster entrants in the last 16.

Corinthian had a fine 3-0 win over UCC while Sarah Lochrin and Hannah Meredith were on the mark for Trinity as they endeavour to emulate their performance of last season in reaching the final four. Old Alex, though, were the big name to go out as they lost on penalty strokes against Catholic Institute.

First round results: Old Alex 4 (Erika Hinkson 2, Sarah Canning, Rebecca Coll) TRL 1 (Julie Garvey); Newbridge 0 Railway Union 7 (Sarah Hawkshaw 4, Isobel Joyce, Sinead Walsh, Kate Dillon)

Irish Junior Cup, round one results: Old Alex 3 Catholic Institute 3 (aet, Catholic Institute win 3-2 on penalty strokes); Ashton 1 Trinity 2 (S Lochrin, H Meredith); Loreto 8 (P Lyons 2, S Scott, W Byrne, C Barker, E Smith, S Doran, C Tipping) Portadown 1 (A Reid); Lisnagarvey 0 Pembroke Wanderers 1 (E McCarthy); Queens University 1 Hermes 3 (V Walsh 2, S Hoban Logan); Genesis 2 (A O’Loughlin, A Ryan) Dromore 2 (A Martin, N Murray) (aet, Dromore win 3-2 on penalty strokes); Ulster Elks 2 (S Lee, S Galbraith) Randalstown 3 (aet, golden goal); Armagh 1 Pegasus 1 (aet, Pegasus win 3-2 on penalty strokes); Corinthian 3 (S Cory, R Dooly, E Caulwell) UCC 0; Bandon 3 (R Murphy, L Buttimer, C McCarthy) Belfast Harlequins 2 (J Grimes, K Smiley); Cork C of I 2 (C Walsh, E Dobson) Lurgan 1 (E Mullen); Glenanne 1 (K O’Connor) Cork Harlequins 2 (J Chapple, M Collins)

The tie was initially pushed back due to the intervarsities earlier this month, a situation which had the upshot of leaving both sides in a position to seriously strengthen their push for a playoff place.

The Booterstown hosts have saved their best form for the showpiece competition this term having already fallen by the wayside in the Senior Cup while three losses in the Leinster league see them well off the pace.

Goalscoring issues pervaded both campaigns but in the IHL they have had a carefree spirit, dismissing Armagh and Old Alex on 3-0 scorelines. As such, they lead the way by virtue of a bonus point ahead of UCD – along with Catholic Institute and Pegasus – on seven points.

Mary Logue, against the club she coached to the Senior Cup in 2009, will be looking to learn from the experience of nine days ago when the students nabbed a goal in each half to run up a 2-0 win.

For particular video analysis will be the corner moves as Hermes earned eight set pieces but could not finish. Sinead McCarthy should be allowed more pitch time, her recuperation limiting her to 30 minutes against TRL last Saturday, while Audrey O’Flynn is also back in the fray.

Again, taming the former Hermes’ stars Anna O’Flanagan and Chloe Watkins is key with the students’ confidence level sky-high after an amazing run of results.

In the other IHL tie to played this weekend, Railway Union will be without Cecelia and Isobel Joyce as they make their way back from Bangladesh where they helped the Irish women’s cricket team maintain one-day international status.

UCC graduate Julia O’Halloran will seek to plot the demise of some old friends as she welcomes her former colleagues to Park Avenue. O’Halloran, 24, was a mainstay of the College side during something of a golden period from 2007-2010, but now plies her trade with Mick McKinnon’s troops in Dublin.

Having recently withdrawn from the national setup, O’Halloran is now free to express herself more often at club level, and will be hoping she can guide her side to a repeat of Railway’s 3-0 win at the Mardyke in 2009, when she was on the losing side. While former team-mates Ali O’Regan and Ali O’Connor are still in situ at UCC, the majority of the side has a youthful look and is on a steep learning curve at this level.

With Loreto storming clear in Pool B, Railway will target a bonus point to put some daylight between themselves and Ballymoney in second place.

Domestically, Loreto and Old Alex is the marquee tie with the pair jostling for second place in the division behind UCD. It is a big moment for Alex having run up four successive wins against sides from the bottom half of the division without conceding a single goal. And they can make another big statement – to go with the Senior Cup win over Hermes – against a Loreto side for whom Katie Evans has finished up her short tenure in Dublin.

Nikki Symmons remains out but Loreto have coped reasonably well in her absence, winning each game to date, showing the strength in depth.

Trinity play Corinthian in a game which could lift the students into a share of fifth place with Hermes ahead of a game between the sides on December 3, having managed to garner seven points despite scoring just two goals to date.

For Pembroke and Glenanne, victory for either will push them to a relatively safe position at this point in the season. Pembroke fronted up well against Alex last week with Lizzie de Araugo leading their attacking options while Glenanne await the return of their cricket internationals.

Elsewhere, Pegasus received a big boost as Ireland was once again handed the hosting of a major tournament. The IHL and Senior Cup champions will host the EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy – the second tier of women’s club hockey on the continent – over the Easter weekend.

They have been drawn in a pool with Belgium’s La Gantoise, Russia’s Metrostroy St Petersburg and Lithuanian Gintra Strekte Universitas while the other group has Belarussian, Scottish, Ukranian and Italian teams.

Railway hosted the competition last term in Dublin while Galway brought European club indoor to the country. With a men’s Olympic qualifier soon to follow this summer’s Champions Challenge I, it continues a recent run of high quality tournaments coming to these shores.

It could also be the catalyst to see Ireland earn a place in the recently rejigged women’s Club Champion’s Cup for a first time. Railway and Loreto’s performances last spring have seen Ireland move up to ninth in the standings, just half a ranking point behind Russia who occupy eighth – the lowest place to be included in the top competition.

Ten Leinster sides, meanwhile, take on the Irish Hockey Trophy first round with North Kildare the highest ranked from the province following an excellent start to women’s division two. They host Mourne side Kilkeel at The Maws.

ESB Electric Ireland Irish Hockey League Round 3 (Saturday): Hermes v UCD, 3pm, Booterstown; Railway Union v UCC, 5pm, Park Avenue

Leinster Women’s Division One
Saturday: Old Alexandra v Loreto, 3pm, Milltown; Trinity v Corinthian, 4.30pm, Milltown; Pembroke v Glenanne, 5pm, Serpentine Ave
Division Two: Pembroke v UCD, 11am, Serpentine Ave; Old Alexandra v Railway Union, 1.15pm, Milltown
Sunday: Loreto v Hermes, 2.30pm, Beaufort

EuroHockey Club Champions Trophy
Pool A: HC Victorya Smolevichi (BLR), Grove Menzieshill (SCO), MSC Sumchanka (UKR), HF Libertas San Saba (ITA)
Pool B: ARA La Gantoise (BEL), Pegasus (IRL), HC Metrostroy St Petersburg (RUS), Gintra Strekte Universitas (LTU)

ESB Electric Ireland Irish Hockey Trophy, round two: Weston v Dromore, 3pm, Griffeen Valley Park; Portadown v Genesis, 2.30pm, Edenvilla Park; Waterford v Naas, 2.30pm, Newtown School; Our Ladys v Greenfields, 2pm, Templeogue; North Kildare v Kilkeel, 2.30pm, The Maws; Bandon v Cork C of I, 12pm, Bandon GS; Suttonians v Wexford, 2pm, Sutton Park; Cookstown v Galway, 1pm, Coolnafranky; Ashton v Knock, Knock withdrawn – Ashton receive w/o; North Down v NICS, 2.30pm, Comber LC; Victorians v Greenisland, 4pm, Queens; Bray v Clontarf, 1.15pm, Loreto Bray; YMCA v UL, 2.30pm, Claremont Road; Ballymena v Newbridge, 2.30pm, Ballymena; Omagh v Muckross, 4pm, Campsie; Fermoy v Larne, 12.30pm, Loreto Fermoy)

The Glens took the half-time lead but the students were level when David Watkins finished off a Conor Motyer cross and Burns put them 2-1 up from a tight angle reverse. Motyer extended the advantage with ten minutes to go before Glenanne got one back from a corner. But Burns’ drag-flick to the top corner got the insurance goal and see UCD into the St Stephen’s Day final, their first cup final since the 2007 Neville Davin appearance – the trophy for division two and lower clubs.

They will face either Railway Union or Fingal but could be without Shane O’Donoghue and coach Rory as the competition’s timing creates its usual list of absentees. Glenanne face UCD for the third time in a month on Saturday in the league with Joe Brennan still out while Gary Shaw and Filip Jaros both have injuries which are impacting on their plight.