David Cole’s shoulder has opened the door for Richard Sykes to step up to the Irish panel for the second Spanish training camp, giving the Town three days in which to come up with a new corner go-to man and a considerable rock in their defence.

With switch-left, and forward talisman, Gareth Watkins also gone it robs some more of their scoring prowess – 19 goals between the pair – while creator-in-chief Stephen Cole is also out.

He is awaiting an MRI scan following a collision with Peter English after which Monkstown lost much of their spark, allowing Railway to come back and grab a draw.

Dave Fitzgerald’s international commitments have been eased somewhat by the arrival of Irish U-18 keeper Mark Ingram from Railway earlier in January but, with Frank Ryan and Gavin O’Halloran also unavailable, the sky-blues are scrambling.

Rovers’ plight is less severe though Stephen West has been one of their standouts this year with cover hard to come by between the posts while Garry Ringwood has scored two in two since returning to the forward line, replacing Peter Blakeney.

All the ties this weekend have an air of unpredictability about them. YMCA are another sides with a rake of absentees with David Robinson joined on the long-term list by Andy Walker with a broken bone in his hand, robbing them of a pair of Leinster provincial regulars.

With Nick Burke now in France, their date with Railway is suitably tricky. Railway have the first semblances of injury issues, themselves, after scarcely a bruise in the first half of the season.

Mark English missed last week’s game with a neck issue, as did Eoin MacArtur with concussion, but both might return. Fiachra Maher’s groin, however, is a concern and kept him out of the majority of the date with the Town last time out

It is now or never for Clontarf when they meet UCD at the bullring on Saturday with a loss all but condemning them to tenth and a second successive yo-yo between the divisions.

On the plus side for Gareth Borland’s side is that two of the students more effective operators are absent with Conor Motyer and Shane O’Donoghue abroad but there is class in the likes of Patrick Shanahan, Keith Kenning and David Watkins that needs to tamed.

Aussies Maverick Yow and James Gurbiel, along with Rob Kelly, are central to their hopes but Andy Poynter is likely to miss the guts of the rest of the season with international cricket commitments, as he was named in the Ireland side to go to South Africa and then Dubai later this month.

Fingal and Glenanne usually provides plenty of drama with sparks often flying but the Glens will be hoping to keep their wits about them to profit from any slip from the two sides ahead of them. Joe Brennan remains on the recovery trail but they have found new scoring outlets this term with Richie Shaw (seven) and Jonathan Kane (ten) stepping up to the mark.

The Airport side’s half-court game frustrated Pembroke last time around and may be put into effect again, looking for the pace of Tom Manning and Adrian Sweeney to work the channels.

Corinthian and Pembroke, meanwhile, is a tie with potential to thrill as both prefer the open, flowing style. Davy Carson will aim to use his unique range of skills against his former club and can count himself unlucky – along with opponent Alan Sothern – not to get a call to Paul Revington’s latest selection.

Pembroke continue to be without Mossie Elliott and Timmy Hill but Patrick Good is back on the training paddock and contesting a place. Corinthian hope to add Neil Young after illness.

In division two, the rollercoaster continued in midweek with Weston hoping for the side that battled effectively in midweek to snatch a draw at Sutton rather than the one that capitulated against Avoca.

A third away day within seven days is tough going but Rathgar have lost twice at home in-a-row to see their promotion challenge falter as a half-dozen absentees have taken their toll.

The latter of those losses was to Mullingar who can now look to the remainder of the season with a monkey off their back. Chris Bull’s return and some other injury returns have buoyed Michael Gibson-Brabazon’s men and they will hope to catch an in-form Trinity off guard.

Suttonians will go top with any sort of result against Portrane in Glasnevin as Avoca are on the bye weekend. The Neville Davin Cup tips off on Sunday with plenty of evenly matched ties.

The Irish Junior Cup second round also takes place this weekend with five Leinster sides surviving thus far. Pembroke and Corinthian’s derby is the highlight from a local perspective.

Men’s Leinster Division One (Saturday): YMCA vs Railway Union, 1.15pm, Milltown; Clontarf vs UCD, 2pm, Mount Temple; Monkstown vs Three Rock Rovers,3pm, Rathdown; Fingal vs Glenanne, 1.30pm, ALSAA; Corinthian vs Pembroke Wanderers, 1pm, Whitechurch Park

Division Two: Portrane vs Suttonians, 1.30pm, Holy Faith, Glasnevin; Dublin University vs Mullingar, 12.45pm, Grange Road; Rathgar vs Weston, 2pm, High School

Neville Davin Cup (Sunday): Avoca vs Dublin University, 3pm, Newpark; Portrane vs Mullingar, 1pm, The Maws; Rathgar vs Weston, 1pm, High School; Suttonians vs Navan, 4pm, Sutton Park

Men’s Irish Junior Cup (Saturday): Lisnagarvey v Bandon, 1pm, Comber Road; Newry v Banbridge, 4pm, Newry Olympic; TRR v Bangor, 2.30pm, Grange Road; Pembroke v Corinthian, 1.30pm, Serpentine Avenue; Raphoe v Cookstown, 1pm, Royal and Prior; Annadale v YMCA, 1pm, Lough Moss; Suttonians v Cork C of I, 3pm, Sutton Park; Kilkeel v Antrim, 4pm, Kilkeel HS

Rathgar 0 Mullingar 3 (Torben Marl, Ed Lindsay, Stephen Synott)
Mullingar picked up their first ever win in division two as they over-turned a defeat seven days earlier to the Rathgar Chiefs with a strong result. Chris Bull (pictured), back from injury which ruled him out since October, was central to the first two goals. He rounded the home goalkeeper to square to Torben Marl to finish off. Corner injector Bull then saw his shot hit a foot on the line, earning a stroke which Ed Lindsay finished off early in the second half. Stephen Synott completed the win 15 minutes from time, spinning on the ball and finishing off well. From Rathgar’s perspective, they had a first half goal disallowed for taking a shot from over shoulder height and hit the post, too, but Mullinger were decent value for the win.

Portrane 1 (Nasir Munir) Dublin University 3 (Theo Kirwan, Steven Roberts, Roger Clarke)
Trinity started a fine weekend which saw them rise to third in the standings. Theo Kirwan started them on their way but Nasir Munir scored against the side he used to coach, five minutes into the second half, taking in a long ball and finishing with aplomb. Steven Roberts reversed home the second before Roger Clarke completed the victory as Trinity showed decent composure to hold possession and see out the tie. Ralph Billings’ drag-flick was earlier well saved by Cian Booth but, otherwise, Trinity held the box seat for the most part.

Sunday: Dublin University 4 (Stephen Horsfall 2, Freddie Hill, Theo Kirwan) Avoca 1 (Sean Walsh)
A fine second half showing at a drenched Grange Road saw Trinity garner their second win of the weekend and close in a little further on Avoca in the title race. Freddie Hill opened the scoring with a cracker, starting the move from left-back, emerging through the midfield and exchanging passes which played him into the circle and finishing off. Sean Walsh levelled five minutes into the second half but the students kept pressing hard, consistently finding overloads up front. Theo Kirwan made it 2-1 after good work from Steven Nolan and Roger Clarke in the build-up. Stephen Horsfall finished off the next goal before the umpires consulted with a view to calling the game off due to the volume of water on the pitch with 18 minutes to go. They played on and Horsfall completed the win.

The main exception is most certainly the most intriguing tie as Monkstown’s rollicking start to the campaign is put to the test by an ever-improving Railway Union who have made a major play for an IHL-shot.

Town’s emergence on the national stage has seen them now have the highest representation in the Irish squad, a factor which will require squad management.

To that end, it has already had an impact with David Cole busting his shoulder in a schools match on Wednesday and looks set for six weeks out at least – a crushing blow as he pushed for a late inclusion in Paul Revington’s Olympic squad.

How much David Fitzgerald is released to play is another factor, looking a cert for the number two Irish keeper’s smock following Iain Walker’s shoulder surgery earlier this week.

With talisman Gareth Watkins with the national team, too, it is three big names to contend with. Railway used an incredibly consistent set of players prior to Christmas but will be down former Town man Donal O’Mearain for the second half of the season due to his studies taking him to Singapore.

Eoin MacArthur sustained a nasty head injury during the indoor campaign but could be back in harness to provide his aggression to the midfield proceedings and attempt a surprise.

Despite Monkstown’s absentees, however, there is still plenty of quality with Richard Sykes and Peter English’s overhead and corner battle a central battle.

Three Rock and Corinthian’s IHL hopes are intertwined on Saturday. Rovers have Alan Bothwell (suspension), Peter McConnell (leg) and Ali Haughton (hip) back from the league side which finished 2011 but Peter Blakeney’s absence at corner time was felt in the cup a week ago.

The reds will be buoyant following Dan Treacy’s golden goal against Glenanne to nick a semi-final place in the Mills against Rovers while Ross Murray drew many plaudits for a stunning display. Lucas Piccioli was left dazed after that tie from a blow to the head but is aiming for a return to the fray in his player-coach guise.

Fingal and UCD are among the other hopefuls to reel in Railway in the second half of the season but start with tough ties against Pembroke and YMCA, respectively.

The ALSAA men completed a rough start to the pre-Christmas campaign on a high note with two big wins over Corinthian and UCD to over-ride just one point from their first seven games. It is built on the back of getting a wealth of experience and players back who missed the early games and while David Bane is continually part of the walking wounded, Derek O’Gorman is an enviable midfield option.

Pembroke have injury concerns with Timmy Hill and Patrick Good among them while Alan Giles remains a fleeting presence in their line-up due to work concerns. For UCD’s tie, Conor Motyer’s absence due to a semester in Canada will be keenly felt in midfield, especially in light of Shane O’Donoghue’s increased international call-ups.

Nick Burns can be a force of nature for the students when he gets going while David Watkins down the left-wing is a dangerman but YM are bolstered by Nick Burke and Dash Hewett’s return to Ireland after a few weeks away. Graham Woods continues between the posts for the Y.

In division two, Avoca will aim to arrest their run of two defeats which has seen them relinquish a commanding lead and a win at Griffeen Valley will put them back in the lead as Suttonians are on a bye weekend. Taming Weston’s Rob Lynch is the task for either Sebatian Percivalle or Stefan Gallagher.

Rathgar’s back-to-back games with Mullingar could keep them in touch with some of their missing half-dozen returning to action while Portrane and Dublin Uni will need a win to stay in the hunt, too.

Men’s Leinster Division One: Railway Union v Monkstown, 3pm, Park Avenue; UCD v YMCA, 1pm, Belfield; Three Rock Rovers v Corinthian, 2.30pm, Grange Road; Glenanne v Clontarf, 2.30pm, Glenanne Park; Pembroke Wanderers v Fingal, 2pm, Serpentine Avenue
Division two: Weston v Avoca, 3pm, Griffeen Valley Park; Rathgar v Mullingar, 1pm, High School; Portrane v Dublin University, 1pm, ALSAA

The establishment of the position of Director of Hockey is a key element of the club’s five-year development plan and its ambition to have its Men’s 1sts and Ladies 1st teams competing at the highest levels in Leinster, Ireland and Europe by 2016.

Cole returns to the club he played most of his hockey with from 1972 to 1999 and won seven Leinster senior leagues and three Leinster Senior cups. He also won Senior League titles and an Irish Senior Cup with YMCA and represented Dublin University. He played 66 times for Ireland, 26 as captain, playing in a World cup, an Intercontinental cup and European cups.

He has coached men’s first teams at Pembroke Wanderers, Avoca, Corinthians, YMCA, Glenanne, Genesis ladies and the Leinster Ladies between 1995 and 2011 winning Leinster leagues, Senior Cups, and the European Cup Winners Cup (Glennane). He took his coaching badges in 1994, has chaired the Irish Hockey Association High performance committee and remains a member of its working group. He was inaugurated into the IHA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Avoca said in a statement they are “delighted to welcome Jonathan back to the Club and looks forward to benefiting from his vast experience and expertise”.

Elsewhere, the Leinster Hockey Association is holding an Open Forum on February 7, 2012 at 7.30pm in Bewley’s Hotel, Sandyford. This is the first year of the LHA and the Board and Sub Committees are eager to get input from clubs as to how they would like to see the association progress.

The Forum will be an opportunity to meet with members of the board and members from other clubs. They are looking for clubs to submit questions in advance of the forum to leinsterhockey@gmail.com. Questions will of course be taken on the night and answered to the best of the LHA’s ability.

To register attendance, please email your name and that of your club to leinsterhockey@gmail.com on or before February 3. Details of the Forum will also be available on www.leinsterhockey.org.

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

They will be joined by Cookstown who topped the Ulster pool while NICS’ goal difference saw them through as runners-up on goal difference after a three-way tie on points with Instonians and Annadale.

It completes the finals line-up – with Clontarf and Three Rock qualifying on Saturday afternoon – with two, three-team groups facing off next Saturday in Gormanston, hosting indoor hockey for the first time.

Pembroke were the first side to confirm their progression as they came from a goal behind to lead 4-2 going into the closing stage of the tie with Sothern shining in his first appearance in the competition this season.

Shane O’Donoghue’s second closed the gap going into the closing phases but Pembroke held on for the win to go with earlier successes against Corinthian and Fingal to push on.

Railway needed just a draw to advance from group two and looked well set when Kenny Carroll and Eoin MacArthur put them 2-0 up on YMCA. But YM rallied with Stephen and Andrew Walker to put the game on a knife-edge at 2-2 going into the latter stages.

Rob Abbott, though, finished off a slick left-wing move with a near post touch to put Railway back in front and, despite MacArthur’s sin-binning, the 2011 finalists were unable to get the goals required to make it back to the playoffs.

TRR closed out the group stages with a 3-1 win over Fingal to make it five wins from five, the ALSAA side matching Rovers well in the first half but were caught early in the second as Garry Ringwood broke the deadlock before Ross Canning and Jody Hosking made the game safe.

In Ulster, Cookstown completed the group phases with a perfect record with a 4-3 win over NICS and a 3-0 success over Mossley. Service were in decent shape after day one two single goal losses – the second coming against Instonians – left them in danger of elimination.

A draw for Inst against Annadale in the group’s final game would have been enough to eliminate NICS but Dale popped up with a 3-2 win to put the Stormont club through by two goals on goal difference.

On the women’s side, Railway Union emerged from the pack with three successive victories in group one to advance. They started the day with an impressive 7-1 win over runners-up Old Alex with Kate Dillon doing most of the goalscoring while German player Silja Dornow’s slick skills and indoor know-how was a cut above.

The 2010 champions were pushed all the way by a Trinity side who needed to win to keep alive their chances but Railway nabbed a 4-3 victory after being level 1-1 at the break. With Alex edging past Trinity 3-2 on Saturday, it meant the Milltown club and Railway were through, leaving a couple of dead rubbers.

Pembroke finished strong with a couple of wins to get off the mark while Railway’s 7-1 win over Genesis confirmed their place at the top of the table.

Newbridge’s withdrawal from the competition meant Glenanne were all but through, making it 12 points from four games and Hermes followed them onto that mark with an emphatic 10-2 success against Corinthian. It left the pair to face each other for top spot and Hermes prevailed 3-2.

In Connacht, 2009 finalists Galway recorded two wins and a draw against Greenfields to be their provincial representative at the finals and will face Ards, Old Alex and Hermes next week. Railway, Ulster Elks and Glenanne are in the other group.

Leinster Men’s (all at Loughlinstown Lesiure Centre)
Men’s Indoor, Group One: Pembroke 4 (Alan Sothern 4) Glenanne 3 (Shane O’Donoghue 2, Gary Shaw); TRR 3 (Garry Ringwood, Jody Hosking, Ross Canning) Fingal 1 (Luke Hayden)
Standings: 1. TRR 15pts (+20) 2. Pembroke 12pts (+16) 3. Glenanne 7pts (+3) 4. Corinthian 5pts (8) 5. Fingal 4pts (-7) 6. Weston 0pts (-25)

Group Two: YMCA 2 (Stephen Walker, Andrew Walker) Railway Union 3 (Kenny Carroll, Eoin MacArthur, Rob Abbott)

Standings: 1. Railway 10pts (+9) 2. Clontarf 10pts (+7) 3. YMCA 6pts (+5) 4. Suttonians 3pts (-1) 5. Dublin University 0pts (-20)

Ulster Men’s results:

Sunday results: NICS 3 Cookstown 4; Annadale 5 Mossley 3; NICS 1 Instonians 2; Mossley 0 Cookstown 3; Annadale 3 Instonians 2

Standings: 1. Cookstown 12pts (+6) 2. NICS 6pts (+5) 3. Instonians 6pts (+2) 4. Annadale 6pts (-2) 5. Mossley 0pts (-9)

Men’s finals weekend fixtures (all at Gormaston College)

Group A: Three Rock Rovers v Clontarf, 10.30am; Clontarf v Cookstown, 12.10pm; Cookstown v Three Rock Rovers, 2.40pm

Group B: NICS v Pembroke Wanderers, 11.20am; Pembroke Wanderers v Railway Union, 1pm; Railway Union v NICS, 4.20pm

Leinster women’s Group One: Old Alex 1 Railway Union 7; Trinity 3 Pembroke 4; Trinity 3 Railway Union 4; Pembroke 4 Genesis 2; Trinity 2 Old Alex 3; Genesis 1 Railway 7

Standings: 1. Railway 12pts (+22) 2. Old Alex 9pts (+6) 3. Pembroke 6pts (-10) 4. Trinity 3pts (-1) 5. Genesis 0pts (-17)

Group Two: Newbridge 0 Glenanne 5 (w/o); Corinthian 4 Clontarf 2; Hermes 3 Glenanne 2; Newbridge 0 Avoca 5 (w/o); Hermes 10 Corinthian 2; Avoca 6 Clontarf 3

Standings: 1. Hermes 15pts (+19) 2. Glenanne 12pts (+12) 3. Clontarf 6pts (-4) 4. Avoca 6pts (-6) 5. Corinthian 6pts (-9) 6. Newbridge 0pts (-25)

Group Three: Greenfields 1 Galway 3; Galway 1 Greenfields 1; Galway 6 Greenfields 1

Group A (Loughlinstown): Galway v Ards, 1.15pm; Old Alex v Hermes, 2.10pm; Old Alex v Galway, 3.05pm; Ards v Hermes, 4pm; Galway v Hermes, 4.55pm; Ards v Old Alex, 5.50pm
Group B (Gormanston, Co. Meath): Ulster Elks v Glenanne, 1.50pm; Glenanne v Railway Union, 3.30pm; Railway Union v Ulster Elks, 5.10pm

Women’s Leinster Division Two: Railway Union 2 (Kate Lloyd, Kate McKenna) Loreto 0; North Kildare 3 (Michelle Spillane 2, Aideen Griffin) UCD 1; Newbridge 4 (Clara Brody, Jane Tynan, Pam Ryan, Jill Ennis) Corinthian 2 (Sally Cory 2); Pembroke 3 (Louise Tolerton, Sorcha Conway, Joanne McDonnell) Genesis 0

Eight of those places will come from Leinster with plenty of intrigue still to be played out in the four groups, starting from game one in Loughlinstown. There, Clontarf and Railway Union’s perfect records will be put to the test (11am) with a winner all but confirming their place in the finals weekend.

Railway are on a high after their Neville Cup victory but there initial indoor entry gave few hints as to Kenny Carroll’s side’s form this time around. They were handed a 5-0 victory due to Dublin Uni’s suspension and, with little at stake, they experimented without a goalkeeper at times to record a 5-4 friendly victory against the students.

A 5-2 win over Suttonians followed in their first competitive match but Clontarf look to be their first major test with Maverick Yow and James Gurbiel making for a lively, Anitpodean-inspired front-line while fellow Aussie Dan Scott could add to their strike-power.

Railway, meanwhile, will be without Donal O’Mearain, indoor and outdoor, for the rest of the season as his studies have taken him to Singapore. YMCA are the side lying in wait for the second play-off place from group two, completing their group stage with one game this weekend against Railway on Sunday while Suttonians are out of the running.

In group one, Three Rock have the sole perfect record but have played just twice and their fate will be decided in a three-hour period as they face two big games in quick succession. First is top of the table clash with Glenanne at midday before meeting Corinthian at 2pm. They do so without Peter McConnell who has returned from injury but is now exam-tied.

The Glens cannot call on the injured pair of Filip Jaros and Joe Brennan – who underwent surgery just before Christmas – but were more than handy on the first weekend of play with two wins and a loss.

Corinthian have an outside chance of progression but must win their tie with Three Rock and hope for favours elsewhere. Pembroke, meanwhile, currently lie in second place and a win over Weston on Saturday could set up a major showdown with the Glens for a final six place.

Ulster’s group also tips off this weekend with Irish Senior Cup holders Cookstown getting some tips from Beeston indoor player David Ames in recent times in their return to the competition. Annadale, Instonians, NICS and Mossley compete with them for two playoff places.

On the women’s side, in group two, Glenanne and Hermes look virtually home and hosed following three wins a piece on the first weekend of competition, the former running up an emphatic plus 22 goal difference. The pair meet on Sunday in their respective final group game but will likely be confirmed in the finals weekend by that stage.

Group One, though, is very much up for grabs with Old Alex, Railway and Trinity all with 100pc records and their encounters with each other in Greystones this weekend will decide their fate.

It means the proposed Leinster league date between Alex and UCD is pushed back but there are four division two games outdoors to start the New Year with Pembroke aiming to keep their place at the top division with a date with Genesis.

Leinster Men’s (all at Loughlinstown Lesiure Centre)

Men’s Group One standings (played): 1. Glenanne (3) 7pts (+10) 2. Pembroke (3) 6pts (+11) 3. TRR (2) 6pts (+7) 4. Corinthian (4) 5pts (0) 5. Fingal (3) 1pt (-10) 6. Weston (3) 0pts (-17)

Group Two: 1. Clontarf (3) 9pts (+7) 2. Railway (2) 6pts (+8) 3. YMCA (3) 6pts (+6) 4. Suttonians (3) 3pts (+1) 5. Dublin University (4) 0pts (-20)

Saturday fixtures: Clontarf v Railway Union, 10am; Pembroke v Weston, 11am; Glenanne v TRR, 12pm; Fingal v Weston, 1pm; Corinthian v TRR, 2pm; Suttonians v Dublin Uni, 3pm

Sunday: Glenanne v Pembroke, 12pm; YMCA v Railway, 1pm; Fingal v TRR, 2pm

Ulster men’s (Lagan Valley Leaisure Centre)

Saturday: Instonians v Mossley, 10am; Annadale v Cookstown, 11am; NICS v Mossley, 12pm; Instonians v Cookstown, 1pm; NICS v Annadale, 2pm

Sunday: NICS v Cookstown, 10.30am; Annadale v Mossley, 11.30am; NICS v Instonians, 12.30pm; Mossley v Cookstown, 1.30pm; Annadale v Instonians, 2.30pm

Women’s Leinster groups (all at the Shoreline Leisure Centre, Greystones)

Women’s Group One standings (played): 1. Old Alex (2) 6pts (+11) 2. Railway Union (1) 3pts (+9) 3. Trinity (1) 3pts (+2) 4. Genesis (2) 0pts (-9) 5. Pembroke (2) 0pts (-13)

Group Two (played): 1. Glenanne (3) 9pts (+22) 2. Hermes (3) 9pts (+9) 3. Corinthian (2) 3pts (-2) 4. Clontarf (3) 3pts (-6) 5. Avoca (3) 3pts (-8) 6. Newbridge (3) 0pts (-14)

Saturday fixtures: Newbridge v Glenanne, 3.30pm; Trinity v Old Alex, 4.15pm; Newbridge v Avoca, 5pm; Hermes v Corinthian, 5.45pm; Avoca v Clontarf, 6.30pm; Genesis v Railway, 7.15pm

Sunday: Old Alex v Railway, 10am; Trinity v Pembroke, 11am; Corinthian v Clontarf, 12pm; Trinity v Railway, 1pm; Hermes v Glenanne, 1.45pm; Genesis v Pembroke, 2.30pm

Connacht group (all at NUI Galway): Greenfields v Galway, 11.15am; Galway v Greenfields, 12.30pm; Galway v Greenfields, 2pm

Leinster Women’s Division Two (Saturday): Pembroke v Genesis, 11am, Serpentine Ave; Newbridge v Corinthian, 11.30am, St Mary’s, Naas; North Kildare v UCD, 11.45am, Kilcock; Railway Union v Loreto, 2.15pm, Park Ave

They snatched a dramatic victory over YMCA in their first game, a chaotic tie which was won 4-3 in an incredible last minute showing. YM led three times with Trevor Dagg, Phil Powderly and Richard Margetson putting them ahead. In between times, Iain Walker – playing outfield – brilliantly took a Daniel Scott corner-flick off the line.

Scott – an Australian living in London but guesting this weekend – did nab the first equaliser while James Gurbiel poached a pair. His second tied it at 3-3 in the closing minute with Clontarf down a man due to Maverick Yow’s green card.

And the unlikely comeback was complete when the Bulls won a corner on the hooter which Gareth Borland duly flicked home, meaning their day was completed early with a pair of wins to their name.

Midway through the game, word came through that Trinity were not able to field for their date with Clontarf. A walkover was conceded and, with goal difference likely to be key, the organisers decided the students were disqualified upcoming results would all be counted as 5-0 losses.

Those three points, added to a tight 3-2 win over Suttonians, leave the Bulls on nine points from their three games.

As a result of Trinity’s plight, Railway’s first competitive game came in the second last tie of the weekend in which they had too much know-how for Suttonians, winning out 5-2. It leaves them in second place in the pool, level on points with YM but with a game in hand.

The date between YM and Railway will prove pivotal in the shake-up for the finals berths. With Bandon and UCC both withdrawing from the competition, it means that the top two from the two Leinster groups go through to those playoff phases with the initially planned wildcard round now redundant.

Group One is wide open with just reigning champions Three Rock Rovers with a 100pc record having overcome Weston 6-0, grabbing two late goals when they swapped out their goalkeeper in search of more goals.

They added a 2-1 victory on Sunday against Pembroke in what looked to be one of the group’s key games. The 2010 champions Pembroke shaded a scoreless first half of play but Rovers stepped up in the second half with Peter Blakeney netting from play before Garry Ringwood scored a penalty stroke. Kirk Shimmins got one back with four minutes to go but an equaliser was not forthcoming.

Earlier in the competition, Irish outdoor captain Ronan Gormley was among Pembroke’s ‘guest’ players along with UCD man Nick Burns as a very young selection had too much in the tank for Fingal as they won both halves 5-2 for a total 10-4 win. Mick O’Connor grabbed the first hat-trick of the day.

Corinthian came from 4-1 down to tie as a three goal blitz at the start of the second half had Glenanne in the box seat but Glen Holmes, Andrew Sutton and Dan Treacy responded, the latter pair both scoring in the 31^st minute, to earn a point.

Both would later pick up wins to head up the group overnight with the reds disposing of Weston courtesy of Glen Holmes four goals and a Neil Young hat-trick, transforming a tight 4-3 into a more comfortable 8-3 by the final hooter.

Glenanne did for Fingal in the final game of day one, Shane O’Donoghue’s hat-trick of first half corners helping them to a 5-1 win.

And the Tallaght side ended day two top of the pile with a second victory, getting the better of Weston 7-1. Pembroke’s 6-1 dismissal of Corinthian means it looks a three-horse race for the play-off places with one point separating the Glens, Pembroke and Rovers.

On the women’s side, Armagh’s reign as indoor champions came to an end in the Ulster pool in dramatic fashion. They went out on the goals scored divider as Ards won their closing game 3-0 to draw level with the Orchard women on goal difference but with two extra goals to their name.

The Ulster Elks went unbeaten to head up the group with wins over Portadown, Armagh and Queens. Ards and Armagh got into a goalscoring race after both fell to a loss and a draw each in their six-team pool.

Five sides in Leinster have perfect records in two groups which got underway at the new venue in the Shoreline leisure centre in Greystones. Glenanne were the most impressive, taking three large wins to head up Group Two with large wins over Clontarf, Avoca and Corinthian.

Hermes were run closer, particularly by Avoca in a 3-2 result, to record their three wins to leave the sides looking good to take their chance of progressing. Group One is less progressed with Old Alex on two wins from two, Trinity and Railway Union on one each to leave Pembroke and Genesis playing catch-up.

Men’s National Indoor Trophy results
Group One: Glenanne 4 (P Fitzpatrick 2, S Brownlow, S O’Donoghue) Corinthian 4 (G Holmes 2, A Sutton, D Treacy); Pembroke 10 (M O’Connor 3, N Burns 2, K Shimmins 2, K Crawford 2, G Dagg) Fingal 4 (A Shekleton, G Shekleton, S Dempsey, S McKeever); TRR 6 (G Ringwood 3, P Blakeney 2, G Bourke) Weston 0; Weston 3 (S Pearson 2, P Baron) Corinthian 8 (G Holmes 4, N Young 3, D Treacy); Glenanne 5 (S O’Donoghue 3, R Shaw, D Keogh) Fingal 1 (G Shekleton); TRR 2 (G Ringwood, P Blakeney) Pembroke 1 (K Shimmins); Pembroke 6 (K Crawford 3, N Burns, D Kane, K Shimmins) Corinthian 1 (J Roberts); Glenanne 7 (R Shaw 2, G Shaw, C Kennedy, E O’Malley 2, S O’Donoghue) Weston 1 (K Goodwin)
Group One standings (played): 1. Glenanne (3) 7pts (+10) 2. Pembroke (3) 6pts (+11) 3. TRR (2) 6pts (+7) 4. Corinthian (4) 5pts (0) 5. Fingal (3) 1pt (-10) 6. Weston (3) 0pts (-17)

Group Two: Clontarf 5 (w/o) Dublin University 0 (scr); Clontarf 4 (J Gurbiel 2, D Scott, G Borland) YMCA 3 (T Dagg, P Powderly, R Margetson); Railway Union 5 (w/o) Dublin University 0 (scr); YMCA 5 (w/o) Dublin Univsersity (scr); Clontarf 3 (A Poynter, G Borland, M Yow) Suttonians 2 (K O’Sullivan, D Reamsbottom); Suttonians 2 (C Gillett 2) YMCA 4 (S Walker, T Dagg, I Walker, A Dale); Railway 5 (E MacArthur 2, P English, K Carroll, B Thompson) Suttonians 2 (K O’Hare, C Gillett); Suttonians 5 (w/o) Dublin University 0 (scr)
Group Two standings: 1. Clontarf (3) 9pts (+7) 2. Railway (2) 6pts (+8) 3. YMCA (3) 6pts (+6) 4. Suttonians (3) 3pts (+1) 5. Dublin University (4) 0pts (-20)

Women’s National Indoor Trophy
Group One: Old Alex 7 Genesis 0; Pembroke 1 Railway Union 10; Old Alex 4 Pembroke 0; Trinity 4 Genesis 2
Standings (played): 1. Old Alex (2) 6pts (+11) 2. Railway Union (1) 3pts (+9) 3. Trinity (1) 3pts (+2) 4. Genesis (2) 0pts (-9) 5. Pembroke (2) 0pts (-13)

Group Two: Glenanne 7 Clontarf 0; Clontarf 1 Hermes 4; Newbridge 0 Clontarf 4; Hermes 3 Avoca 2; Corinthian 1 Avoca 2; Hermes 5 Newbridge 0; Avoca 0 Glenanne 8; Corinthian 1 Glenanne 8; Corinthian 5 Newbridge 0
Standings (played): 1. Glenanne 9pts (+22) 2. Hermes (3) 9pts (+9) 3. Corinthian (2) 3pts (-2) 4. Clontarf (3) 3pts (-6) 5. Avoca (3) 3pts (-8) 6. Newbridge (3) 0pts (-14)

Group Four: Portadown 2 Lurgan 8; Armagh 4 Ards 2; Portadown 1 Ulster Elks 5; Queens 1 Lurgan 4; Ulster Elks 2 Ards 2; Armagh 4 Queens 1; Portadown 2 Ards 8; Ulster Elks 4 Queens 3; Ulster Elks 3 Armagh 1; Ards 7 Queens 2; Armagh 2 Lurgan 2; Portadown 3 Queens 7; Ulster Elks 3 Lurgan 3; Portadown 0 Armagh 9; Ards 3 Lurgan 0
Final standings: 1. Ulster Elks 11pts (+7) 2. Ards 10pts (+12) 3. Armagh 10pts (+12) 4. Lurgan 8pts (+6) 5. Queens 3pts (-5) 6. 0pts (-29)

The Belgian winter break has allowed Michael Maguire to return to the fray while indoor specialist Stephen Bredin is back from Qatar, too, boosting their options around the boards.

They will be without the injured Peter McConnell at the back but Colin Huet will seek to guide the side to a fourth title in five years. They face what looks the tougher of the two pools with last season’s semi-finalists Glenanne and 2010 winners Pembroke competing for the one confirmed finals weekend place on offer from the initial phase.

Corinthian always throw up a decent challenge and their opening game against the Glens in Loughlinstown on Saturday morning offers an early insight into both of their credentials.

Weston and Fingal take on the outsider’s tag with each side playing between two and three games over this initial weekend before finishing the preliminaries on January 7 and 8.

YMCA will hope to finally make the breakthrough after a couple of near misses. Ian McHugh, with his low to the ground style, has been touted as a valuable addition while Will Powderly could be included and has the silky skills to find unlikely routes to goal.

Railway Union are the main challenger while Clontarf went well in their debut season. Division Two sides Suttonians and Dublin University complete the group.

The winners from these two Leinster pools advance automatically to the final’s day, together the Ulster winners and runners-up. UCC will play-off against the runners-up in the two Leinster pools for two wildcard entries in the finals.

On the women’s side, the format is the same, making the initially phases full of pitfalls. Railway Union showed their ability in winning the fourth tier of European competition last Spring.

Kate Dillon is their queen of the boards, a dominant performer on the circuit and source of a huge amount of goals. Shutting her down will be the key to Old Alex’s bid to break them down in the manner in which Armagh did in last season’s final.

Newbridge make their debut in Group Two with sides from division three and four also involved in the six-team pool. Armagh’s defence begins against Ards in an extended Ulster pool with six teams in the mix.

Emma Stewart was sensational last term, aided by younger sister Amy and Lucy McKee. Leah Ewart has since moved to UCD outdoors but could be coaxed back in as a guest for the competition as the students have not entered a side.

Outdoors, Loreto’s late game with Railway Union – set for a 9.15pm tip-off on Wednesday – was called off due to the frost and is now likely to be played in the New Year.

It leaves two games still on the calendar for 2011 in women’s division one. In the relegation battle, tenth plays ninth at Grange Road as Three Rock Ladies host Pembroke with the former needing a result to stay in touch.

Defensive rigidity has been their watchword with Louise Lehane and Claire Fitzpatrick to the fore. Should Anna Fabra provide the creative instinct, they could cause problems for Pembroke.

Getting past Avril Dooley-O’Carroll and Lisa O’Rourke, though, will prove troublesome and if the likes of Lizzie de Araugo get going, they could nab the vital spoils.

Should it beat the weather at the second attempt, Monday night’s game between Trinity and Loreto could see the Beaufort side move closer to contention in the title race in pursuit of UCD.

Men’s National Indoor Trophy
Group 1 (Leinster): Glenanne, Corinthian, Fingal, Pembroke Wdrs, Three Rock Rovers, Weston
Group 2 (Leinster): YMCA, Clontarf, Suttonians, Railway Union, Dublin University
Group 3 (Munster/Connacht): UCC
Group 4 (Ulster): Belfast Harlequins, NICS, Annadale, Instonians, Mossley, Cookstown

Leinster groups:
Saturday (all at Loughlinstown): Glenanne v Corinthian, 10am; Fingal v Pembroke Wdrs, 10.55am; Three Rock Rovers v Weston, 11.50am; YMCA v Clontarf, 12.45pm; Corinthian v Weston, 1.40pm; Glenanne v Fingal, 2.35pm; Clontarf v Dublin Univ, 3.30pm

Sunday: Corinthian v Fingal, 10am; YMCA v Dublin Univ, 10.55am; Clontarf v Suttonians, 11.50am; Pembroke Wdrs v Three Rock Rovers, 12.45pm; Railway Union v Dublin Univ, 1.30pm; Corinthian v Pembroke Wdrs, 2.35pm; YMCA v Suttonians, 3.30pm; Glenanne v Weston, 4.25pm; Suttonians v Railway Union, 5.20pm

Women’s National Indoor Trophy
Group 1 (Leinster): Old Alex, Genesis, Pembroke Wanderers, Railway Union, Trinity
Group 2 (Leinster): Newbridge, Hermes, Corinthian, Avoca, Glennane, Clontarf
Group 3 (Munster/Connacht): Greenfields, Galway
Group 4 (Ulster): Portadown, Ulster Elks, Armagh, Ards, Queens Uni, Lurgan

Leinster groups
Saturday (all at the Shoreline SC, Greystones): Glenanne v Clontarf, 3.30pm; Old Alex v Genesis, 4.15pm; Newbridge v Hermes, 5pm; Pembroke v Railway Union, 5.45pm; Corinthian v Avoca, 6.30pm
Sunday: Corinthian v Glenanne, 10am; Newbridge v Clontarf, 10.45am; Hermes v Avoca, 11.30am; Old Alex v Pembroke, 12.15pm; Hermes v Clontarf, 1pm; Trinity v Genesis, 1.45pm; Newbridge v Corinthian, 2.30pm; Avoca v Glenanne, 3.15pm

Ulster group
Saturday (all at Queen’s University): Portadown v Lurgan, 9.30am; Armagh v Ards, 10.30am; Portadown v Ulster Elks, 11.30am; Queens Uni v Lurgan, 12pm; Ulster Elks v Ards, 1.30pm; Armagh v Queens Uni, 2.30pm; Portadown v Ards, 3.30pm; Ulster Elks v Queens Uni, 4.30pm

Sunday: Ulster Elks v Armagh, 10am; Ards v Queens Uni, 11am; Armagh v Lurgan, 12pm; Portadown v Queens Uni, 1pm; Ulster Elks v Lurgan, 2pm; Portadown v Armagh, 3pm; Ards v Lurgan, 4pm

Women’s Leinster Division One (Saturday): Three Rock Ladies v Pembroke, 1pm, Grange Road

Monday: Trinity v Loreto, 8pm, Santry
Division Two (Saturday): Old Alexandra v Corinthian, 12.15pm, Milltown; Loreto v Newbridge, 1.45pm, Beaufort; Pembroke v North Kildare, 3.30pm, Serpentine Ave