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

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

Gillett played in Jack Ryan on the left side of the circle after a loose Rathgar overhead was intercepted and the teenager spun well and cracked home a reverse. Then, Ian Gorman turned over possession once more and squared for Gillett to rocket into the top corner with a thunderous reverse, the final touch of the half. He grabbed his second – and tenth of the campaign – five minutes into the second half from a one-two corner move before the Chiefs threw everything forward.

James Murtagh made a couple of strong saves while Suttonians always looked dangerous on the counter. Willie Wilshere did get one back from Graham O’Neill’s assist but it was too late to change the outcome.

Weston 2 (Phil Baron, Rob Lynch) Mullingar 0
Weston made it five successive wins as Mullingar’s wait for a first league point in the division continues. Both goals came in the first half with Phil Baron netting from an unorthodox corner after the push-out was shanked but he stopped himself and dragged home for 1-0. And Rob Lynch made it 2-0 when Enda Tucker’s corner strike hit a foot on the line and the former UCD man converted the penalty stroke. Karl Goodwin and Simon Pearson also hit the post while Gar had a couple of decent opportunities but could not convert. It puts Weston into third place, two points off top spot.

Drawn in a pool featuring an unbeaten Clontarf and Cookstown, something has to give between the three sides fighting for two places in Sunday’s semi-finals and subsequent final.

Outdoor international commitments have curtailed Peter Blakeney’s involvement in the competition, necessitating the guesting of Phelie Maguire into the forward line last weekend and greater efficiency at corner time will be the major concern.

None were converted in last weekend’s three wins, offering Clontarf’s tight defensive play an opportunity. Their side has a heavy Australian influence with James Gurbiel and Maverick Yow effective up front while guest Dan Scott at the back – regularly working with Gareth Borland – has been a strong addition.

Tom Doran is also back for a second year helping out while John Smith has plenty of ideas in the coaching role from his time in Germany.

The great unknown is the quality of the Ulster sides and how quickly they have adapted to the game. Cookstown won the Ulster section of the competition under the tutelage of David Ames who has been part of Beeston’s Super Sixes side in the English indoor championships.

He oversaw his home club’s success last week in which Timmy Smyth, Greg Allen and Gareth Cuddy scored the goals to power them to four straight wins.

Ames said of his side’s performance: “I play a lot of indoor in England and was delighted to be able to help the club out. With the exception of Gareth Cuddy none of the boys had indoor experience but I knew that they would be suited to the game. Mark Crooks was my stand out player of the weekend, he is an intelligent player who grasped the indoor tactics with ease.

“We had an excellent foundation to build on with Mark and Timmy Smyth as our platform. Michael Anderson had a superb weekend showing how good a signing the club have made in the schoolboy keeper. “

NICS came second in the group, dramatically going through on goal difference ahead of Instonians and Annadale and will take their place in Group B with Railway and Pembroke.

Pembroke welcomed back Alan Sothern to superb effect last weekend to secure their place in the final four with four goals in the 4-3 win over Glenanne.

Ronan Gormley played a part in the early phases but international commitments rule him out this weekend but they have guest Nick Burns – he missed last week due to another guest role, this time with Monkstown in Spain – available for selection.

Other than that, coach Simon Filgas has been using a very young side with David Kane, Eric Foy, George Dagg and Alex Service among their regular panel along with the more experienced David Williamson and Mick O’Connor.

Railway Union are aiming to bridge a five-year gap to win back the cup and look a decent bet to get through their group. Kenny Carroll is one of Ireland’s top proponents of the short form of the game and doubles as coach, aided by Paul O’Brien’s extensive knowledge, lining out once more.

Regularly lying deep and countering, Eoin MacArthur in the pivot position along with Mark English’s long passes from left back have been key elements in creating chances for Rob Abbott. Monkstown’s Darren Farrell guests.

It will be a busy weekend for Carroll who is also coaching the Railway Union women’s side who emerged as one of the clear favourites having won all of their games to date, including a 7-1 victory over other qualifiers Old Alex.

Silja Dornow’s skills and Kate Dillon’s power and hunger for goal offers plenty while the starting back two of Emer Lucey and Holly Jenkinson and goalkeeper Rachel Barnett are an assured trio. Their initial pool sees them face Glenanne who impressed on the first weekend of the competition with three big wins before losing their sole game of the second weekend having already qualified for the playoffs.

Ulster Elks helped eliminate reigning champions Armagh with Kristie Lammey and Alice Garrad among their key players and they make up the three team pool.

Group A has four sides contesting for two semi-final places with Galway the most recent winners. They overcame Greenfields in a three-game series to reach this phase and, with their young team of 2009 maturing, they could cause problems.

Sarah Canning is the Old Alex lynch-pin at the back while Hermes have used youth and experience with Jenny Burke guiding schoolgirls Sadhbh Hoban-Logan and Sarah Patton. Ards are the northern representative and feature former UCD player Katy Bennett.

Outdoors, meanwhile, YMCA face Glenanne in a crucial tie for both sides title ambitions with any loss leaving them well off the pace. YM enter the tie without the tough-tackling Allan Dale while the Glens are minus Joe Brennan who is on the recovery trail after surgery. Filip Jaros continued to be out, too.

Division two also gets back into action as Rathgar face Suttonians with three points for the latter earning them a share of top spot. Weston play Mullingar in the day’s other tie looking to continue their run of four successive, single-goal victories.

On Thursday night, Milltown played host to the battle of Alex in the Jacqui Potter Cup with the first team beating the seconds 5-0 with goals from Irish internationals Roisin Flinn and Shirley McCay as well as strikes from Emily Beatty, Nicky Keogh and Becca Coll. They now face Corinthian in the quarter-finals, set for January 29.

Indoor

Men’s finals weekend fixtures (all at Gormanston College)
Group A (Saturday): Three Rock Rovers v Clontarf, 10.30am; Clontarf v Cookstown, 12.10pm; Cookstown v Three Rock Rovers, 2.40pm
Group B (Saturday): NICS v Pembroke Wanderers, 11.20am; Pembroke Wanderers v Railway Union, 1pm; Railway Union v NICS, 4.20pm

Semi Finals (Sunday, National Basketball Arena): Winner Group A v Runner Up Group B, 11am; Winner Group B v Runner Up Group A, 1pm
Final: 3pm

Women’s finals
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

Semi Finals (Sunday, National Basketball Arena): Winner Group A v Runner Up Group B, 12pm; Winner Group B v Runner Up Group A, 2pm
Final: 4pm

Outdoor (Saturday, January 14)
Men’s Leinster Division One: Glenanne vs YMCA, 3pm, Glenanne Park
Division Two: Rathgar vs Suttonians, 2pm, High School; Weston vs Mullingar, 2pm, Griffeen Valley

In a week in which he was confirmed in Paul Revington’s central panel, Gareth Watkins hit form in a major way last weekend with five goals in two outings with a sizeable dash of his creativity thrown into his side’s other goals. It means that Glenanne will need to marshall him to the best of their abilities in Tallaght if they are to keep pace with the leaders.

Last weekend – aided by the postponement of the Glens’ tie with YMCA – saw the first real chink of light between the top four and Saturday’s hosts have been plugging gaps at an alarming rate due to a high volume of injuries.

Gary Shaw’s goals have been a big miss since netting a dozen in the first six weeks of the season while Joe Brennan was rushed back into the side after surgery but is still not quite at full tempo.

Jonathan Kane, though, has proven a sprightly source of goals – already with seven to his name – and the Glens have shown their trademark grit to stay in the mix, notably coming back from 3-0 down against Railway.

That tie saw Mark English red-carded and his suspension sees him miss his club’s date with Clontarf but, riding high from their Neville Cup semi-final success, victory would see them close the margin to the top four.

With January 28 designated as the next date for men’s division one league matches, it brings a strong psychological importance to how these matches pan out. Pembroke and YMCA will also be battling for second spot in the league with the former needing to find some defensive rigidity in the wake of their juddering 6-4 loss to UCD.

Their commitment to attack left them uncharacteristically open to be ripped apart on the counter and YM have a style and pace which can exploit that, Marcus Richardson, Richie Pedreschi and Jonny Bruton all with the speed to chase into channels. As such, Pembroke may shake things up but their options are limited by a series of injuries in defensive quarters.

Fingal, meanwhile, close out their first half of the season at home against Corinthian with a new-found spirit with David Bane feeling his side in on the right track.

Gary Sharman (dislocated shoulder), Tom Manning and Derek O’Gorman (hurling commitments) along with Andy Marshall have increased their options with former Leinster player O’Gorman a central figure in much of their good work. Marshall’s overhead allows the side to sit very deep and counter-attack.

But the reds have the trickery to weave in and out of tight quarters through Davy Carson and Lucas Piccioli while Eamon Bane appeared to take a knock late in the Neville semi-final on Wednesday.

UCD received a postponement against Three Rock in a game which now looks set for late January while Glenanne’s refix with YMCA should also go ahead early in the New Year. Sunday sees the opening round of the Mills Cup with a couple of plum ties. Railway are off to Milltown to play YM while Glenanne go to Fingal.

In division two, Avoca have been lying in wait for three weeks since dropping their first points of the campaign during which their lead at the top has been diminished from eight to three.

Only for another postponement of Suttonians and Weston’s refix on Tuesday, it might have been wiped out completely but the Blackrock side have the chance to get back on course on Saturday when they go to Rathgar. Suttonians have a tricky tie at Grange Road against Trinity while Portrane face Mullingar.

Men’s Division One (Saturday): Glenanne v Monkstown, 1pm, Glenanne Park; Fingal v Corinthian, 1.45pm, ALSAA; Pembroke Wanderers v YMCA, 2pm, Serpentine Avenue; Clontarf v Railway Union, 2pm, Mount Temple

Division Two: Rathgar v Avoca, 2pm, High School; Dublin University v Suttonians, 3pm, Grange Road; Portrane v Mullingar, 12pm, Holy Faith Glasnevin

Leinster Senior Mills Cup, round one (Sunday): Clontarf v Corinthian, 2pm, Mount Temple; Three Rock Rovers v Avoca, 3pm, Grange Road; Fingal v Glenanne, 1:30pm, ALSAA; YMCA v Railway Union, 4pm, Alexandra College Milltown

Suttonians 2 (Conor Gillett, Jack Ryan) Rathgar 1 (Mark Collins)
Suttonians closed to within three points of Avoca at the top of the Division Two as they took the spoils from a decent quality tie against Rathgar. Conor Gillett got his side off to the perfect start when he reversed home after Harry Spain’s overhead put Shane Diveney through and he squared for Gillett to net his eighth of the season. A good one-two down the left-wing put Irish U-16 player Jack Ryan (pictured in Leinster action) in for his first goal for the first team. Rathgar got one back when Mark Collins deflected home at corner time. The Chiefs pushed on in search of an equaliser, leaving themselves exposed at the back to counter-strikes, making for lively fare but, ultimately, no further goals.

Mullingar 0 Dublin University 2 (Roger Clarke 2)

In the equivalent game last year, YM nabbed a last-gasp victory at Milltown to keep the title race alive until the final weekend of the season. But the unavailability of a suitably early time this weekend due to a large amount of Old Alex fixtures, 5pm being the only time initially available – LHA division one rules limiting tip-offs to 12pm to 3pm on Saturdays – meant YM were searching for an alternative ground.

By the time Grange Road’s back pitch was secured and confirmed on Thursday afternoon, umpires were allocated elsewhere leading to the game’s postponement though the clubs will draw hostilities as second team level in the Irish Junior Cup.

In their absence, it means Pembroke or Monkstown – the latter on a double-weekend – can take pole-position in the division

For the former, they have a tricky task ahead against a confident UCD, especially with injury problems mounting. Tim Lewis, Mick O’Connor, Adam Pritchard and Gordon Elliott are all out to add to Matt Brown’s departure, necessitating the return of Alan Giles to the fold. It makes for a potential banana-skin at Belfield against a side who have shown a capacity to push the top sides.

Monkstown’s task looks a bit easier as they showdown against two sides who have yet to add a notch to their wins column in the division though. They may opt to hand Kyle Good an internal ban following his red card last weekend or leave him at the mercy of the disciplinary committee.

First up is Fingal who are likely to be without David Bane after a nasty collision last weekend against YMCA as their injury-ravaged season goes on. Clontarf are next on the list on Sunday but have key man Andrew Poynter back in the mix having been unavailable for last weekend’s game against Three Rock.

The Bulls first game of the weekend is against IHL-chasing Corinthian. Also in that mix are Railway Union whose two recent draws against Pembroke and Glenanne have had the upshot of making 3-0 look a vulnerable scoreline.

An impending suspension to chief creative force Mark English – either self-imposed or external – could have an effect but the striking options of Peter English and Rob Abbott show they have plenty to be confident about facing Three Rock.

Rovers have Harry Morris and Craig Moore back in the mix while Potchefstroom man Jody Hosking is back for second stint with the Grange Road club, his arrival once again coinciding with freezing conditions.

His three-month spell last year was largely wiped out by snow and his first training session was partly curtailed by the icy conditions in the Dublin mountains.

In division two, leaders Avoca are on the bye weekend with Portrane, Weston and Suttonians all in the mix to close the gap. Portrane’s game with Weston has plenty of potential, a repeat of the 4-4 from day one of the campaign highlighting the former’s exciting forward talent, Ralph Billings a key factor.

But they struggled to cope defensively, an issue which makes their games regularly high-scoring affairs with Rob Lynch looking to prosper at corner time.

The Lucan side’s game with Suttonians in midweek was called off following a death in the club and will now be played on December 6 at 8pm in Sutton Park. Sutton’s single goal victory at Rathgar in week one, gives them the edge in form while Trinity play away to Mullingar.

Men’s Division One (Saturday): Monkstown vs Fingal, 1.15pm, Rathdown; Corinthian vs Clontarf, 1pm, Whitechurch Park; Railway Union vs Three Rock Rovers, 1.30pm, Park Avenue; UCD vs Pembroke Wanderers, 1pm, Belfield; YMCA v Glenanne – postponed

Sunday: UCD vs Fingal, 4pm, Belfield; Monkstown vs Clontarf, 2.45pm, Rathdown.

Division Two: Portrane vs Weston, 2.15pm, Holy Faith Glasnevin; Suttonians vs Rathgar, 1pm, Sutton Park; Mullingar vs Dublin University, 2.30pm, Tullamore Harriers

Men’s Irish Junior Cup, round one (Saturday): Suttonians v Fingal, 2.45pm, Sutton Park; Annadale v Monkstown, 1pm, Lough Moss; Newry v Clontarf, 2.30pm, Newry; Instonians v Pembroke Wanderers, 4pm, Shaws Bridge; Glennane v YMCA, 4.15pm, Glenanne Park; Bangor v NICS, 1pm, Bangor Sportsplex; Dublin University v Corinthian, 11am, Grange Road; South Antrim v Three Rock Rovers, 2.30pm, Lauelhill Sportszone; Cookstown v North Down, 2.30pm, Coolnafranky; Cork C of I v Mossley, 2pm, Garryduff; Kilkeel v UCC, 2.30pm, McCauley Park; Lisnagarvey v Belfast Halequins, 2.30pm, Comber Road; UCD v Banbridge, 4.15pm, Belfield; Bandon v Cork Harlequins, 2pm, Bandon GS, Raphoe v Railway Union, 4pm, Royal & Prior