International stars, fresh off the plane from South Africa, will be rested meaning squad management is once again a battle for the weekend with Loreto short four stars while the students miss Chloe Watkins.

In her absence, Jeamie Deacon has taken on a powerful role while Deirdre Duke and Anna O’Flanagan make up a forward line with hunger in the circle, banging in 20 goals between them this term.

Loreto’s source of goals is more direct, their corner machine their go-to method should the Rathfarnham venue escape the frost which has caught hold a couple of times this season already.

Railway’s firepower is a big cause for concern for Glenanne, the Park Avenue hosts with an incredible seven of the province’s top 14 scorers, five of whom are available for the tie.

Dean Maguire’s side is a determined one with Susan Byrne aided by a gritty defence but taming the likes of Kate McKenna, Jean McDonnell and the emerging Kate Lloyd could be too tough an ask.

Trinity will be looking to back up their victory over Three Rock with three points at home to Pembroke on the Santry sand to go into next Tuesday’s colours festival in upbeat mood as well as close the gap on the top five.

They currently reside in a no-man’s land between the IHL places and five clear of the relegation battle leaving their season with latent potential for a fifth place push.

Goals are still the main missing element but Kylie Deverell is getting a taste and a secure defence controlled by Vera Taaffe and Jessie Elliott will give Pembroke problems. Rachel McKeon in midfield and youngsters Avril Dooley-O’Carroll and Olivia Smartt will be among those to lead their target of a slight upset.

Hermes have been most affected by international absentees and it played a part in Corinthian grabbing a point in the first league meeting earlier this term. Six still out leaves the reigning champions out of contention at the moment but valuable experience has been garnered by Sadhbh Hoban-Logan, Vicky Walsh and Laura Pinder in their high profile absences.

The reds, though, are in hot form and bullish about their chances after another big win last Sunday, besting Old Alex, with belief high they can rise again on Saturday.

Old Alex, meanwhile, waited until the very last touch of the game to beat Three Rock Ladies with Emma Russell striking late to dash the Grange Road side’s hopes.

The Irish Junior Cup has seven Leinster hopefuls vying for the crown with Hermes and Railway’s derby a highlight along with the local tussle between division two high-flyers Pembroke and UCD. Division three side Dublin Uni travel to Cork to play Bandon, former school of Trin player Jessica Kingston but the students have shown few nerves against higher division opposition as they showed in last year’s run.

Women’s Leinster Division One: Corinthian v Hermes, 2.30pm, St Columba’s College; Loreto v University College Dublin, 2.15pm, Beaufort; Old Alexandra v Three Rock Ladies, 3pm, Milltown; Railway Union v Glenanne, 2.45pm, Park Avenue; Trinity v Pembroke, 4.30pm, Santry
Division Two: Genesis v North Kildare, 2.30pm, Belfield

Women’s Irish Junior Cup, second round: Hermes v Railway Union, 1.30pm, St Andrews; Cork Harlequins v Loreto, 1pm, Harlequin Park; Ballymoney v Cork C of I, 1pm, Joey Dunlop Centre; Galway v Corinthian, 1pm, Dangan; Pembroke v UCD, 3.30pm, Serpentine Avenue; Dromore v Pegasus, 2.30pm, Ferris Park; Bandon v Dublin University, 1pm, Bandon GS; Randalstown v Catholic Institute, 1pm, Antrim Forum

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

The first was not stopped but O’Donoghue spun onto his reverse and drew a smart, low save from Stephen West while Dave McCrea took Nick Burns’ drag off the line. Into the second half, UCD were stung almost instantly as Colin Huet found Garry Ringwood on the baseline to play in Ross Canning for his fourth of the season.

Patrick Shanahan became the second player to take a yellow in the 43rd minute against his former club – following Gavin Bourke’s first half binning – and during his absence, former UCD man Paddy O’Connor caused problems to win the host’s only corner. Peter McConnell’s drag hit John Brennan on the line and Ringwood nailed his fifth goal of the campaign.

From there, Rovers sat at half court as UCD held copious possession but struggled to find shots while Luke Madeley was binned. Shanahan did pummel one at West from a narrow angle before O’Donoghue was unceremoniously dumped by Jody Hosking – yet another yellow shown – for a stroke but West dived low to stick save O’Donoghue’s under-cooked push with four minutes remaining to keep his clean sheet.

Kirk Shimmins went close to another but was denied by Grothier’s instep, the ball flashing across the face of goal while Sothern was driven wide before shooting a reverse into the side-netting from two of their better chances. David Bane laid up Gray’s goal from a long corner, moving the ball to the endline and crossing for Gray to apply a touch of real quality with an upright deflection into the roof.

Three Rock Rovers 3 (Gavin Bourke 2, Garry Ringwood) Corinthian 3 (Dan Treacy 2, Glenn Holmes)
A cracking game at Grange Road, Gavin Bourke snatched a late point for Three Rock but the result was not ideal for either side in their pursuit of Irish Hockey League hockey in 2012/13. The first half was played at a high tempo with both sides creating decent chances with the ball transferred at pace around the park. No goals accrued but this stat was turned around in a less exact, more frantic second period. Glenn Holmes thumped home his own corner rebound before Dan Treacy’s neat finish made it 2-0. Bourke responded instantly with a ripped forehand hit from the top of the circle. Then, the fun and games began with three defensive mistakes defining the late stages. Garry Ringwood levelled when a loose ball around the back was gifted his way and he lifted over Ross Murray. A similar mistake at the far end allowed Treacy in for his second to restore the reds’ lead with six minutes to go. Ross Canning’s right-wing cross, then, caused confusion at the near post and as the visitors dallied, Bourke took the initiative to poke in a bouncing ball.

Railway Union 2 (Karl Chapple, Richard Forrest) Monkstown 2 (Stephen Cole, Robbie McFarlane)
Monkstown gave up half of their four-point lead at the top of division one as Railway Union continued their impressive pre-Christmas form into the new year as they came back from 2-0 down at half-time to grab a draw and strengthen their place in the top five. The Town were dominant in the first half at Park Avenue and built a lead as Stephen Cole and Robbie McFarlane finished off good moves. But half-time saw the tide turn as Karl Chapple was found unmarked in the circle and he controlled and slipped under David Fitzgerald. And they nabbed the equaliser when Richard Forrest deflected home despite Fitzgerald’s strong effort to deny him. Monkstown came back into the game after that while Kenny Carroll almost had a late chance for Railway from a corner rebound but the Unionites will still be pleased to earn the draw in spite of the absence of Eoin MacArthur (concussion) and Mark English (neck injury) and Fiachra Maher went off early with a groin strain.

Glenanne 5 (Rowland Rixon-Fuller, Stephen Brownlow, Richie Shaw, Eddie O’Malley, Jonathan Kane) Clontarf 0
Glenanne moved a little bit closer to the top as they ran up a comfortable victory over Clontarf in Tallaght. Eddie O’Malley started them on their way, shooting home his sixth of the season from the top of the circle. Stephen Brownlow swept in the second of the first half before Richie Shaw netted the third on the volley from a corner. Rowland Rixon-Fuller scored his first for the club for 4-0 before Jonathan Kane completed the win, set up by O’Malley, to complete the rout.

UCD 1 (David Watkins) YMCA 1 (Jamie Tobin)
UCD clung on for a gutsy point as they held out YM to earn what could be a valuable point, lifting themselves level with Fingal on seven points in a tie for eighth place. Stephen Walker was the root of the opening goal, shooting from the edge of the circle before the ball scrambled in with Jamie Tobin getting the final touch. But Shane O’Donoghue’s introduction made a big impact as he was let run from the halfway line into the circle and crashed a brilliant shot off the stanchion of the goal and David Watkins was on hand to knock in the rebound. Jonny Bruton hit the post twice on the day while he and Dash Hewett also missed out on inviting chances from baseline pull-backs. YM were missing Andrew Walker through a broken thumb sustained recently.

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 numbers game in South Africa leaves the Park Avenue hosts down in the overall tally as Alex Speers, Emma Smyth and Nikki Evans while Chloe Watkins is UCD’s one absentee.

Plenty of international talent remains, though, as Railway can call on Jean McDonnell’s aggression up front with Julia O’Halloran pulling the strings while Niamh Atcheler and Anna O’Flanagan are in harness for the students. A winner on the day is guaranteed to top the table on Saturday evening but Railway, with a game extra played, have the more pressing need for points at this stage.

Kate Lloyd has been in scintillating form for the yellow and greens in recent times and will need to be shackled.
Lying in wait are Loreto as they host Corinthian and have a dilemma over goalkeeper selection following Ruth Murphy’s impressive showing against Railway last week.

She vyes with Mary Harkin to fill in for Louisa Healy at the base of a defence who have provided a wealth of goals for the Beaufort club. Sarah Clarke’s thunderous corner hits have seen her top score with Johannesburg-bound Nicci Daly while Hannah Matthews and Rachel Keegan have also weighed in for the league’s most potent corner routine.

But the reds will be keen to nab a result in this Rathfarnham derby, pushing Loreto all the way earlier this term in a 4-3 result. Corinthian are a much improved outfit this term with a growing number of youngsters coming through to make them tough to beat.

Their win over Glenanne last week lifted them to seventh, a place above Pembroke who bounced back against Three Rock Ladies with a well-judged 2-0 win over their vanquishers of five days earlier. Emma Kielthy and Rachel McGrath got the goals in midweek at Grange Road for a powerful comeback to Saturday’s setback which briefly placed them at the bottom of the table.

Hermes is a tough place to go for a third game in seven days in spite of six international absentees as top performers like Mary Goode, Jenny Burke, Christine Quinlan and Sinead Connery power them on.

Three Rock face Trinity hoping them can get back off the bottom, possibly using one of the youngest midfields around as Clare Samuel joined Wesley schoolmate Lauren Haughton and Ana Fabra.

The students are in the rare position of the experience differential being in their favour with Rachel Scott and Maebh Horan high level performers in this division but with just eight goals between the sides this term in total, expect a tight battle.

Old Alex, meanwhile, will hope to keep a comfortable grasp on their top five position, facing a Glenanne side who were frustrated by Corinthian last week.

The Irish Hockey Trophy begins to reach the business end, too, this Saturday with four Leinster sides contesting the last 16 stage. After a number of successful years in the Irish Hockey Challenge, YMCA are aiming to be the first side to clock up wins in both of the two recently introduced competitions.

Travelling to Bandon is a tough ask, though, a side riding high in Munster’s division one. Leinster’s highest ranked side is North Kildare and they have a division to spare over Clontarf for their tie at Kilcock.

Naas, meanwhile, make it two ties in Kildare with their hosting of Wexford – the South East’s last remaining side. Elsewhere, the competition has mainly an Ulster feel to it with seven entrants left with two from Munster and Connacht.

Women’s Division One: Railway Union v UCD, 1pm, Park Avenue; Loreto v Corinthian, 1pm, Beaufort; Hermes v Pembroke, 3.15pm, St Andrew’s; TRL v Trinity, 3.15pm, Grange Road; Old Alexandra v Glenanne, 4pm, Milltown
Division Two: Pembroke v Railway Union, 11am, Serpentine Ave; Hermes v Newbridge, 1.15pm, St Andrew’s; Genesis v UCD, 2.30pm, Belfield; Corinthian v Loreto, 3.30pm, Whitechurch

Electric Ireland Women’s Irish Hockey Trophy, round three: Omagh v Portadown, 2.30pm, Campsie Omagh; Greenfields v Ashton, 3pm, Dangan; Galway v Victorians, 1pm, Dangan; Bandon v YMCA, 1pm, Bandon GS; Naas v Wexford, 3.45pm, Caragh Road; North Kildare v Clontarf, 1.30pm, The Maws; NICS v Larne, 1pm, Maynard Sinclair Pavillion Stormont; Ballymena v Dromore, 2.30pm, Ballymena Showground

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.

Hermes 1 (Jenny Burke) Loreto 2 (Rachel Keegan, Ali Meeke)
Ali Meeke proved the game-winner for Loreto as they snagged three points which looks to formally end Hermes’ hopes of claiming the title as she clipped home a second half corner at St Andrew’s. Rachel Keegan had put the Beaufort club into the lead inside five minutes when her initial corner push-out went slightly off course to Meeke. But she struck well and Keegan nipped in to deflect into the roof of the net. Jenny Burke levelled following Gillian Pinder’s sweet piece of skill and excellent ball forward from half-way to open up the visiting defence and the subsequent lay-up found Burke who finished on her reverse for 1-1 at the break. Hermes did earn five corners but Loreto looked more dangerous from play and moved into the lead when another corner found its way to Meeke who hit home. Loreto’s plight to maintain the slender advantage was helped by Sinead Connery’s sin-binning and the three points keeps them in touch with UCD and Railway while Hermes are now nine points off the pace.

Old Alexandra 1 (Emma Russell) Railway Union 2 (Sinead Dooley 2)
A deflected effort 20 seconds from time saw Railway Union keep pace at the top of the division as Sinead Dooley’s deflected effort saw them get out of jail against Old Alex. The Milltown hosts went in front a mere 12 seconds into the second period as Alex worked the ball forward straight from the tip off with Erika Hinkson’s touch playing in Emma Russell who won the foot-race to the ball before the Railway goalkeeper and scored. Dooley put her side in level with a neat touch by her right foot to Kate Lloyd’s cross. Hinkson, Roisin Flinn and Emily Beatty all had chances on the counter while the visitors bossed regular play and had five corners to their name. From the fifth, Dooley shot to the far post with Cecelia Joyce waiting but a defender’s stick got a touch to give Pam Smithwick little chance to readjust to see Railway keep in touch.

Pembroke Wanderers 1 (Ciara Howard) Three Rock Ladies 2 (Anna Carson, Suzanne Mellon)
Suzanne Mellon’s sweetly swept effort handed Three Rock Ladies their first win since returning to division one to make it incredibly tight at the bottom of the table as TRL moved ahead of Pembroke on goal difference. A dramatic tie, Pembroke thought they had the lead when Rachel McKeon scrambled in a corner rebound in the first half but it was ruled out after consultation between the umpires. Anna Carson put her side in front when Mellon ran clear down the left-wing and her flip over Lisa O’Rourke caught the top of the keeper’s pads and fell invitingly for Carson to tap home.

The hosts, though, won a string of second half corners and were level from a corner which again went to consultation as injector Ciara Howard took in a thigh-high shot and nudged home for the equaliser with 14 minutes to go. But the killer goal came moments later as Sarah-Ann O’Connor beat a player to set up a three-on-one which was slipped to Mellon to hit home first time. Pembroke piled forward, winning a series of late corners but none were converted to hand TRL a vital set of three points. They handed debuts to Clare Samuel and Meabh Holden, too.

Trinity College 0 University College Dublin 3 (Rachel O’Reilly, Anna O’Flanagan, Dora Gorman)
UCD scrapped their way to three more points at Santry, starting off a chain of five away wins in women’s division one and maintain their title charge. Rachel O’Reilly got the first when she got a touch to Nicola Gray smashed corner shot. Anna O’Flanagan got the second, latching onto Niamh Atcheler’s superb overhead ball before Dora Gorman completed the victory. For College, Laura Wilson was a stand-out performer but took a blow to the toe which may need further inspection.

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