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

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

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

And, when Sinead McGirr was binned for taking an overhead over shoulder height, Trinity got back in the game when a Rachel Scott corner hit caused havoc in front go the Loreto goal and was scrambled in. It led to a tense closing phase but the Beaufort side held on and are very much in the mix for the New Year. For the remainder of the season, along with Railway and UCD, it will be an interesting balancing act as they are likely to be without some or all of their international players for all but three of their remaining games.

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

Trinity vs Loreto – postponed due to frozen pitch

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

Jacqui Potter Cup, second round:

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

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

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

With both sides down their international contingents, though, it makes for a tricky one to predict though Hermes coped the better of the two last week in beating Trinity.

Alex’s frustrating 1-1 draw with Corinthian was the first major setback of an impressive campaign to date with Sarah Canning adding goals to her repertoire and leadership from the back.

Their youth is countered by the Booterstown hosts’ experience with Jenny Burke, Jenny Kinch and Mary Goode with a world of experience while there is still plenty of senior interpro talent in the likes of Sinead Connery and Christine Quinlan. Coping with a teenage strike-force in the middle of exam period is their major concern.

Second placed Railway can reduce the gap to two points when they go across the dart tracks to Pembroke and they do so with a number of players coming back. Kate Dillon scored last Sunday in the Jacqui Potter Cup on her return from a holiday in New York while Holly Jenkinson was also back after a hairline fracture in her hand. Emer Lucey, though, is a slight doubt while they also have international players away.

Loreto are in a similar boat as they are on the early shift in Santry, tipping off at 10.30am against Trinity, without Nicci Daly, Lizzie Colvin and Niamh Small.

Genesis’ young charges, meanwhile, were the first side to make it into the quarter-finals of the Jacqui Potter Cup as they picked off a surprise win over Pembroke II.

Chloe Hamill netted a deft first half deflection from Clare Walsh’s crash ball while Catriona Lavelle got a reverse-stick touch to another powerful ball into the circle, this time from Laura Barrie’s ball.

A couple more ties in this competition will be played on Sunday with Loreto playing UCD in the tie of the ground at Beaufort while there is a double-header at Whitechurch Park on Sunday with Corinthian playing Glenanne before their seconds meet Pembroke.

Women’s Division One (Saturday): Trinity v Loreto, 10.30am, Santry; Hermes v Old Alexandra, 1.30pm, Booterstown; Pembroke v Railway Union, 3.30pm, Serpentine Ave

Division Two: North Kildare v Hermes, 11.30am, Kilcock; Railway Union v Newbridge, 12pm, Park Ave; Corinthian v Genesis, 2.45pm, Whitechurch Park; Pembroke v Old Alexandra, 5pm, Serpentine Ave

Jacqui Potter Cup, round two: Corinthian II v Pembroke, 3.30pm, Whitechurch Park; Loreto v UCD, 3pm, Beaufort; Corinthian v Glenanne, 1.30pm, Whitechurch Park

Round Two result (Wednesday): Genesis 2 (Chloe Hammill, Catriona Lavelle) Pembroke II 0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was a controlled performance though the length of time spent at 1-0 always creates an air of tension. Jean McDonnell had given her side a first half lead when she drew an outstanding save from Jessie Elliott. The rebound fell nicely though for McDonnell to follow up for the only goal of the first half.

Elliott had a superb game between the posts to keep Trinity in the tie but they found creativity hard to come by, only earning a first corner three minutes from time, sitting in a deep press for much of the evening.

By then, Sinead Walsh had made the game safe from Railway’s fifth corner to put the Park Avenue side back into a share of second place. Next up for them is a tie against Three Rock Ladies, one in which they go in severely under-strength. Isobel Joyce did return from her cricketing duties on Thursday with twin sister Cecelia set to follow into Saturday’s panel.

But Kate Dillon and Kate McKenna are both away for the weekend while Alex Speers and Nikki Evans are resting ahead of Ireland’s trip to Argentina.

Holly Jenkinson’s fracture in her hand means she continues to sit out while Sinead Walsh has work commitments, meaning Railway could hand a debut to Sarah Hawkshaw – a multi-talented teenager who has recently excelled for Dublin’s underage ladies football teams as well as on the cross-country circuit.

Nonetheless, Three Rock will aim to break their seasonal duck in front of goal as their defensive rigidity has been countered by their travails in front of goal.

Sunday’s tie between Hermes and Trinity is the most important in terms of league points with the sides level in the wildcard playoff place. With the Booterstown hosts down the services of their international players Aine Connery, Miriam Crowley, Audrey O’Flynn, Sinead McCarthy and former Trinity goalkeeper Emma Gray.

She is replaced by Mary Goode but, nonetheless, opportunity knocks for the students should Kylie Deverall show her recent taste for goals.

For Corinthian, marshalling Old Alex’s spritely front line is the order of the day for Sarah Walker and her cohorts, especially as Shirley McCay is rested. Pembroke play a Loreto side shorn of Nicci Daly, Niamh Small and Lizzie Colvin’s talents while Glenanne are the first to combat a UCD side without Niamh Atcheler, Chloe Watkins and Anna O’Flanagan.

On Sunday, Alex face Three Rock in the Jacqui Potter cup with the victor going on to play Old Alex’s second team. The major highlight from the second round draw released earlier this week, though, is Loreto’s hosting of UCD.

In the Irish Junior Cup, eight Leinster sides make their bow in the competition’s first round on Saturday.

Women’s Leinster Division One
Thursday result: Railway Union 2 (Jean McDonnell, Sinead Walsh) Trinity 0

Saturday’s fixtures: UCD v Glenanne, 11.15am, Belfield; Loreto v Pembroke, 2.30pm, Beaufort; Railway Union v Three Rock Ladies, 3.15pm, Park Avenue; Old Alexandra v Corinthian, 3.15pm, Milltown
Sunday: Hermes v Trinity, 1.30pm, St Andrew’s

Division Two (Saturday): Newbridge v Genesis, 1pm, St Mary’s, Naas

Jacqui Potter Cup, first round (Sunday): Old Alex v Three Rock Ladies, 3.15pm, Milltown
Second round draw: Loreto v UCD; Genesis v Pembroke Wanderers II; Trinity v Railway Union II; North Kildare v Newbridge/Railway Union; Old Alex/Three Rock v Old Alex II; Hermes v Loreto II; Corinthian II v Pembroke Wanderers; Corinthian v Glenanne

ESB Electric Ireland Irish Junior cup, round one (Saturday): Old Alex v Catholic Institute, 1.30pm, Milltown; Ashton v Dublin University, 2.30pm, Ashton School; Loreto v Portadown, 12.45pm, Loreto Beaufort; Lisnagarvey v Pembroke, 12.30pm, Hillsborough; Queens v Hermes, 1pm, Malone Road; Genesis v Dromore, 1.30pm, Belfield; Ulster Elks v Randalstown, 2.30pm, UUJ; Armagh v Portadown, 1pm, Ardmore LC; Corinthian v UCC, 2.45pm, Whitechurch; Bandon v Belfast Harlequins, 12pm, Bandon Grammar; Cork C of I v Lurgan, 12pm, Garryduff; Glennane v Cork Harlequins, 2pm, Glennane Park