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

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

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

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

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

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 Their forward options looked blunted at the end of the first half when Alan Sothern was withdrawn to get a scan on his foot with fears over a repeat of a broken bone.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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That former stalwart Rory O’Donoghue and the quickly emerging talent of son Shane were central to it may be viewed as a sign of the times. While Glenanne are far from a spent force, they are enduring a tough run with two Irish Hockey League losses in the past month as internationals Joe Brennan, Gary Shaw and Filip Jaros injury absence takes its toll.

How they could do with O’Donoghue’s goals on Saturday – their top scorer last term – in this situation would be a big addition, especially as Shaw has been the province’s equal top scorer despite being in and out of action.

Nick Burns’ form on Monday was a big plus, the Cork man showing some of the skill combined with power that frightened the life out of defenders at youth international level. Should UCD add a league win, it will add to the congestion in mid-table in the tussle for IHL places and see the students look well set to escape an extended relegation battle as has usually been their prospect.

Graham Shaw’s Glens, though, did win the Senior Cup meeting of the sides and home comforts may provide a decisive edge.

Railway have a similar shot-to-nothing against leaders Pembroke after a couple of high-scoring wins of late which have raised their IHL hopes. Last week’s trip to Prague for an indoor tournament yielded one draw with Dinamo Minsk along with four losses to opposition from Russia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.

Whether it will hold much relevance against Pembroke who have Adam Pritchard and Patrick Good closing in on full fitness as they aim to maintain their three-pint wedge at the top of the division.

Corinthian and Monkstown is probably the most evenly matched tie in a fixture which may be pivotal in seeing if the top four are set to cut the rest adrift or be drawn closer to the chasing pack. The reds can add their interpro contingent to the mix having been unable to line out in last week’s league loss to YMCA.

YM, with Stephen Barry now at the helm after work commitments saw Ger Butler step down, are at Fingal aiming to continue their fine form. Nick Burke has added to their sizeable Australian contingent, coming from the same club that saw Ian McHugh and Marcus Richardson make the journey over.

Clontarf, meanwhile, take on Three Rock in one of the games they will be targeting should they aim to get off the bottom rung of the division. Three Rock have Irish underage trialists Luke Madeley, Harry Morris and Ross Canning available after the interpro competition.

Division two takes a break as five of the league’s sides are in Irish Hockey Trophy action. Most have lengthy journeys with Suttonians on the longest haul, going to Raphoe. Avoca head up to face Bangor, Weston go to Portadown and Portrane are off to Limerick to play Catholic Institute.

The Chiefs are the sole side on Leinster turf, playing Queen’s University – 7-0 conquerors of Trinity – at High School for the first time.

Meanwhile, the IHA confirmed this week the dates for national competitions after Christmas in the wake of the Olympic qualifiers announcement. Rounds four and five of the Irish Hockey League will now be on April 14 and 21 with the finals weekend on May 5 and 6.

The Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals have been brought forward a couple of weeks from the initially pencilled in date to April 28 with the finals weekend on May 12 and 13.

Men’s Division One: Fingal v YMCA, 1.30pm, ALSAA; Corinthian v Monkstown,2pm, Whitechurch Park; Glenanne v UCD, 2.45pm, Glenanne Park; Clontarf v Three Rock Rovers, 1pm, Mount Temple; Pembroke Wanderers v Railway Union, 2pm, Serpentine Ave

Men’s Irish Hockey Trophy, round two: Raphoe v Suttonians, 2.30pm, Royal & Prior; Cliftonville v Armagh, 2.30pm, CIYMS; Portadown v Weston, 1pm, Edenvilla; South Antrim v Campbellians, 2.30pm, Laurelhill; Bangor v Avoca, 2.30pm, Bangor; Rathgar Chiefs v Queens, 2pm, High School; UCC v Antrim, 1pm, Mardyke; Catholic Institute v Portrane, 3pm, Rosbrien