Aer Lingus aim for play-off place

HOCKEY: Having secured a top-four place in the Leinster Senior League, Aer Lingus are now aiming for a top-three place when they meet Three Rock Rovers in a play-off match for that position.

The two teams are tied on 28 points after the final round of matches of the league proper and must now fight it out for the last Leinster place in the All Ireland League play-offs alongside Corinthians and Pembroke.

While Rovers drew with table toppers Pembroke, Aer Lingus handed Corinthians a 7-3 beating, with regular striker David Banes grabbing four goals.

It's the first time in their history the ALSAA-based club have finished so high. John McInerney, a stalwart of the club for many years, remembers a time when such a target was not a consideration. "Our aim was to make the top-four places with a place in the play-offs a bonus," he said. "This is the first time we have ever been in the top four, never mind the top three. Four years ago we were in the relegation play-offs.

"We still need to increase the quality and number in the squad but we have been very positive. When we came up from Division Two, we played the right kind of hockey to stay up.

"On Saturday we knew we didn't want to go into the club in the evening having left it out there and then find out that the other results of the day had gone our way."

At the bottom of the table, UCD, who lost 2-0 to YMCA, fell into Division Two. It has been a difficult season for the students, as it always is with the fluctuation of players, and they will be strong candidates for promotion next season.

Their Trinity counterparts finished second from the bottom, having gone down to Railway Union 5-0, and now face Avoca in a play-off to stay in Division One.

Avoca, who drew 0-0 with the Division Two winners, and automatically promoted, Clontarf, are seeking promotion as the second-placed side in the second division and that play-off game will take place at Park Avenue on April 18th.

LEINSTER SENIOR LEAGUE

Division One: Aer Lingus 7 (D Bane 4, T Parsons 2, M McGuinness), Corinthians 3 (J Benson, D Williams, R Byrnes pen); Monkstown 1 (D Jenkins), Glenanne 4 (D Shaw 2, D Keogh, D Fitzpatrick); Pembroke 1 (G Elliott), TRR 1 (P McConnell); Railway Union 5 (B Thompson, P O'Brien, C O'Brien, O Butler, S Jones), Dublin University 0; UCD 0, YMCA 2 (W Armstrong, W Powderly).

Division Two: St Brendan's/PP 0, Suttonians 2 (C Gillette, D Quinn); Skerries 2 (A McMahon, S Healy), St James's Gate 1 (G Kennedy); Weston 1 (B Burke), Portrane 1 (A Brehony); Avoca 0, Clontarf 0; Naas v Bray postponed.

IRISH JUNIOR CUP

Final: Annadale ll 4 (C Lemon, C Morris, S Magee, K Morris), Lisnagarvey ll 3 (J Brown 2, R Taylor) aet.