Aer Lingus are flying

MENS HOCKEY: An unpardonable pun, perhaps, but irresistible all the same: look up, it's Aer Lingus. On Saturday they went to the home of the Leinster first division champions, Pembroke Wanderers, and left with three points after a stirring 4-3 win, one that moved them up to joint second in the table.

There won't be too many occasions in his career that Irish international John Jermyn will score a hat-trick and still be on the losing side, but that's what happened at Serpentine Avenue on Saturday.

He gave Pembroke an early lead, but an understrength Aer Lingus rallied in style, storming to a 4-1 lead with just 15 minutes to go. David Bane (two goals, one from a penalty stroke), Lloyd Pearson and Will Aylmer scored.

Jermyn competed his hat-trick, all three goals coming from short corners, in those last 15 minutes, but Pembroke ran out of time and couldn't force an equaliser. They had some consolation yesterday, though, when they beat Trinity 3-2, Jermyn making it five goals in two games.

That weekend tally didn't match Peter Blakeney's, however. The Trinity man scored five in an 8-2 drubbing of YMCA on Saturday, the students' first win of the season, before adding two more against Pembroke in yesterday's defeat.

First division leaders Glenanne, meanwhile, took advantage of Three Rock being reduced to 10 men, after Gary Ringwood was sent off, to come back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to take a point at Grange Road. But, after levelling at 2-2, with two goals from Peter Marlin, Glenanne trailed again, Stephen Tilson restoring Three Rock's lead, before Joe Brennan got a late equaliser.

Two goals each from James Benson and Robbie Byrnes helped Corinthians to a comfortable 5-1 win at Clontarf while Monkstown and Railway Union played out a 1-1 draw.