Men's Hockey: After the most miserable Saturday of the season, weather wise, in Dublin circles, it was a tonic for members of David Passmore's neophyte national squad to head off to Barcelona yesterday for warm-weather training.
Two especially buoyant figures were David Bane, the Aer Lingus midfielder, who has been called up for assessment at a late stage (joining his brother Eamon in the 30-man squad) and also the tour manager, Steven Hiles, coach of Railway Union II, who have reached the Irish Junior Cup semi-finals for the third time in five years.
On a Park Avenue pitch, which absorbed a dramatic day's play on all fronts, midfield pressure eventually yielded a 2-1 Leinster League victory for Aer Lingus against Railway Union's senior side.
Although the lively Brendan Parsons popped Railway into an early lead, Trevor Parsons replied before half-time and hit the crossbar in the second period before Eamon Bane put away the winner - despite the particularly defiant defending of Kenny Carroll.
So, with Aer Lingus fortifying their third place in the table, Monkstown's hopes of gaining ground were dampened, to say the least, by their 2-2 draw with YMCA at St Andrew's.
Monkstown twice surged ahead, first when Brian Groves connected with a cross from Michael Trounce, and then before the interval, when Gavin Groves forced YMCA into conceding an own-goal deflection.
The visitors had responded to those goals with determination with Robin Willis making it 1-1 and David Johnson snatching a point as his team-mates adapted better to water-hockey in the closing minutes after the Monkstown attackers had seen too many chances go awash.
In equally wet conditions at Mount Temple, Glenanne finished with no more than a 2-1 defeat of Clontarf to retain joint leadership with Pembroke Wanderers.
Although lodged in bottom place, there was strong resistance by the home team, notably by goalkeeper Stephen Cairns and skipper Ross McMullen, allowing John Goulding and John Brennan to register only a goal apiece, with John Smith edging it to 1-1 at the break.
At Santry, Trinity's claim to stay in the first division was enhanced as they swished to a 5-1 win over Corinthians, for whom it was a chastening day as their second XI were squeezed out of the Irish Junior Cup.
This elimination was on strokes (3-2) by the aforementioned Railway Union seconds, led by Graham O'Meara and enthused by Hiles.
Railway II join Cork Harlequins II (2-1 winners over Pembroke II) and Kilkenny (who eliminated NICS II 4-1) in the semi-finals while Banbridge II, who also needed a shoot-out to advance at the expense of Three Rock Rovers II, are the only Ulster survivors, and also the only club who can bring off a senior-junior double.
