Harlequins have formidable look

HOCKEY: While their chief rivals take strengthened squads into the new Munster league season, which gets under way this weekend, Cork Harlequins added their own reinforcements during the summer, enough to suggest the club might just prove uncatchable once again in the province.

The most notable new arrival is Irish international Eimear Cregan, who is joined at the club by Cliodhna Sargent (from Ashton), who won her first senior call-up for the Celtic Cup in August, Australian junior international Ashleigh Roberson, Hilary Chapple from Bandon and Rachel McSharry from Dublin.

Harlequins have, though, lost Irish goalkeeper Mary Goode, who has returned to Pembroke Wanderers (where Goode's Munster team-mate Elaine Bromel will also be playing her hockey this season), but still have a squad with a formidable look about it.

Church of Ireland were Harlequins' closest challengers in the last campaign and have brought in four players from Bandon, Orla McCarthy, Jeanne O'Sullivan, Lisa Ryan and Cathy Barry, to bolster a panel with the ambition of finally putting an end to Harlequins' stranglehold on the Munster title.

McCarthy is one of five Church of Ireland players, along with Deirdre Casey, Holly Moffett, Karen Hales and Sinéad Connery, who have been named in the Munster squad for next month's interprovincial tournament in Hillsborough.

In Leinster, UCD open their campaign against Loreto at Belfield, with one of the new faces in their squad, Megan Tennant-Humphries, who made such an impression as sweeper for Alexandra College in Leinster schools' hockey. Hermes meet Old Alexandra at Booterstown while Clontarf and Three Rock, who both suffered heavy defeats last weekend, host Corinthians and Pembroke.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

SATURDAY - Leinster League - Division One: Clontarf v Corinthians, Clontarf, 12.30; UCD v Loreto, Belfield, 2.45; Hermes v Old Alexandra, Booterstown, 3.0; Three Rock v Pembroke Wanderers, Grange Road, 3.30. Division Two: Railway Union II v Glenanne, Sandymount, 12.30; UCD II v Diocesan, Belfield, 12.45; Old Alexandra II v Corinthian II, Milltown, 1.15; Pembroke Wanderers II v Hermes II, Ballsbridge, 2.0; Loreto II v Genesis, Belfield, 4.15. Munster League - Division One: Univ of Limerick v Church of Ireland, Limerick, 1.15; Harlequins v Ashton, Farmers Cross, 2.0; Catholic Institute v Bandon, Rosbrien, 2.30; UCC v Belvedere, Mardyke, 2.0.