Hermes depth should win out

Hockey/Women: After what has been a productive week for Irish hockey, with the announcement that RTÉ will cover August's European Championships at Belfield, the game has another opportunity to promote itself on Sunday when the channel will have live coverage of the Irish Senior Cup final between Ballymoney and Hermes (12.10).

All that's required now is a show of interest from hockey neutrals, who haven't always done their bit to boost the attendance at Belfield for finals; the scattering of empty seats and a half-filled terrace hardly gives the impression that the game is well supported in Ireland.

Before RTÉ began showing the finals live again in 2003 they were held on a Saturday, and the switch to the Sunday has proved unfortunate for Ballymoney. Defenders Ruth Sutherland, her team's short-corner expert, and Angela Huey will not play on the Sabbath, and, thus, are unavailable for the final. They are decisions Ballymoney coach Lesley Watkins described as disappointing, but ones she said she respected.

The Ulster side, who beat Pegasus on penalty strokes in their only previous appearance in a final ( held in Belfast in 2001 because of the foot-and-mouth outbreak), are, at least, boosted by the availability of Irish international Bridget McKeever, who has returned from a spell working in Uganda.

McKeever's three fellow Irish panelists, Angela Platt, Nicky McCaughern and Irish captain Lynsey McVicker, are also included in the squad, but their international experience pales next to that boasted by Hermes, who have five current panelists - Fiona Connery, Jenny Burke, Aoife Mitchell, Linda Caulfield and Jill Hodgins - as well as three recent internationals: Tara Browne, Caitríona Carey and Carol Devine.

That depth of experience and quality should really prove enough for the Leinster side to win their first cup since 1999, but defeats in their last three finals, by Pegasus last year, by Loreto in 2002 and by Cork Harlequins in 2000, mean they're not inclined to take anything for granted.

For Ballymoney to prevail they must improve considerably on their last showing in a final, when they were disappointing in a 2-0 defeat by Pegasus in last month's Ulster Shield final. Hermes, meanwhile, would probably settle for a repeat of the Leinster Cup final on St Patrick's Day, when they were deserving winners over Loreto.

It should, though, be an interesting clash between the ambitious and improving Ulster side, which is made up almost entirely of Ballymoney-born players, and the established Leinster side, one of the major forces in club hockey for almost a decade.

Loreto II and Old Alexandra II meet in tomorrow's Irish Junior Cup final at Belfield (3.30), while in Ulster Pegasus will retain their league title if they beat Randalstown. If they fail to win the game they could be caught on goal difference by Ballymoney, should they win their final two games against Omagh and Knock.

Catholic Institute and Church of Ireland, meanwhile, are battling it out for the runners-up spot in Munster behind Cork Harlequins.

BALLYMONEY (squad): A Platt, L Ballentine, Judith McVicker, J Black, S Martin, E Lynch, B McKeever, A Kearney (capt), L Burns, L Barr, N McCaughern, L McVicker, Jacqui McVicker, C McAulay, O Kearney, C McCartney. Coach: Lesley Watkins.

HERMES (squad): T Browne, S Hilliard, C Carey, J Hodgins, M Powers, C Devine, F Connery, J Burke (capt), A Keane, L Caulfield, A Mitchell, C Lawson, S McGloughlin, A McCarthy, S Young, J Lawson. Coach: Rudi Wortmann.

IRISH JUNIOR CUP - Final (at Belfield) - Tomorrow: Loreto II v Old Alexandra II, 3.30.

IRISH SENIOR CUP - Final (at Belfield) - Sunday: Ballymoney v Hermes, 12.10.