Leinster clubs have the advantage

Women's Hockey CLub Championship quarter-finals, second leg: Barring any surprise turnarounds in the second legs of the Irish Club Championship quarter-finals this weekend the qualifiers for next week's finals should be identical to those who made the line-up for the 2001 tournament; Pegasus, Loreto, Old Alexandra and Hermes.

All three Leinster teams won their first legs last weekend, Hermes comfortably so, beating Cork Harlequins 3-0 in Dublin. The holders travel, then, to Farmers Cross with a seemingly secure lead to defend - one away goal and the tie should be over; an early Harlequins' score and the nerves might just begin to jangle.

Hermes coach Aidan Kidney has a full squad available to him and has named the same panel, augmented by Aine Connery and Lisa Jacob (who also have Irish under-18 training this weekend), as the one for the trip to Azerbaijan at the end of May for the European Club Championships.

Old Alexandra, too, hold an advantage over Randalstown going in their second leg at the Antrim Forum, having won 3-1 in Dublin, with the Ulster side further handicapped by the loss of Shauna Parkhill, who is otherwise engaged - she's getting married.

Alexandra, though, are cautious going in to the tie, conscious that Randalstown's away goal in the first leg keeps their hopes just about alive.

"Three-nil would have been comfortable, 3-1 isn't when you have to go up north," said Trish Conway. "It didn't help, either, that some eejit missed a stroke for us last weekend," she said, in reference to Randalstown goalkeeper Alison Lappin saving a late Alexandra penalty (taken by one Trish Conway).

Lappin's week, incidentally, was made complete when she was called up to the Ulster squad for next month's rescheduled senior interprovincial tournament, as a replacement for Sharon Moffitt (Pegasus), who has exam commitments.

Of the three Leinster teams, Loreto had the narrowest of first-leg victories, but their 3-2 win over Coleraine came away, making them favourites to complete the task at Beaufort.

Pegasus and Bandon, meanwhile, play the two legs of their quarter-finals at Belfield tomorrow and on Sunday, after both clubs agreed to the compromise designed to cut the costs of long-distance away legs.

Bandon will take encouragement from their spirited display against Pegasus in the first leg of last year's quarter-finals in Cork, when they only lost 3-2, but would do well to erase the memories of their 10-0 Irish Senior Cup defeat by the Ulster champions back in January.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Club Championships: Quarter-finals, second legs (first-leg scores in brackets) - Tomorrow: Cork Harlequins (0), Hermes (3), Farmers Cross, 2.0; Loreto (3) v Coleraine (2), Beaufort, 1.0; Randalstown (1) v Old Alexandra (3), Antrim Forum, 2.0.

Quarter-final, first leg - Tomorrow: Bandon v Pegasus, Belfield (sandbase), 2.30. Second leg - Sunday: Pegasus v Bandon, Belfield (waterbase), 12.0.