Loreto roll on

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: While none of their players could quite match the feat of the day in Saturday's Leinster fixtures - Leah Spillane's five goals for Diocesan in their 6-3 second division win over Muckross - the Loreto 'machine' rolls on. And, it would seem, there's not a whole lot their closest rivals can do to stop them.

A 3-1 defeat of Railway Union, who started the day in third place, combined with only Hermes' second loss of the league season, leaves Loreto six points clear at the top of the table and looking on course to retain the title they won last year.

Railway, though, managed to make Loreto work harder for their victory than they've had to on most occasions this season, Kate Dillon getting her side back in to the game with a goal in the second half after Loreto had led 2-0 through Sarah Scott and Nikki Symmons. But, 10 minutes from time, Cathy McKean sealed the leaders' 10th win out of 11 games - only Old Alexandra, in October's 1-1 draw, have so far avoided defeat by the champions.

Second-placed Hermes, meanwhile, failed to keep the pressure on Loreto by going down 1-0 to Pembroke Wanderers at Serpentine Avenue, Susan Ryan getting the home team's winner. Alexandra took advantage of Hermes and Railway's defeats, moving up to third with a 2-1 win away to Three Rock - Trish Conway and Laura McCoy got their goals.

Clontarf took their first win of the league season when, perhaps, it mattered most - in the bottom-of-the-table game against Genesis. Nikki Mooney and Linda Watters got the scores in the 2-1 win, a victory that puts them four points clear of Genesis, now beginning to look doomed to relegation. Division Two leaders Trinity, 6-3 winners over Loreto III, look most likely to replace them.

After drawing six of their 10 games before Saturday, Corinthian, with the help of goals from Linda Campbell (two) and Wendy Hobson, enjoyed only their second win of the season (3-0 over UCD) and also saw their seconds advance to the quarter-finals of the Irish Junior Cup with a 1-0 win over Belvedere. Their 'reward' is an away tie in the last eight to cup holders Pegasus II.