No rest for Loreto in light of Bowers

Women's Hockey: If league titles were always won as comprehensively and, seemingly, as effortlessly as Pembroke Wanderers' fourth team took the division-five title this season - played 18, won 18, conceded just four goals - Loreto coach Siobhán Keogh would have had an infinitely more relaxed weekend than the one just passed.

While Loreto are still strong favourites to take the Leinster Division-One title they could have done without Anya Bowers's late equaliser for Old Alexandra on Saturday, a goal that means the league leaders still need three points, from their two remaining games, to be certain of the title.

Two goals from Christine Quinlan, both from short corners, moved second-placed Hermes, the defending champions, within 10 points of Loreto after yesterday's 2-0 win over Corinthian but after the mother of all muddles - whereby no umpires showed up for their fixture on Saturday against Railway Union and the game was postponed - Hermes still have two games in hand.

Cathy McKean gave Loreto the lead against Alexandra on Saturday before Bowers's reply, in a game that saw Ireland international Linda O'Neill make her debut for Loreto following her departure from UCD and her recovery from a cruciate-ligament injury - she will be eligible for Loreto's European campaign in Amsterdam at Easter.

The draw meant Alexandra dropped to fifth in the table, a point behind Saturday winners Pembroke Wanderers and Corinthian - Alexandra do, though, have a game in hand on both teams. Corinthian needed a last-gasp winner from Judy Muldowney to beat Trinity 3-2 while Pembroke, who led 2-0 at half-time through Siobhán Kane and Lorna Hill, held on for the three points against Three Rock after EJ Walsh pulled a goal back.

At the other end of the table Genesis, second from bottom, boosted their hopes of survival with a 2-2 draw against UCD. Trinity are now four points behind Genesis - and Genesis have a game in hand.

Lower down the divisions Skerries have sealed promotion by winning the third-division title - second-placed Loreto III finish runner-ups so will join Loreto II in Division Two next season. It's hardly Loreto III's fault, but the presence of two teams from the same club in the same division hardly aids the development of Leinster hockey.

Coleraine breathed life into their hopes of finishing third in Ulster - and qualifying for the All-Ireland quarter-finals - by beating Belfast Harlequins 4-1 on Saturday. A win for Harlequins would have guaranteed them third place but now they're looking over their shoulder at the challenge of Coleraine and Ards, who drew 1-1 with Ballymoney. A 4-0 win over Ballymena leaves Pegasus odds-on to win the league, while Portadown and Ballyclare remain the most likely candidates for relegation.

Elsewhere Leinster won the junior interprovincial title in Kilkenny, with Kathryn Henderson scoring six goals in their four games, including the decider against defending champions Ulster in Saturday's 1-0 win. Leinster also beat Munster 2-0, Connacht 5-0 and South East 4-1, giving them a 100-per-cent winning record in the tournament.