Pegasus hoping cup dream won't be grounded again

Hockey: Having won the Irish Senior Cup four times in the 1990s, bringing their total number of triumphs to nine (six short of the record of 15 held by Muckross and three short of Pembroke Wanderers' 12), it can hardly be said that the competition is an unlucky one for Pegasus - but, by their standards, just one success in the last six years ranks as a "drought".

Pamela Magill is one of six survivors from the 1998 starting line-up that beat Old Alexandra 5-0, who are likely to feature against cup holders Loreto in tomorrow's quarter-final in Belfast. Since then Magill has played in two more finals but in defeats to Hermes (1999) and Ballymoney (2001).

"We're hoping this will be our year, we feel we have something to prove in the cup," she said. "There was some controversy in the finals we lost, some people blamed the umpires for our defeats, but I just think you make your own luck in these games. For whatever reason the cup just hasn't gone our way in recent years.

"We'd definitely see this as our toughest game of the season," she added. "Loreto was the draw we least wanted but it's good to have home advantage. The standard in Ulster isn't as strong as in Leinster these days so the fact that Loreto are top of their league and have won the cup the last two years tells us all we need to know about them. We expect a tough, tough game, hard and physical."

While Pegasus have lost the services of Katharine Maybin to the Irish squad (with Loreto losing Nikki Symmons) they have been strengthened this season by the availability of Arlene Boyles, Claire McMahon and Karen Humphreys following their international retirements, as well as the arrival of three under-21 players from Portadown - Katie Simpson, Kirsty McCollum and Nadine Graham - as well as Sarah Wilkinson from Randalstown.

And what of Magill's international future? Just 24 years of age, she already has 51 caps to her name, her last coming at the World Cup in December 2002, but she has been unavailable for selection since then.

"I just wanted a break from international hockey so I could start enjoying the game again, because I really wasn't enjoying it the last year or two. I don't know what the future holds but I would definitely consider going back at some stage, although it's out of my hands," she said

Down south Cork Harlequins will hope to put home advantage to good use when they play Old Alexandra, though the Leinster side will take heart from their last meeting with the Munster champions, when they beat them 4-0 in May's club finals. Harlequins are attempting to reach their third final in five years, after winning the cup in 2000 and losing to Loreto last year.

Like Pegasus, Hermes have lost in their last two final appearances but, if they're looking for positive omens, the last time they won the cup, when they beat Pegasus in the 1999 final, they trounced Coleraine (7-0) in the last four. And they play Coleraine tomorrow at Booterstown though the Ulster side's confidence should be high after last weekend's 6-1 drubbing of Belfast Harlequins.

In the only all-Leinster quarter-final, UCD and Corinthian meet at Belfield, three weeks after Corinthian beat the students 1-0 at the same venue in the league.

After Jenny Burke's winner, a brilliant reverse stick shot into the roof of the net 10 minutes from time, against Argentina's B team in Cordoba ended Ireland's eight-game losing streak in their build-up to next month's Olympic qualifier, the squad will complete its South American trip with games against the Argentinian under-21 team and club side Cordoba before moving on to Madrid where they will play Spain in three Test matches next week.

IRELAND (v Argentina B): N King, N Symmons, C O'Brien, K Maybin, F Connery, L Caulfield, J Orbinson, J Burke, J McDonough, E Cregan, L McVicker (capt). Subs: D Casey, B McKeever, S Beaney, N McCaughern, K Farrell, E Bromell.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

IRISH SENIOR CUP - Quarter-finals: UCD v Corinthian, Belfield, 12.30; Hermes v Coleraine, Booterstown, 1.0; Pegasus v Loreto, Queens, 1.0; Cork Harlequins v Old Alexandra, Farmers Cross, 1.0.

LEINSTER LEAGUE - Division One: Pembroke Wanderers v Trinity, Ballsbridge, 2.0. Division Two: Clontarf v Our Lady's, Glasnevin, 12.30; Glenanne v Pembroke Wanderers II, Tallaght, 3.0; Hermes II v Diocesan, Booterstown, 4.0.

MUNSTER LEAGUE - Division One: Church of Ireland v UCC, Garryduff, 1.0; Waterford v Univ of Limerick, Newtown School, 2.0.

ULSTER LEAGUE - Section One: Ballymena v Belfast Harlequins, Ballymena, 2.30; Ballyclare v Ballymoney, Valley Leisure Centre, 2.30; Portadown v Randalstown, Edenvilla, 2.30; Victorians v Ards, Olympic Leisure Centre, 1.0.

LEINSTER SQUAD (for Senior Interprovincials): F Purcell (Corinthian), T Doyle (Hounslow/Corinthian), C O'Kelly (capt), L Healy, C McKean (all Loreto), T Conway, K Hiles, S O'Connor, L Ryan, Z Dahl, A Bowers (all Old Alexandra), M Goode, R Brophy, K Little (all Pembroke Wanderers), S Dooley (Railway Union), C Murray (UCD). Coach: Fred McDarby.