Pembroke have point to prove

MEN'S HOCKEY WEEKEND PREVIEW:THE MEETING in Serpentine Avenue between two of Leinster's top sides, Pembroke and Three Rock Rovers, is certain to set the trend for the season.

It's Pembroke's first league game and the second for Rovers, who knocked in five goals last week against Railway Union.

Pembroke go into the match with a point to prove; they will reflect on last year and know their inability to win two of the major trophies was, given their high quality, a poor return.

Rovers, of course, stepped up to take advantage, and they go into the match as Leinster League champions and Club Championship winners, which also makes them Ireland's team in this year's European Hockey League.

Pembroke will be without Ireland's Ronan Gormley, who is injured, but welcome back Conor Harte, who has recovered from a shoulder injury.

It's unlikely the result will hugely influence the destination of the title, especially with Glenanne, Monkstown and Fingal all eminently capable of taking points and being in the shake-up.

Fingal travel to Kilkenny, where they will expect no less than emphatic victory.

Monkstown would have been confident of putting away the students of UCD with similar aplomb, but that match has been postponed.

Corinthians will have noted YMCA's five-goal loss of last week and will seek to put their campaign back on the rails after leading Fingal in their opener before slipping to a 5-3 defeat.

Neither Glenanne nor Railway Union are scheduled to play this weekend, though the teams met on Tuesday night at Park Avenue, the Tallaght side winning 4-2 and Graham Shaw grabbing two of those goals.

It's timely at the start of a season to alert unsuspecting hockey fans to two interesting blogs that have sprung up over the last year or so.

The Hook and Southern Fried, overseen by Stephen Findlater and Alan Good respectively, are providing fine new outlets for the sport in Leinster and Munster. Both sites are informative and unlike newspapers they can carry unlimited amounts of material. What both blogs also do well is to highlight how poor the official provincial outlets are.

The Leinster Branch, particularly, might want to take a closer look.

SATURDAY FIXTURES:Leinster Senior League, Division One: Kilkenny v Fingal, Kilkenny College, 2pm; Corinthians v YMCA, Whitechurch, noon; Monkstown v UCD, postponed; Pembroke v Three Rock Rovers, Serpentine Avenue, 2pm. Ulster Senior League, Division One: Lisnagarvey v Instonians, Hillsborough, 2.30pm; Mossley v Raphoe, The Glade, 3.20pm ; Bangor v Banbridge, Ballyclare, 2.30pm; Annadale v Cookstown, UUJ, 2.30pm. Munster Senior League, Division One: Harlequins B v Bandon A, Farmers Cross, 2pm; C of I B v Catholic Institute, Garryduff, 11.45am.