Pembroke regroup for Bray challenge

MEN'S HOCKEY:Pembroke are likely to be in top form following their visit to the elite European Hockey League last weekend. That it ended in disappointment should not discourage the Serpentine Avenue side come tomorrow, when they meet Bray in the Leinster senior League. Some sides can fail to ignite when faced with a mountainous task one weekend followed by a relatively less demanding call the next.

But Pembroke's meeting with Bray also highlights the chasm in levels between what a high-achieving club like Pembroke wish to play and those levels they play week in week out.

There has been much moaning and groaning about the new league structures that have been proposed but one thing it should strive to do is to keep the level of play for all clubs at a certain standard.

That is no disrespect to Bray. Pembroke's Leinster league meetings, like those of Glenanne, are occasionally mismatches and given their array of international talent, that is the way it should be.

Nonetheless Bray should welcome the challenge, as should Skerries in the Leinster Senior Cup on Sunday, and make life difficult for the Europhiles.

League contenders Glenanne also take on two sides that have seen their fair share of the lower division, Kilkenny and Suttonians.

Kilkenny firstly travel to Glenanne Park for the league fixture on Saturday with Glenanne then making the journey to Dublin's north coast for their Sunday Mills Cup game.

Elsewhere the Under-18 and Under-16 Interprivincials take place in Cork. Trevor Watkins and Rory O'Donoghue have done much work in preparing the Leinster Under-16 squad who should have a good chance of winning the tournament with the likes of Luke Chadwick, Shane O'Donoghue and Richard Sykes hoping to carry on the form from last year. That kicks off in Garryduff today with Ulster opening against Leinster.

FIXTURES

Today: Interprovincial Series (Garryduff): Under-16 - Ulster v Leinster, 11.0; Munster v Ulster, 2.30; Under-18 - Ulster v Leinster, 12.45; Munster v Ulster, 4.15.

Tomorrow: Leinster Senior League: Division one - UCD v Fingal, 1.0, Belfield; Monkstown v YMCA, 1.30 Rathdown; Glenanne v Kilkenny, 3.30 Glenanne Park; Bray v Pembroke Wanderers, 1.30 Loreto. Division two - Railway Union v Weston, 2.0 Park Avenue; Navan v Suttonians, 1.00pm Navan; Clontarf v Skerries, 12.30 Clontarf; Avoca v Dublin University 1.30 Newpark School; Naas v PSBPP 1.0 Caragh Road, Naas.

Interprovincial Series (Garryduff): Under-16 - Munster v Leinster, 10.30; Munster v Uklster, 2.0; Under-18 - Munster v Leinster, 12.15; Munster v Ulster, 3.45

Sunday: Leinster Senior Mills Cup - Suttonians v Glenanne, 3.0 Sutton Park; YMCA v Railway Union, 1.30 Claremont Road; Pembroke v Skerries, 2.30 Serpentine Avenue.

Interprovincial Series (Garryduff): Under-16 - Leinster v Ulster, 10.0; Munster v Leinster, 3.30; Under-18 - Leinster v Ulster, 11.45; Munster v Leinster, 3.15.