UCC win as Ulster teams dominate

UCC go in to this week's inter-varsity tournament hoping to go one better than last year, when they lost the final on penalty strokes to Trinity, buoyed by a superb win away to Coleraine in the first round of the Irish Senior Cup on Saturday.

Goals from Eimear Curtin and Alma Carey gave the Cork students a 2-0 win, making them the only team to eliminate an Ulster side in the first round - Victorians, Portadown, Ballymoney and Ards won through to join Pegasus, Collegians and Randalstown, who all received first round byes, in the second round draw.

Ards were kept scoreless by Glenanne in Tallaght until five minutes in to the second half of their match on Saturday, thanks largely to Catherine Kennedy's heroics in goal for the Leinster side, but E J Barry broke the deadlock in the 40th minute and Pamela Chittick added a hattrick to give Ards a good win.

Victorians had a 3-1 win over Genesis at Grange Road, while Portadown and Ballymoney overwhelmed Galway and Belvedere, respectively, in their home ties. Jeanette Turner (four) and Jill Orbinson (three) were the chief tormentors of Galway in an 11-0 win, while Ballymoney player-coach and Irish international Lynsey McVicker scored a hat-trick in her side's 7-0 victory over Munster's Belvedere.

The University of Limerick had a winning Irish Senior Cup debut, beating Muckross 4-0 at home, while Pembroke Wanderers eased past Railway Union with a 3-0 win at Serpentine Avenue. NUIG are Connacht's sole representative in the second round after beating Yeats County 3-1 in Enniskillen.

Cup holders Pegasus begin the defence of their crown in Dublin where they have been drawn to meet Loreto, while Ards return south to play last year's beaten finalists Hermes at Belfield. Harlequins and Church of Ireland meet in an all-Cork affair in the second round but their Munster League rivals UCC must travel north again after being drawn away to Ballymoney.

Old Alexandra are at home to Collegians, NUIG face Victorians in Galway, the University of Limerick are away to Portadown and Pembroke Wanderers received another home draw, this time against Randalstown. In Senior A of the Leinster League, Old Alexandra dropped their first points of the season in a 1-1 draw against Trinity. Trish Conway opened the scoring for Old Alexandra but Linda Caulfield, secured the draw with a short corner strike.