WOMENS HOCKEY/Weekend Preview: Two wins over the next three days would complete what has already been a memorable week for Pembroke Wanderers' duo Mary Goode and Louise O'Hagan, both of whom were called up to the senior Irish panel for the first time by Riet Kuper, writes Mary Hannigan.
The pair were two of five players to have impressed Kuper sufficiently at the senior interprovinical tournament in Cork to earn a call-up, along with Hermes' Fiona Connery, a member of Munster's victorious team, Suzanne Beaney (Belfast Harlequins) and Pegasus forward Heather Mullan (nee Thompson). Still no place, though, for Old Alexandra's Trish Conway - her continued absence from the panel remains an unfathomable mystery for her many admirers.
Tomorrow Goode and O'Hagan will help Pembroke's attempt to revive their hopes of a post-Christmas top three finish in the league when they play Corinthian at Whitechurch, while on Monday they will be seeking their first Leinster Senior Cup success since 1984 when they meet Loreto in the final at Grange Road.
Having pipped Alexandra to third place after the first nine games of the season Pembroke have fallen to fifth - in both the overall standings and the "post-Christmas" table - leaving them facing a play-off for qualification to the All-Ireland Club Championship quarter-finals (only teams finishing in the top three in both halves of the season go through automatically).
Pembroke got the better of Corinthian in the Leinster Senior Cup semi-finals, winning 5-1, but a 0-0 draw with Hermes on Wednesday night should have boosted Corinthian's spirits.
Alexandra, meanwhile, will hope to maintain their title challenge by avoiding defeat at Belfield where they meet Hermes, a game that will be of considerable interest to rivals Loreto (who play Genesis) and UCD (who play Railway Union).
The contest at the top of division two, where two teams will be promoted if they are "firsts", is no less competitive, with leaders Three Rock and Clontarf both suffering set-backs midweek when they lost to Loreto II and Alexandra II respectively.
Three Rock, who don't play this weekend, need one more win from their two remaining games to be certain of promotion but Hermes II are now just a point behind second-placed Clontarf - the teams meet at Dardistown tomorrow morning.
Leinster League - Division One, Saturday: Hermes v Old Alexandra, Belfield, 10.30; Corinthian v Pembroke Wanderers, Whitechurch, 11.30; Loreto v Genesis, Beaufort, 1.0; Railway Union v UCD, Sandymount, 2.30. Division Two: Clontarf v Hermes II, Dardistown, 11.0; Old Alexandra II v Genesis II, Milltown, 3.0. Leinster Cup finals (at Grange Road), Saturday - Division 7/8: Bray II v Wicklow, 12.0. Division 9/10: Aer Lingus III v Weston II, 2.0. Division 11/12: Phoenix Park v Genesis VII, 4.0. Sunday - Division 5/6: Old Alexandra III v Loreto III, 12.45. Division 3/4: Loreto II v Pembroke II, 2.45.
Ulster Shield final - Pegasus v Randalstown, Queens, 1.0.
