CORK HARLEQUINS andUCC got their ESB Irish Hockey League campaigns off to the perfect start as both picked up bonus-point wins on Saturday to lead the way after round one.

ULSTER needed to draw on all their guile and experience to wrest the senior men’s interprovincial title back from Leinster at Garryduff yesterday, as they claimed a thrilling 5-5 draw with hosts Munster that will live long in the memory.

IRELAND earned the bronze medal and some consolation for their failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics with a 2-1 win over Canada at the University of Victoria yesterday.

Ireland 3 Italy 0

THE Irish women’s hockey team open their Eurohockey Nations Championship campaign under new coach Gene Muller in Manchester today (Sat.) against host nation England. Declan Colley reports.

CORK Harlequins began their campaign in the European Club championships in Prague yesterday with a comfortable 1-0 victory over local side SK Slavia Praha.

CORK Harlequins and Church of Ireland both qualified for the quarter-finals of the ESB Irish Senior Women’s Cup after extra-time scares against Loreto and Ards respectively on Saturday, but both landed extremely tough away games in the quarter finals.

HERMES will face Pegasus in the ESB Women’s Club Championship final at Belfield next weekend.

CORK Harlequins’ challenge for the EBS Women’s Club Championships began badly at Belfield last night when they were on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline against Pegasus in Pool B.

The Irish Women's Hockey team drew 0-0 with Azerbaijan today, (2.45pm Irish time), in their final pool match, their third in as many days, at the World Cup Qualifying tournament in Rome.

A last-minute penalty corner denied Ireland victory in the opening match of the women’s World Cup qualifier agains the USA in Rome.

TEENAGE hockey sensation Emma Stewart has been named in the final Irish squad for the European Championships in Dublin in less than two weeks time.

Ireland 0, Germany 4

Ireland women’s coach Riet Kuper has handed first call-ups to five players for a three-day Easter training camp.