CORK CHURCH of Ireland were left to rue a couple of early defensive howlers as their title ambitions were taken out of their hands by Cork Harlequins on Saturday.

CORK HARLEQUINS raided the Mardyke twice in 24 hours to end the cup dreams of UCC’s men and women on a memorable weekend for the Farmer’s Cross club.

MONKSTOWN’S wait for a men’s Irish Senior Cup title will stretch into a 98th year after they were beaten 4-3 by Cookstown in a stunning final at Belfield yesterday.

UNIVERSITY College Cork will contest their first ever national senior final after coming from behind to see off Clontarf 2-1 in a fraught Irish Hockey Trophy semi-final at the Mardyke on Saturday.

CORK HARLEQUINS reprised their women’s ESB Irish Senior Cup glory days with a shock 1-0 victory at Ards, which leaves them flying the flag for Munster in the quarter-finals.

CORK Church of Ireland’s youngsters stepped up to the mark in style as they guided the Munster champions to a 4-1 win over Bandon yesterday.

THREE ROCK ROVERS sprung a South African surprise on Cork Church of Ireland on Saturday, as Jody Hosking’s double helped them to a noteworthy 2-1 Irish Junior Cup round one win at Garryduff.

ALL five of Munster’s Irish Hockey League representatives need to collect points this weekend, if they are to harbour realistic semi-final ambitions.

GLENANNE ensured Ireland will have two representatives in the last 16 of the EuroHockey League for the first time, after they got the favour they required from German side Mannheimer in Terrassa, Spain yesterday.

TODAY’S Irish Senior Cup semi-final between Cork Harlequins and Glenanne represents a chance of redemption for one player on the home side.

LISNAGARVEY are kings of Irish club hockey after yesterday completing a club championship and cup double.

SHELL-SHOCKED is the only way to describe Harlequins women’s hockey side at the end of their All-Ireland Club Championship qualifier on Saturday.

CORK Harlequins’ European odyssey came to a controversial end yesterday when they lost to Belgian side Royal Dragons in their play-off game in Vienna.

CORK Harlequins had mixed fortunes at the European Cup Winners Trophy tournament in Vienna over the weekend, winning two pool games and losing their last outing.

CORK HARLEQUINS made a winning start to the European Cup Winners’ Trophy tournament in Vienna yesterday, beating Swiss club Olten 2-0 in their opening game.

THEY might be recognised as one of the best sides in Ireland at the moment, but Cork Harlequins have never won the Irish Senior Cup.

HARLEQUINS’ captain, Jason Black emphasised one of the most enduring facts of hockey life when he referred to the importance of Quins’ penalty corner routine ahead of their Irish Senior Cup final at Belfield on Sunday.

CORK HARLEQUINS survived the vigorous challenge of a committed NICS, the stresses of a knock-out semi-final and the tension of a penalty shoot-out to qualify for their second consecutive Royal Liver Irish Senior Cup final at Stormont on Saturday.

RESPONSIBILITY is a word that has figured prominently in the preparations of Cork Harlequins for their Irish Senior Cup semi-final tie against NICS of Belfast in Stormont today (2.45pm).

Cup favourites Annadale breezed into this afternoon’s draw for the Men’s Irish Senior Cup quarter finals, with a 4-0 win over leading Leinster outfit Pembroke Wanderers at Lough Moss yesterday.

HEAVYWEIGHTS on the bill again in Cork, but a week after the Multi-Nations boxing event, the knockout blow was delivered by an Irish hockey international.

Cork Harlequins 4 Cork Church of Ireland 3

CORK HARLEQUINS’ reign as All- Ireland club champions came to an end at Lough Moss Leisure Centre on Saturday, when they were beaten 4-2 by Ulster Senior League winners Annadale (6-3 on aggregate).

LISNAGARVEY hero Philip Stirling is obviously not one for sentiment. After all he scored a hat-trick of goals with a borrowed stick in the final of the Irish Senior Hockey Cup at Belfield on Saturday.

MUNSTER revived their hopes of retaining the men’s hockey Interprovincial Championship by beating Ulster at Harlequins Park yesterday but it was Connacht ladies who commanded the spotlight.

MUNSTER’S hopes of retaining the men’s senior hockey Interprovincial Championship at Harlequins’ Park were dented by a training injury that yesterday ruled former international Alistair Dunne out of their squad.

IRISH Senior Cup specialists, Lisnagarvey, are viewed as the biggest obstacle to the accomplishment of a little history today when two Cork teams attempt to negotiate the semi-finals and set-up hockey’s first ever all-Cork men’s cup final.