It proved a case of two steps forward, one step back for Catholic Institute in the Munster Women’s Division One title race as no sooner had they cracked open the race with UCC they were pegged back by Cork C of I.

While there are plenty of miles still to travel, UCC’s away day in Limerick looks a potential decider for the students in women’s Munster Division One when they meet Catholic Institute at 1pm at Rosbrien on Saturday.

Bandon were again left to wonder what might have been after their hopes of EY Hockey League qualification were scuppered by Instonians.

Karen Bateman’s brace ended Catholic Institute’s hopes of another Munster Senior Cup final upset as she guided Cork Harlequins to a 2-1 success at Garryduff yesterday.

There will be an extra motivation for the members of Ireland’s senior men’s team as they line out for their clubs in the Irish Senior Cup’s opening round this weekend.

Bandon are set to ask the Irish Hockey Association for an explanation of a controversial series of events in their 3-2 Irish Hockey Trophy final defeat to Clontarf on Saturday.

Bandon are seeking an unusual Irish cup double this weekend as they descend on Belfield for the women’s Irish Junior Cup and men’s Irish Hockey Trophy finals.

Hockey: Lisnagarvey and Cork Church of Ireland’s fortunes are again intertwined as they clash in the men’s Irish Junior Cup quarter-finals at Comber Road tomorrow.

Hockey: Cork Harlequins and UCC both require victories over Leinster opposition tomorrow to keep alive their slim hopes of making the last four of the Irish Hockey League.

When you only manage seven forays into the opposition’s circle and your opponents rack up almost 40, you’d expect to be on the end of a hiding.

Cork Church of Ireland 4 Bandon 1

Munster’s brave new dawn begins this weekend as restructured men’s and women’s Division One leagues get underway.

New Irish senior women’s coach Darren Smith has hinted he may veer away from a centralised training system when he takes charge next month.

Seven months of searching is finally over for Irish hockey after New Zealander Darren Smith was yesterday named as the new senior women’s national coach.

Ireland were left thankful for what one wag termed “The 50 Saves of Gray” as they claimed a brilliant bronze at the Champions Challenge I tournament in Dublin yesterday.

Ireland’s Champions Challenge I campaign is up and running but not without some controversy as Belfield witnessed plenty of drama yesterday.

John Jermyn wrote himself into the history books in style as Ireland cruised through the opening round of the new FIH World League in Cardiff over the weekend.

Major changes are afoot in the Irish Hockey Association (IHA) after it was revealed that both chief executive Angus Kirkland and high performance director Dave Passmore stepped down from their respective roles.

Ireland left the Investec London Cup with some stinging words from Great Britain coach Danny Kerry ringing in their ears, after they finished bottom of the pile thanks to a 3-0 defeat to Great Britain in Chiswick.

The club hockey season is a distant memory for the majority of the country’s players, but those sides hoping to find a backdoor route to next year’s Irish Hockey League must tog off one last time this weekend before the summer break.

Denis Pritchard will be particularly interested in how Ireland’s women fare for their clubs in this weekend’s final round of the Irish Hockey League, after he was this week appointed interim national coach.

Knee problems forced Ireland’s most capped hockey player out of the international game, but Eimear Cregan told Alan Good the future of the sport is bright.

KAREN BATEMAN’S inspirational performances in turning back the clock to help Cork Harlequins retain their Munster league title will be among 31 outstanding contributions recognised at the Munster Branch of the Irish Hockey Association (MBIHA) Awards 2007-2009, to be held in the Fred South Room at Garryduff this evening (7.30pm).

GOALKEEPER Brian Corcoran embellished a growing reputation for saving vital penalty strokes as Bandon Grammar School claimed their sixth Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup in succession in dramatic fashion at Garryduff yesterday.

ASHTON SCHOOL go into today’s Munster Senior Schoolboys Cup final at Garryduff (2.30pm) against Bandon Grammar School hell-bent on returning the balance of power to Cork city after a six-year famine.

UCC finally carried off the silverware that their resurgence in recent years has warranted, denying Bandon another famous scalp in the women’s Munster Senior Cup final at Garryduff yesterday.

ANDY CHAMBERS wasn’t at all surprised when the draw for the fourth round of the Irish Senior Cup threw up yet another clash between Cork sides Church of Ireland and Harlequins for the third time in the last five years.

NEW Church of Ireland coach Neil Welsh has obviously slipped comfortably into his latest role, especially when he lays it down thick that arch-rivals Harlequins will be “red hot favourites” to win tomorrow’s vital league clash between the two provincial powerhouses at Farmer’s Cross.

CORK Church of Ireland coach Denis Pritchard welcomes four internationals back for Saturday’s Irish Senior Cup fourth round tie away to Belfast Harlequins.

IRELAND’S U-18 boys got their European Championships in Poland off to an excellent start yesterday with a 1-1 draw with England.

LEINSTER coach Turlough O’Siochain reckons the presence of the new Irish coach Dave Passmore at this weekend’s hockey interprovincials in Dublin will add considerable spice to the historic competition.

MUNSTER’S hockey players will meet tomorrow to discuss the deepening problems in Irish hockey.

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.