Saturday is ‘moving day’ for the Masters at Augusta but this was ‘moving weekend’ in the Irish Hockey League with several sides making big statements of intent.

Cork Church of Ireland showed they could be a dark horse for this year’s Irish Hockey League by routing Glenanne 4-1 at Garryduff on Saturday.

Catholic Institute ensured automatic Irish Hockey League qualification for the 2013/14 season as they resisted a strong UCC challenge to win 3-1 at the Mardyke on Saturday.

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Irish head coach Andrew Meredith has labelled the International Hockey Federation (FIH) as “amateurish” on the eve of the World League round two in Delhi following a late decision to adjust the tournament parameters.

Catholic Institute stormed back into title contention as they shattered Cork Harlequins’ 100% record with a 5-1 win at Rosbrien on Saturday.

Cork Church of Ireland gave UCC a lesson in clinical finishing as their 3-1 win at the Mardyke all but extinguished the students’ flickering title hopes.

Treble-winners Cork Harlequins and Dungarvan were the big winners at this year’s Munster Hockey Awards, held at Garryduff on Friday night.

Brothers Andrew and Roger Gray once again saved their best for Belfield as UCC won their first ever national senior club title in men’s hockey with a rousing 3-1 Irish Hockey Trophy final victory over Raphoe yesterday.

It’s squeaky bum time for many in Irish hockey this weekend as a slew of league titles and cups are up for grabs across the country.

John Jermyn handed Irish coach Paul Revington a boost ahead of March’s Olympic qualifiers as he made an emphatic return to action, notching five goals as Cork Church of Ireland scored a 6-1 win away to Bandon.

“Insta by the grace of God” is their club slogan, but Catholic Institute certainly haven’t needed any divine inspiration this season.

CORK’S finest are running out of time to catch Catholic Institute, after the Limerick side showed off their clinical short corner conversion ability with a 5-1 win over UCC at The Mardyke on Saturday.

LIMERICK schoolgirl Eimear Ryan notched her first hat-trick in senior club hockey as her Catholic Institute side stunned Cork Church of Ireland in a 12-0 Munster league rout at Rosbrien on Saturday.

BANDON will look to be the fly in Cork Harlequins’ ointment in a clash that is likely to end the losers’ faint title hopes at Harlequin Park tomorrow (12pm).

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.

MELVIN BEAMISH’S quick hands earned Bandon a famous 3-2 Irish Junior Cup victory over Cork Harlequins on Saturday.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE and UCC gave their supporters numerous nervy moments before prevailing in dramatic circumstances to advance to the last 16 of the men’s Irish Hockey Trophy.

AS shocks in Munster women’s hockey go, this was more full-blown earthquake than minor tremor.

A STUNNING 5-0 romp over Ulster proved the highlight of a thrilling ESB Electric Ireland Senior Women’s inter-provincials for Munster, as they annexed the title for the first time since 2003.

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.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE threw a major spanner in the works in the race for semi-final spots in the women’s Irish Hockey League by stunning Loreto 2-1 at Rosbrien on Saturday.

CORK HARLEQUINS were left cursing themselves for going to sleep at the start of extra-time, allowing Cork Church of Ireland to plunder a golden-goal victory in Saturday’s Munster Senior Cup semi-final at Farmer’s Cross.

PEGASUS’ love affair with the women’s ESB Irish Senior Cup continued as they moved ominously into the quarter-finals after seeing off Loreto 2-0 at Queens University on Saturday.

CORK C of I and Cork Harlequins all but kissed goodbye to any lingering hopes they might mount a challenge for a men’s Irish Hockey League semi-final spot, after suffering heavy defeats at home to Dublin opposition on Saturday.

THE semi-final picture should become clearer in the Irish Hockey League as a number of interprovincial rivalries are reprised this weekend.

ÁINE CONNERY looks set to be given the chance to resurrect her Irish international hockey career, after she was confirmed as a participant in the team’s central preparation programme (CPP) yesterday.

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.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE can take a giant step towards breaking Cork Harlequins’ Munster women’s league hegemony if they defeat UCC at Rosbrien tomorrow (1pm).

IRELAND’S bid to secure Olympic qualification was dealt a significant blow yesterday, after vastly experienced defender Bridget Cleland (McKeever) announced her retirement from international hockey.

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.

WITH an All-Ireland SFC medal, an All-Star and the Young Footballer of the Year on his résumé, one would imagine Cork midfielder Aidan Walsh would be happy with his sporting lot in 2010.

A BLEAK weekend for Munster hockey saw all five of its representatives soundly beaten during the opening round of the Irish Hockey League.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE’S women laid down an early marker by thrashing Cork Church of Ireland 5-0 at Garryduff on Saturday, the opening day of the season in Munster.

THE Irish Hockey Association yesterday gave the green light to controversial plans to centralise the women’s senior hockey team in Dublin for 10 months.

EIMEAR CREGAN admits she has had plenty of lucky breaks along the way as she stands on the cusp of becoming the most capped Irish hockey player of all time.

EIMEAR CREGAN could overtake fellow Munster woman Rachael Kohler as the most capped Irishhockey player of all time this month.

SCOTLAND struck late in each half to compound Ireland’s woes at the World Cup qualifiers in Santiago, Chile as a lack of killer instinct either end put paid to any remote chance of reaching the second biggest competition in the game.

CORK Church of Ireland know nothing but victory at home to Ulster kingpins Cookstown tomorrow will do to keep their hopes of reaching the Irish Hockey League semi-finals alive.

AUDREY O’FLYNN faces into the biggest test of her fledgling international career next month after she was yesterday named in Gene Muller’s 18-strong Ireland squad for the World Cup Qualifiers in Chile.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE have an instant opportunity to bounce back from their Munster Senior Cup final defeat to Cork Harlequins in midweek, as they lock horns with Greenfields in the Irish Trophy final at Belfield on Sunday (1.30pm).

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE will be keen to mark their centenary year in style as their men’s and women’s teams both contest the Munster Senior Cup finals on home turf at Rosbrien, Limerick today.