Family ties are hardly unusual in hockey but rarely is it a generational thing — unless you’re Joan and Emma Dobson.

They say you don’t win titles at Christmas — but if you’re Catholic Institute, you can certainly win them in January.

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

THE KERRY management’s desire to employ Marc Ó Sé’s footballing talents in the half-back line gets another trial tomorrow in Tralee, with the youngest of the Gaeltacht brothers selected at right half-back for the clash with Mayo.

IRELAND’S senior men’s squad is more than 300 caps lighter in terms of experience following yesterday’s decision by Glenanne duo Stephen Butler and Graham Shaw to bring the curtain down on their international careers.

CATHOLIC INSTITUTE will be hoping history repeats itself almost a quarter of a century on as they face the daunting task of toppling unbackable favourites Cork Church of Ireland in Saturday’s Peard Cup final at Rosbrien (1pm).

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.

JASON LYNCH faces the novel prospect of lining out against former colleagues on his old stomping ground for the second time in a week, as he prepares to don the colours of Ulster at the senior hockey interprovincials at Garryduff in Cork this weekend.

NEW Irish coach Paul Revington saw his new charges rack up a 3-1 victory against an ill-disciplined Scotland last night at Banbridge, but what he can draw from the game is hard to judge.

NINE US basketball players have been suspended after an on-court brawl spilled into the stands and nearly turned into a riot.

IRISH coach David Scott has to plan without his U-21 talent, but will welcome the return of five experienced internationals for a three-game series with Belgium in Brussels later this month.

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.

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.

LISNAGARVEY, favourites to win the Irish Senior Hockey Cup in Belfield today (2.30 pm), were yesterday described by Harlequins’ coach, Stephen Jackson, as the “aristocrats of Irish hockey”.

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.

THE vexed question as to whether or not it is helpful to practice penalties can only be answered one way according to Cork Harlequins’ hockey players.