First up in basketball this weekend is National Cup action when UCC Demons take on local rivals Neptune in a backyard brawl at the Mardyke Arena in Cork on Friday night to determine which team advances through the knockout stages.

LIMERICK Lions hammered out a sensational 94-83 victory over UCC Demons as defending champions Abrakebabra Tigers kept their title hopes intact with a two point victory over Merry Monk Ballina when the SuperLeague Men’s National Cup got underway at the weekend.

AFTER an amazing weekend that saw Neptune overwhelmed by DART Killester and Mardyke UCC Demons lose an apparently unassailable lead before fighting back to beat UCD, the pairings for next weekend’s semi-finals of the NIVEA for Men SuperLeague have been decided with Abrakebabra Tigers from Tralee and Roma St. Vincent’s already qualified.

COACH Jim Nugent says Davenno Hines will be a key player as Neptune battle for a place in the play-off stages of the NIVEA for Men SuperLeague.

AFTER the excitement of the senior men’s cup last weekend some clubs will be searching through the debris over the coming days to see if they can salvage anything.

COACHES Pat Price and Jim Nugent insist they are putting points before passion when Mardyke UCC Demons and Neptune clash in tonight’s Cork derby SuperLeague game at The Mardyke Arena (8.15pm).

In basketball’s Women's SuperLeague, UL Aughinish will be fiercely protecting their unbeaten record in their match against Dart Killester this weekend.

LIMERICK coach Tom Hehir last night appealed to fans to support them as they celebrated their biggest weekend since winning the National Cup a couple of years ago with back to back SuperLeague victories over Neptune and Waterford Crystal.

A MONTH into the ESB Superleague few would have predicted BurgerKing Limerick and Gleneagle Lakers would be fighting out the most important game of the season on the last weekend of the competition.

A WIN for Gleneagle Lakers over Dart Killester on Saturday, a shock defeat for champions Neptune at Shamrock Rovers and an unexpected drubbing for double-chasing Mardyke UCC Demons at the hands of St Vincent's yesterday has added a new edge to the ESB SuperLeague.

Drimnagh Dynamos 54 Vienna Woods Glanmire 44

SCRUFFY’S St. Paul’s qualified for the semi-final stages and a clash with the three time winners, Bausch & Lomb Wildcats after an impressive 77-67 victory over XLR8 Auto Drimnagh Dynamos in an exciting quarter final of the ESB Women’s Cup in Killarney.

WATERFORD Crystal picked up only their third Superleague success of the season when they had 10 points to spare (88-78) over Burger King Limerick in the only men’s senior game of the weekend.

UNBEATEN at the top of the ESB SuperLeague table, Horan’s Healthstores Tigers’ next joust is against Mardyke UCC Demons who travel to the Tralee Sports Centre tomorrow night.

Table toppers, Horan’s Health Stores Tigers, face a tough assignment in their opening game in the ESB National Cup when they host the SuperLeague champions, Neptune, at the Tralee Sports Centre on the weekend of December 5-7.

TOM HEHIR, the Burger King Limerick Coach, faces a race against time in a bid to sign an American before tomorrow night’s ESB SuperLeague clash with Waterford Crystal at the University Arena.