Demons in a Merry mood

THE battle for National Cup glory reaches the penultimate stage this weekend when the semi-finals will be decided, with the focus on the National Basketball Arena where the men and women of the SuperLeague will face intriguing ties on Sunday afternoon.

In the men’s semi-finals SuperLeague champions, UCC Demons meet Northern Conference leaders Merry Monk Ballina, while Limerick Lions, two points behind Demons on the table, renew rivalry with DART Killester, who are stalking Ballina.

UCC Demons are favourites given the depth of talent along their bench, and Pat Price’s ability to utilise it, but each of the four teams have claims to this season’s title.

“We played Ballina earlier in the season and we beat them but I would not place much emphasis on that particular game,” Pat Price said. “Since then they have recruited Patrick Pope who played with us last season and is a very good player and they did not have Ronan McGarrity.

“We feel pretty good the way we have been playing the first half of the season, and I say that still knowing we are not yet the finished product. We have 44 minutes to do it on Sunday.”

Limerick Lions beat DART Killester last weekend in the NIVEA for MEN SuperLeague but coach Tom Hehir has put that game behind him. “The points were important coming off a loss to Demons. I did not think about the cup but I wish I could say that about some of my players,” he said.

Their Bosman player, Adrian Walsh, is still rate doubtful. It is expected Ricardo Leonard will figure in the action however.

They won the Cup in 2002 and two members of that squad will be playing: Robert Lynch, and Neil Campbell, then a 17-year-old sitting on the bench, now an exciting regular on the starting five.

Robert Taylor and Jonathan Steven have been the epitome of consistency all season, while Stephen King can be exciting on his day.

They face a confident Killester side. Damien Sealy, Pat Grennell and John Quigley all have a wealth of experience. Kieran O’Brien, who served his apprenticeship at Neptune Stadium, is another with immense talent.

When defending champions, DART Killester, beat the favourites Vienna Woods Glanmire 56-53 in their quarter-final, the women’s cup was thrown wide open. They go into their semi-final against Carna Transport Mercy in a confident mood with their American, Sue Altman, top scorer in the league and captain Carmel Kissane leading by example.

UL Aughinish will be bidding to reclaim the title they relinquished to Killester but may find Mustang Sallys St Paul’s a difficult proposition in the first of the women’s semi-finals.

The semi-finals weekend at Greendale begins with the two senior women’s semi-finals tonight when PV’s Falcons play Tolka Rovers and Team Blarney Park Hotel meet DART Killester.

Tomorrow DART Killester and Meteors meet in the first junior women’s semi-final and Shamrock Rovers Hoops and UCD Marian meet in the junior men’s semi-final.

The senior men’s semi-finals will be between Clondalkin Lakers and PV’s Falcons and Tolka Rovers and Sligo All-Stars while the fourth session will see the second junior women’s semi-final between Sligo All-Stars and UL Aughinish and the second junior men’s semi-final between Clondalkin Lakers and DART Killester.