Munster ladies all out to end eight-year wait for interprovincial title

MUNSTER ladies will be attempting to end an eight-year wait when the senior hockey inter-provincial tournament is staged at Harlequin Park, Cork, this weekend.

Munster last won the title in the 1994/95 season, and since then Leinster and Ulster have been the dominant forces, with the former the defending champions.

The host club form the backbone of the Munster challenge with no fewer than eight players on the squad, including Irish team captain Rachel Kohler and in-form Karen Bateman.

The Quins players are sure to be fully focused as a fortnight later they engage Loreto in the Sharwoods Irish Senior Cup final. Loreto too are well represented on the Leinster panel, so both teams’ coaches will be paying close attention to the inter-pro proceedings.

For the first time, both the men’s and women’s championships are being decided on the same weekend and at the same venue.

The women’s programme is: Friday: 16.00 Munster v Leinster; 18.00 Ulster v Connacht. Saturday: 10.00 Munster v Ulster; 14.00 Connacht v Leinster. Sunday: 09.00 Connacht v Munster; 13.00 Ulster v Leinster.

CONNACHT: T Browne, Hermes; S Collins, Renmore; A Barry, Trinity; O Canavan, Pembroke; C Deacy, Pembroke; C Grealy, Loreto; E Fitzgibbon, Galway; A Mitchell, Trinity; J Morris, Pembroke; C Murphy, Galway; D McDermott, Hermes; S McDonald, Greenfields; E MacNicholas, Pembroke; O Ryan, Loreto; L O’Hagan, Pembroke; S Scott, Loreto.

LEINSTER: N King, Old Alexandra; M Goode, Pembroke; T Conway, Old Alexandra; V Doran, Pembroke; C Hayes, Pembroke; E Horan, UCD;

K Hiles, Old Alexandra; S Kane, Genesis; D Kelly, Hermes; C Murray, UCD; C McKean, Loreto; J Osbourne, Hermes; C O’Kelly, Loreto; C O’Brien, UCD; L O’Neill, UCD; N Symmons, Loreto.

MUNSTER: R Wolfe, Corinthian; O McCarthy, K Bateman, E Brommel, S Canning, Cork Harlequins; A Carey, UCC; J Chapple, Cork Harlequins; E Cregan, University of Limerick; F Connery, Hermes; E Dillon, Cork Harlequins; J Hales, Cork Church of Ireland; J Hyland, Cork Harlequins; C Kenefick, UCC; R Kingston, Bandon; R Kohler, Cork Harlequins; N Lyons, Loreto.

ULSTER: J Gibson, Belfast Harlequins; L A Forsythe, Portadown; S Beaney, Belfast Harlequins; H Cathcart, Hightown; L Feeney, Belfast Harlequins; F Ferguson, P Magill, K Maybin, Pegasus; J McDonough, Belfast Harlequins; B McKeever, Ballymoney, K Mills, Pegasus, H Mullan, Pegasus; J Orbinson, Portadown; C Parkhill, Randalstown; S Parkhill, Randalstown; C Redpath, Pegasus.