UCC hoping for another Gray day at Belfield

A MEMORABLE weekend could be in store for Munster hockey with three sides seeking maiden Irish cup titles, while there are a slew of pivotal ties as the leagues approach their finales.

UCC’s men will hope fond memories of Belfield for Gray brothers, Andy and Roger, will propel them to an Irish Trophy final win over Ulster’s South Antrim (Sunday, 1.15pm).

The Grays were involved in Munster’s last success in Irish competition, a stunning 5-1 win for Cork C of I over favourites Pembroke Wanderers in the 2009 Irish Junior Cup final, which featured a hat-trick for College skipper Andy.

College will need to bounce back from a sloppy league defeat to Cork Harlequins B last week, but can draw inspiration from overcoming first-half deficits to defeat Rathgar Chiefs and Clontarf in previous rounds.

Christopher McCandless’s South Antrim outfit will be a tough nut to crack, however; they have accounted for fancied sides such as Trinity and Belfast Harlequins en route to the decider, with Ricky O’Neill scoring vital goals.

Limerick and Dungarvan meet in an all-Munster women’s Irish Challenge final and the Treaty City girls, having blazed a trail through Division 3 this term, will be strong favourites.

Semi-final hat-trick hero and ex-Munster U18 captain Jenni Lyttle will be Limerick’s pivot, while Aoife McGovern and Maria Conroy have been matchwinners for Dungarvan in previous rounds.

Meanwhile, Cork Harlequins host Cork C of I at Farmer’s Cross (12.30pm) in the first of three men’s derbies that will decide the destination of both the league and Peard Cup crowns.

The psychological advantage is C of I’s after their 2-1 extra-time Munster Senior Cup semi-final win here last month, but Quins let that one slip through their fingers and won’t be short of motivation.

Across town, in Ballincollig, Belvedere need a miracle to stop a rampant Catholic Institute from claiming two points to end Cork Harlequins’ 15-year dominance of the women’s Division 1.

Ger O’Carroll’s side are on a high after their 5-2 Munster Senior Cup final win over Cork Harlequins, and a score draw against the league’s basement side will be enough to claim the league crown with two games to spare.

Meanwhile, the meeting of UCC and Cork Harlequins at the Mardyke has a lot riding on it, in terms of Irish Hockey League qualification.

Both sides are chasing second spot and automatic entry; Quins have two games in hand and a five-point deficit to make up, while College can claim the spoils with a win here and a draw in their final league clash with UL. A Quins defeat here would draw Bandon back into a dogfight for third place — which carries an IHL wildcard playoff berth — but the west Cork girls must do their bit by defeating C of I away to keep those faint hopes alive.

Meanwhile, Glenanne can wrench the Leinster men’s title from Pembroke tomorrow away to faltering challengers YMCA, who took matters out of their own hands in drawing 1-1 with Monkstown in midweek.