Munster clubs going for glory

A sizeable proportion of the Munster hockey community is decamping to Belfield this weekend as four of the province’s teams go chasing Irish cup glory.

Cork Church of Ireland’s women are first up as they bid to become the second Munster winners of the trophy, taking on North Down in the decider tomorrow (1pm).

Eddie Kirwan’s side consolidated fourth place in Munster this year but have saved their best for the national stage, winning four times on the road. Amy Roberts, Ali O’Regan and Jen Hales are among their totems, while Emma Rumley and Emma Barber lead a clutch of talented schoolgirls in the Garryduff side.

Bandon’s men are also chasing a first national title as they go toe to toe with Newry in the men’s IHT final (5pm). Irish-capped Alastair Smith — scorer of a hat-trick in the 3-1 semi-final win over Clontarf — and Ireland A international Clinton Sweetnam provide the star quality since returning to the club from C of I and UCD, respectively.

Making it an even bigger day for hockey in West Cork is Clonakilty’s presence in the women’s Irish Hockey Challenge final, where they’ll take on Botanic (3pm).

The club is just finishing their third season — they were founded in 2011- and have already won silverware in Munster despite their fledgling status. Former Munster senior star Hilary Chapple and current Munster Junior Freda Buttimer will pull the strings for Clon, who have been humbled by the support from their community, with numerous signs and banners adorning the town.

Limerick’s men hope to end their cup heartache by nailing down the IHC title, having been beaten in the 2010 decider by St Brendan’s/Phoenix Park. Portrush are the opposition this time around, with the Treaty men better equipped for the fight this time around. Munster underage representatives David Cardy, Nathan Eacrett and Jonny Powell form a lethal attacking threat alongside top scorer Cathal Duggan.

They will, nonetheless, need to tighten up at the back, having conceded six in games against UCC and Catholic Institute to lose out on the Cork Cup and Munster Junior Cup, respectively.

Elsewhere, it’s Irish Junior Cup finals weekend with Pembroke Wanderers looking for a rare double over UCD (women) and Monkstown (men), while the final qualifiers for next year’s Irish Hockey League will be decided too.

The women’s wildcard playoffs see Catholic Institute host NUIG tomorrow with a victory taking them into a decider against Old Alex or Ulster Elks on Sunday. The men’s is a straight shootout between Cork Harlequins and Annadale on neutral turf in Milltown, Dublin on Sunday.