MEN'S HOCKEY: The second half of Corinthians' run against Pembroke in the Leinster Senior Cup semi-final last week will have encouraged the side for their tough home fixture against Cork Harlequins in tomorrow's Irish Senior Cup semi-final.
Miles Warren's last-gasp volley at Grange Road that might have brought the game to extra time, but was not allowed, was a positive finish to the match, but one on which Corinthians will want to improve.
The Dublin side clearly enjoy attacking, and with playmaker James Benson determining much of the tempo that aspect of the Dublin side's game is dangerous to anyone. Benson will have to play well to get the rest to tick.
In Cork Harlequins they face a team that narrowly slipped past Pembroke in the last round, 4-3 on penalties. On that logic, there is not a lot between the sides.
Perhaps the Cork side arrive with more experience of a higher level of hockey. Wesley Bateman in goal is a serious obstacle, while the international experience of Jason Black, David Eakins and Paul Lombard represent a hard core of elite players, along with Sean Nicholson. Eakins and Lombard are particularly dangerous.
Anxious to go well in Europe later in the year as Irish cub champions and go a few stages better than last year's cup quarter-final, Whitechurch Park should enjoy a competitive match but one in which home goalkeeper Charlie Henderson could play a leading role.
In Blaris, Lisnagarvey invariably feel invulnerable and that occasionally filters through to teams visiting Lisburn.
But Cork C of I have experience enough to cope with it. Karl Burns, David Hobbs, Nigel Buttimer and John Jermyn bring international experience, with Hobbs and Jermyn, particularly, seen match winners while Colin Hanna and Ali Dunne will provide valuable seasoned back-up.
Lisnagarvey, though, have some young players coming through to add to the heavyweight names of Erroll Lutton, Mark Raphael and Julian Stevenson.
But their weakness may well be their defence, although, that is clearly relative to how well C of I, who have lost there more than won in recent years, make the long journey north.
In the Leinster Senior League, YMCA meet Glenanne in a match the visitors must win if they wish to keep pressure on Three Rock Rovers. Both Rovers, who have no match this weekend, and Glenanne hope to win their remaining fixtures. If that happens both sides will finish the season on level points, in which case a play-off will decide the winner.
IRISH SENIOR CUP - Semi-finals: Corinthians v Cork Harlequins, Whitechurch 2.0; Lisnagarvey v Cork C of I, Blaris 2.30.
Division One: YMCA v Glenanne 2.0 Wesley College; UCD v Railway Union 4.0 Belfield. Division Two: St Brendan's v Naas 1.0 Phoenix Park; Skerries v Clontarf 12.0 Skerries; Weston v Suttonians 1.30 King's Hospital; Dublin University v St James' Gate 1.30 Santry; Bray v Portrane 1.0 Loreto Bray.
