WOMEN'S HOCKEY: Whether or not either club can go on to become the first All-Ireland champions from Leinster since Muckross triumphed in 1997 remains to be seen, but the manner in which Hermes and Loreto qualified for next weekend's Club Championship finals should, at least, make Pegasus anticipate a determined challenge to their five-in-a-row aspirations.

After losing the first legs of their quarter-finals to Ards and Ballymoney, respectively, Hermes and Loreto were in grave danger of failing to even reach the finals. But both rose marvellously to the occasion on Saturday, scoring 10 goals between them to overcome their Ulster opponents.

Early goals from Aisling Keane, Deirdre McDermott and Mary Logue turned the tie on its head at Belfield, putting Hermes (3-1 down from the first leg) 4-3 up on aggregate, but Ards responded courageously, with goals either side of the break from the outstanding Tamara Stronge giving her side the advantage again.

Logue, in vintage form, converted a stroke to level the tie at 5-5 (with Ards leading on away goals) and Hermes capitalised on Stronge's absence, after she received a yellow card, to seal the game (6-2, 7-5 on aggregate) with two goals in three minutes, the first from McDermott, the second completing Logue's hat-trick.

Earlier in the afternoon at Beaufort, Loreto beat Ballymoney, the team they succeeded as Irish Cup winners this season, thanks to a stirring final 20 minutes after Cathy McKean had squared the tie with a goal four minutes before half-time.

Sarah Rand put Loreto 2-1 up on aggregate from a penalty stroke before Aoife Pomeroy stretched the lead from a short corner. The goal of the game sealed the tie for Loreto - McKean collected Nikki Lyons' cross to round Angela Platt to score following a superb break from her own half by Caitriona O'Kelly - before Lynsey McVicker got a consolation goal for Ballymoney seconds before the end.

Harlequins also produced a dazzling second-half display to oust Pembroke Wanderers with whom they had drawn 0-0 in the first leg in Dublin.

Pembroke missed a stroke to level the game after Harlequins had taken a first-half lead and as the visitors pressed forward in the second half, they were caught by three breakaway goals before another score from a short corner made it 5-0 for the Munster champions.

Karen O'Brien (two), Elaine Bromel, Sarah Canning and Marissa Aherne got the goals.