WOMEN'S HOCKEY: SHORT OF THEM suffering the mother of all calamities against Pembroke Wanderers this evening - namely a defeat by eight clear goals - Hermes will regain the Leinster first division title they lost to Loreto in the last campaign.
A thrilling title race it has been too, its closeness demonstrated by the fact that while Pembroke still, mathematically, have a chance of winning the league tonight a defeat would see them finish fourth in the table, resulting in them missing qualification for this season's Club Championships.
Railway Union moved up to second on Saturday with their 5-1 defeat of Trinity and so completed a superb season by clinching a place in the Club Championships.
Pembroke must take a point from tonight's game to join them, in which case Loreto would miss out.
The top four, though, are all assured of qualification for next season's inaugural All-Ireland League, with fifth-placed UCD going into a play-off.
Pembroke's title hopes all but ended after their 1-1 draw with Loreto on Saturday.
After surviving a first-half scare, when Loreto had a penalty stroke saved, they took the lead a minute after the break when Siobhán Kane was successful from the spot. Sarah Scott, though, levelled for Loreto, deflecting home an Orla Ryan free hit.
Meanwhile Ireland completed their build-up to the Olympic Qualifier with a 4-0 win over France at Belfield yesterday.
Ciara O'Brien opened the scoring two minutes before the break from a short corner.
Alex Speers, Emma Stewart and Jenny McDonough added further goals in the second half.
