When Hermes added players of the quality of Carol Devine, Zanya Dahl, Aoife Byrne and Aisling Keane to their squad during the summer, it was clear that the club's first team would be a formidable one this season. Of course the inevitable consequence of that strengthening of the squad was that the club's second team wouldn't be half bad either - on Saturday they proved what a "half decent" team they were by knocking Senior A's Railway Union out of the Leinster Senior Cup.
So, not content with their first team leading the Leinster Senior A league table, the club now has two teams in the quarter-finals of the Leinster Senior Cup. The firsts got the club's day off to a winning start at Belfield when they eased their way past a Trinity side "fresh" from their Intervarsity success in Belfast on Thursday. Dawn Kelly opened the scoring before a superb solo effort from midfielder Fiona Manning secured a 20 win over the students.
Later that afternoon, Hermes II took on Railway Union at the same venue, and Rosie Walsh, a first team regular until this season, gave the Senior B team the lead in the first half. Railway's Ciara O'Brien equalised after the break, before Walsh's second of the match knocked the Senior A team out of the Cup.
Muckross, Old Alexandra and Pembroke Wanderers had no such trouble with their Senior B opponents, scoring 25 goals between them without reply. Muckross were top scorers, with Orla Bell scoring three of their 10 against Railway Union II. Pembroke Wanderers put nine past Diocesan at Serpentine Avenue, while a Trish Conway hat-trick helped Old Alexandra on their way to a 6-0 victory over Corinthian. Glenanne needed extra time before a Jane Salter goal clinched a 2-1 victory over UCD at Belfield, while Loreto were indebted to a goal from their captain, Aoife Pomeroy, to give them a 2-1 win over Genesis, whose performance suggested they are improving with every game since their return to Senior A hockey this season.
In the round's only all Senior B tie, Loreto II beat Aer Lingus with an Arlene Horgan penalty stroke. The draw for the quarter-finals pitches the two remaining Senior B teams - Hermes II and Loreto II - against each other, while Hermes I take on Senior A rivals Old Alexandra, Muckross play Pembroke Wanderers and Loreto meet Glenanne. In Ulster, Pegasus stretched their lead at the top of the table by beating Ards, their nearest rivals, 5-0 at the Ards Leisure Centre. Heather Thompson helped defending champions Randalstown move in to second when she contributed three goals to the team's 5-0 win over Coleraine at the Antrim Forum.
Leinster Senior Cup - Second Round: Trinity 0, Hermes 2 (D Kelly, F Manning); Muckross 10 (O Bell 3, C Johnson 2, S Scott 2, T Hurley, C Deasy, T McHugh), Railway Union II 0; Aer Lingus 0, Loreto II 1 (A Stanton, pen); Old Alexandra 6 (T Skoyles, H Agar, C Metchette, T Conway 3), Corinthian 0; Pembroke Wanderers 9 (O Mulvihill 2, A Donnelly 2, A McSweeney 2, J Phelan 2, B Duggan), Diocesan 0; UCD 1 (J Delaney), Glenanne 2 (P Davis, J Salter) aet; Hermes II 2 (R Walsh), Railway Union 1 (C O'Brien); Genesis 1 (J Stewart), Loreto 2 (J O'Kelly, A Pomeroy).
Leinster Senior Cup - Third round draw: Hermes II v Loreto II, Hermes v Old Alexandra, Muckross v Pembroke Wanderers, Loreto v Glenanne. Ties to be played December 20.
Munster Senior League: Church of Ireland 3 (N Mason, J Hales, D Hill), Waterford 2 (S Ryan, E Strappe); Harlequins II 0, Harlequins 6 (J Kehilly, R Kohler, K Barry, J Chapple, K O'Brien 2).
Ulster Senior League - Section One: Ards 0, Pegasus 5 (J Turner, C Samways, J Campbell, C McMahon, N Long); Randalstown 5 (H Thompson 3, J McWilliams, K Maybin), Coleraine 0; Collegians 1 (K Alexander), North Down 0; Owls 0, Knock 1 (M Cullen); Portadown 5 (V Best 2, J Crean, J Orbinson, W Bailie), Victorians 0.
