Only three games gone but judging by their form so far this season, Hermes' quest to regain the Leinster Senior A title they lost to Loreto in the last campaign will take some stopping. On Saturday they not only made it three wins out of three in the Computershare-sponsored league, they swept aside the challenge of Old Alexandra, beating them 5-0 at Belfield.
There was little to choose between the teams in a scoreless first half but once Jenny Osborne broke the deadlock early in the second Hermes ran Alexandra ragged. Rosie Walsh, Daphne Sixsmith, Osborne again (with her fifth goal in three games) and Carol Devine completed the scoring.
Loreto and Pembroke Wanderers stay joint second after registering comfortable 4-0 victories over Trinity and Railway Union, respectively, while UCD were the day's top scorers, inflicting an 8-0 drubbing on Muckross, with Hilda Maguire scoring a hattrick. Genesis picked up their first points of the season beating Glenanne 3-1.
It proved to be a superb weekend for UCD who beat Pembroke 2-1, after extra time, in yesterday's first-round Leinster Senior Cup tie. Pembroke took an early lead but Ciara O'Brien levelled with 10 minutes to go, before Jill Kelly scored the winner in the first period of extra time.
To top it all UCD bagged a home tie in the draw for the first round of the Irish Senior Cup - they will play Randalstown next month. Railway Union host Ballymoney while, for the second year running, UCC have been drawn away to Coleraine - the Cork students will, no doubt, settle for a repeat of last year's scoreline when they won 2-0.
In the Ulster League, Section One newcomers Jordanstown followed up last week's impressive 4-1 win over Coleraine with their second top flight victory over Harlequins. Pegasus, meanwhile, trounced Portadown 5-0, thus adding weight to the theory that their defeat by Harlequins a fortnight ago was nothing but a blip.
Leinster League - Senior A: Loreto 4 (R Brophy, M Barnwell, S O'Meara, C McKean), Trinity 0; Hermes 5 (J Osborne 2, R Walsh, D Sixsmith, C Devine), Old Alexandra 0; Pembroke Wanderers 4 (A Donnelly 2, N Campbell, C Deacy), Railway Union 0; UCD 8 (H Maguire 3, K Little, C Larkin, L Cotter, A O'Connor, C O'Brien pen), Muckross 0; Genesis 3 (H Hughes 2, S O'Connor), Glenanne 1 (S Moody). Senior B: Avoca 0, Corinthian 1 (L Smith); Pembroke Wanderers II 3 (O Mulvihill, A Lorenz, E Glanville), Hermes II 0; Clontarf 1 (E Clinton), Aer Lingus 1 (A Murphy); Old Alexandra II 4 (L Byrne 2, S Clarke, C Daly), Railway Union II 0; Loreto II 6 (W Byrne 3, E Campion, S A Byrne, E Walkin), Our Ladys 1 (E Robinson).
