Womens Hockey: This time a year ago six of the Irish senior squad currently in Argentina preparing for next month's Olympic Qualifier in New Zealand - Deirdre Casey, Eimear Cregan and Kristin Farrell of Munster, Ulster's Nicky McCaughern and Bridget McKeever and Leinster's Nikki Symmons - were preparing to play in the under-21 interprovincial tournament at Kilkenny College.
Their rapid promotion (Cregan and Symmons already had senior caps by then) to Riet Kuper's squad means there's plenty of incentive for this year's crop of interprovincial under-21 players to make an impression.
So, those who can make a name for themselves at Grange Road over the weekend - where the interprovincial tournament starts today with the meeting of hosts Leinster and Munster (5.30), followed by defending champions Ulster's game against South East (7.30) - could yet find themselves as contenders for a place in the senior Irish squad that competes in next year's European Nations' Cup finals.
A broken thumb has ruled Kirsty McCollum (Pegasus) out of the tournament - she has been replaced by Ballymoney's Jane Nelson in the squad - but Ulster still boast an impressive panel, one that includes the prodigious Alex Speers, who, like her Royal School Armagh team-mate Emma Stewart, was on the Irish under-16 squad last season. Erika Henry's 18 also features four of last season's Irish under-21 squad and four of the under-18s.
Carol McGowan (Corinthian), Nikki Keegan (Loreto) and Emma Smyth (Railway Union), all under-21 internationals, provide the backbone of Annette Fortune's Leinster squad, which also includes three of last season's Irish under-18 players, goalkeeper Shauna Frey (Old Alexandra), Sarah Cooney (Loreto) and Christine Quinlan (Hermes).
Munster, meanwhile, are boosted by the return of Emer Harte from England, where she is in college. The under-21 international was named on the senior development panel last September, as was Ciara Murphy who is included in the Connacht squad.
South-East have three Hermes players on their panel - Aine Connery, Lisa Jacob and Elaine O'Neill - as well as Irish under-18 goalkeeper Sarah Kehoe and under-16 Eibhlin O'Donoghue.
After opening their week-long stay in Argentina with an unofficial game against Holland, Ireland play world champions Argentina tomorrow, Korea on Monday, Argentina again on Wednesday, followed by two games against the Argentinian under-21s and one against club side Cordoba.
UNDER-21 INTERPROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT (at Grange Road): Today: Munster v Leinster, 5.30; Ulster v South East, 7.30. Tomorrow: Munster v Connacht, 9.0; Leinster v South East, 11.0; Ulster v Connacht, 1.0; Munster v South East, 3.0; Leinster v Ulster, 5.0. Sunday: Connacht v South East, 9.0; Ulster v Munster, 11.0; Leinster v Connacht, 1.0.
