HOCKEY/Leinster Senior League:Loreto led the Leinster first division table for most of the season but a couple of wobbles in their title-run, when they drew with Corinthian and Railway Union last month, opened the door for Hermes and Old Alexandra. On Saturday, though, they held their nerve when they most needed to, beating Alexandra 2-0 at Beaufort to regain the Leinster title they lost to Hermes last season.

Hermes, who needed Loreto and Alexandra to draw, did what they had to do on Saturday, beating Railway Union 5-1 - for the second weekend running Jenny Burke scored four goals in a game. The half-time score from Beaufort (0-0) would have raised their hopes of holding on to their crown, but they were soon dashed after the break, Jessica Lynch giving Loreto the lead, before Caitriona Tipping all but sealed the title by making it 2-0.

The defeat was Alexandra's first of the league season and while they missed out on the club's first Leinster title since 1991 they have the consolation of qualifying for the All-Ireland Club Championships, beating Pembroke Wanderers to third place by a point. Just five points separated the top four teams, making it one of the most competitive campaigns in recent years.

Loreto, then, coached for the first time this season by Guy Garrett, have won their third title in four years - indeed not since 1997, when Muckross completed a six-in-a-row, has anyone but Loreto or Hermes won the league.

It's been a decade of domination by the top one in Ulster, Pegasus sealing their 10th successive league title on Saturday with a 5-1 defeat of Armagh. The champions effectively had the league wrapped up weeks ago but, with five games still to go, their 13th win out of 13 games made it a mathematical certainty.

Leinster League: Division One: Pembroke Wanderers 14 (E MacNicholas 3, S Clarke 3, D Kelly 3, E Bromell 3, W Hobson, S Hall) Clontarf 0; Corinthians 3 (S Geoffroy 2, C Parker) Trinity 0; Loreto 2 (J Lynch, C Tipping) Old Alexandra 0; Railway Union 1 (K Dillon) Hermes 5 (J Burke 4, M Powers). Division Two: Saturday: Pembroke Wanderers II 1 (E McHugh) Loreto II 2 (G Magnier, R O'Keeffe); Corinthians II 0, Railway Union II 1 (J Coyne); Glenanne 0, Genesis 3 (C Maguire, G Cotter, K McKenna). Irish Junior Cup final: Bray 0 Old Alexandra II 2 (S O'Mahony 2).