With Ards on European Indoor Championship duty in France this weekend, necessitating the postponement of their fixture against UCD, there are just four Hockey League games scheduled for Saturday with Loreto looking to hold on to the top spot they regained from Pegasus last weekend.
While the top two, as well as UCD in third, are all looking good for a place in the end-of-season Champions Trophy, just four points separates the next five teams at the halfway stage of the competition, Pembroke Wanderers leading that pack. They face a testing away trip to Pegasus this weekend, though, the Belfast side eager to get back to winning ways after their defeat by UCD.
Fifth meets seventh in the game between Belfast Harlequins and Railway Union at Deramore Park, the teams having drawn when they met back in October, while Cork Harlequins, away to Old Alexandra, will attempt to bounce back from the frustration of conceding a last-minute winner to Loreto a week ago.
Topsy-turvy season
It continues to be a topsy-turvy season for Harlequins who have struggled at home, losing four of their five games, but have been impressive on the road, picking up wins against Belfast Harlequins, Railway Union and UCD, Loreto the only away game they didn’t win. They lost to Alexandra at Farmer’s Cross in October, but will hope they can maintain that away form in the return game.
Loreto, meanwhile, will expect to take the points from bottom club Muckross, who have taken just one point from eight games, the leaders winning 5-0 when they met on the second weekend of the League. Muckross have, though, become much more solid defensively since then and have made the likes of Pegasus, Cork Harlequins and Pembroke work hard for their victories over them.
