HOCKEY/Irish Senior Cup Final: The last time Cork Harlequins won an Irish Senior Cup match outright was December 14th of last year when they beat Antrim 11-0. The talented side have since taken 19 penalties in the competition, scored 16 of them, hit the woodwork twice and had one saved.

Against Annadale, this season's otherwise unbeaten Ulster League champions, the sides tied at 3-3 before Harlequins won the penalty shoot-out (5-4) to go through to meet Pembroke at Serpentine Avenue. Again the teams finished 1-1 with Harlequins advancing (4-3) to face Corinthians in the semi-final. Whitechurch Park in Dublin presented the same script for the endgame and once more it was Harlequins (5-4) after extra time left the teams level at 2-2.

Not to break a sequence Harlequins were also locked into a penalty shoot-out with Cork C of I in their quest for the Munster Senior League last week. Although that one got away from them, despite their 7-0 short-corner count, Harlequins, it could be said, are well oiled for at least one possible aspect of Saturday's Cup final against Lisnagarvey.

While Lisnagarvey will arrive at Belfield having hit three goals in each of their four previous Senior Cup matches, they are one side who will not wish for the final to go into a penalty shoot-out, a rule which was introduced in the years following the Avoca-Lisnagarvey marathon of 1996. That match went through normal time and two periods of extra time on the Saturday, then a replay of normal time and almost two periods of extra time on the Sunday before Robbie Ryan scored the Avoca winner.

Since then penalties have become an important aspect of cup final day, a point on which 'Garvey will not wish to dwell. In the 2000 final Pembroke and themselves settled on 3-3 before the Dublin side carried away the trophy 4-3 in penalties.

But 'Garvey have also been the most prolific of winners, having won the cup 19 times, the last in 1997, and prior to that seven times in succession between 1988 and 1994. They also go into the final as favourites, as much because their week-in, week-out level of play is consistently higher than that of Harlequins. It is an aspect that is difficult to overlook for the Cork side, who have scored 137 goals in all competitions this season, a figure swollen by too many five and six-nil wins in the Munster league, where C of I are the only serious opposition. An All Ireland League? Let's not get Harlequins on to that one.

The Cork side have also had a five-week lull to think about a trophy they have never won and in the past two weeks have fretted over injury worries. Seán Nicholson cracked his ankle at an Irish squad session while David Eakins has had to nurse a foot injured in the interprovincial championship. But both are fit to play.

Lisnagarvey have experienced players in Julian Stevenson, Errol Lutton and the Tumilty brothers Lee and Mark and in Philip Stirling they have a player capable of tonking in short corners, over 30 this season so far.

But just six of Lisnagarvey's 16-strong squad have Irish Senior Cup medals in their possession, Mark Raphael, Stevenson, Mark Tumilty, Brian Waring, Johnny Gray and reserve goalkeeper Kyle Lunn, so there is a hunger at work not normally associated with such a successful club.

Coach Peter McCabe has stated that the Irish Senior Cup has been Lisnagarvey's main priority since the season began and overall has shaped an impressively controlled side, one that will face a terrific Harlequins defence marshalled by captain Jason Black.

Where the Cork side are strong is sweeping from defence to attack. And with lots of bolshiness, aggression and talent, once the nerves have subsided they won't be frightened of taking it to Lisnagarvey.

Not so strange, it could be tight enough to go to penalties. Place your bets.

CORK HARLEQUINS: W Bateman, M Pedersen, J Hobbs, P Chambers, S Nicholson, D Eakins, J Aherne, J Black, R Gash, B Hayes Curtin, P Lombard, E Gash, D Lombard, P McLoughlin, C Brady, C Daunt.

LISNAGARVEY: N Brazil, B Waring, M Robinson, P Fleming, L Tumilty, J Gray, G Bittle, M Tumilty, K Lunn, E Lutton, M Raphael, T Cockram, Julian Stevenson, P Stirling, M Lappin, K Lunn.

Umpires: R O'Connor, W McCully.

IRISH SENIOR CUP FINAL: Cork Harlequins v Lisnagarvey, Belfield 2.30 p.m.