Cookstown to appeal result

HOCKEY: It's a touch unlikely that the club will end up going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to challenge the outcome of Saturday's ESB Irish Senior Cup defeat by the University of Limerick but Cookstown will appeal against the running of the penalty strokes competition that was required to settle the tie.

The umpires, it would appear, made precisely the same error on Saturday that led to Ireland going to CAS back in 2002 to challenge their strokes 'defeat' by Lithuania at the World Cup Qualifier.

After the game had finished 1-1 Cookstown and Limerick could still not be separated by the first series of strokes - it was at this point that the Lithuania-like error occurred.

The team that takes the first penalty stroke of the first series should not take the first stroke of the second series - but Cookstown took both.

Cookstown, aware of the mistake, refused to sign the match sheet after the game and say they will be lodging an appeal against the result.

Armagh produced the performance of the first round, beating Bandon 7-4 after extra time, having trailed 3-0 to the Munster side.

Three Rock lost out on penalty strokes to Ballyclare but Catholic Institute had a more successful trip up north, beating Ballymena 2-1.

Their reward is an away tie against Pembroke Wanderers who eased to a 5-0 win over Trinity on Saturday.

On the international front, Caitríona Carey, the Hermes player, has announced her retirement and, so, will be unavailable for selection for April's World Cup qualifier in Rome.

Carey was recalled to the Irish panel by Riet Kuper back in May when she came out of retirement following a five year absence from international hockey and was part of the squad that competed in August's European Championship.