Sport

Aer Lingus aim for new heights

MENS HOCKEY: The Leinster Senior League reaches a crucial stage this month, especially for Aer Lingus as they make a bold bid…

Dermot Ashmore
Fri Feb 04 2005 - 00:00

MENS HOCKEY: The Leinster Senior League reaches a crucial stage this month, especially for Aer Lingus as they make a bold bid to win the title for the first time or, at least, qualify for the all-Ireland play-offs.

Poised just two points behind the joint leaders, Pembroke Wanderers and Glenanne, the potential high flyers challenge Pembroke this weekend, the next assignment is against fourth-placed Monkstown and then there is a meeting with Glenanne.

On paper, the odds slightly favour Aer Lingus tomorrow, for it's a home game and they beat Pembroke 4-3, away, in October. On the debit side, though, there was a 2-1 reversal of fortunes in the Neville Cup final on St Stephen's Day.

Skiing holidays sometimes leave teams short a valuable player or two at this time of year but if Pembroke are close to full strength, the slalom-type incisiveness of John Jermyn and Gordon Elliott will need the sharpest response from the home side, not least from Trevor Parsons and Adrian Sweeney. It is a contest which could well end in an undulating draw, allowing a clear lead to open up for Glenanne, who are hosts to Three Rock Rovers. The earlier fixture between these sides ended in a 3-3 division of the spoils but it will be difficult for Rovers to match Glenanne's battling qualities on this occasion.

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Monkstown cannot afford to drop any more points, yet they will face resilient resistance from Railway Union at Park Avenue, particularly as Railway (who held Monkstown to 1-1 in October) want to steer away from the relegation zone.

Here, Trinity keep threatening to break clear. The students remarkably beat YMCA 8-2 at the start of the season but when they meet tomorrow at Claremont Road, these two young sides will be finely matched. Indeed, YM - guided by Jonathan Cole - may be more astute.

TOMORROW: Leinster Senior League: Division One - Railway Union v Monkstown, Park Avenue, 1.45; YMCA v Dublin University, Claremont Road, 12.30; Corinthians v Clontarf, Whitechurch Park, 12.30; Glennane v Three Rock Rovers, Glenanne Park, 2.0; Aer Lingus v Pembroke Wanderers, ALSAA, 1.0.

Division Two - Naas v UCD, Naas, 2.0; St Brendan's v Bray, DCU, 1.0; Skerries v Weston, RCSI, 1.0; Avoca v Portrane, Newpark, 1.45; Suttonians v St James's Gate, Sutton Park, 1.15.