Champions face strong challenge

MEN'S HOCKEY: Ulster's hold on the Under-18 interprovincial title will be strongly challenged by both Leinster and Munster as the hockey spotlight returns to Harelequin Park, Cork, this weekend.

No doubt, Paul Gleghorne leads another talented Ulster side but Leinster can count not only on the attacking prowess of the Pembroke Wanderers Wanderers pair of Alan Sothern and Tim Hill, supplemented by Mitch Darling, but they also have notable driving figures in Daryl Walker and Alastair Haughton, and an accomplished goalkeeper in Iain Walker.

Four players who were much to the fore at under-21 level - Colin Crowley, Lee Dalton, Jonathan Bruton and Stephen Sweetnam - form the nucleus of Munster's ambitious squad.

Yet, if Leinster show sufficient stamina on Sunday, they may well emerge as champions. The under-16 laurels could fall to Ulster, who include Chris Gregg (a name to strike a bell if not a goal).

Because of calls to the youth interprovincials as well as injuries and the loan of Colm Brady to Avoca for the European indoor championship in Finland, Pembroke were last night seeking a postponement of tomorrow's Leinster Senior League game against Corinthians at Whitechurch Park.

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus, glad to welcome back Ken Treacy and Adrian Sweeney after last Saturday's heavy defeat by Monkstown, face a severe test at the airport against Glenanne, who won 3-2 in their earlier meeting.

Although losing to Pembroke and surrendering their share of the league leadership, Glenanne still aim to pursue the title with zeal, not least through Alan Browne and Gary Shaw.

Aer Lingus need to produce a total performance to even save a point which would be valuable in view of Monkstown's renewed chase of the prestigious third-place berth.

Monkstown, though, will require the utmost concentration to keep Trinity at bay at Booterstown.

The free-scoring students lost only 5-3 in their November meeting and have been pretty sprightly of late.

On Sunday, Trinity take on UCD in a series of Colours matches against UCD at Park Avenue in aid of GOAL's tsunami relief fund.

MUNSTER UNDER-18: D Harte (Bandon), P Lecane (Ashton); G Beamish (Bandon), C Bray (Newtown), J Bruton (Ashton), C Crowley (Bandon) capt, L Dalton (Bandon), W Daunt (Ashton), S Deane (Ashton), D Farrell (Midleton), J Lynch (Bandon), C Moore (Midleton), P O'Leary (Bandon), A Pritchard (Bandon), D Quinn (Newtown), R Smith (Bandon), S Sweetnam (Ashton); manager: R Gash; coach: J Hobbs.

LEINSTER UNDER-18: I Walker (Wesley), H Bagnall (Kilkenny); A Haughton (St Andrew's) capt, C Pelow (Wesley), H Micks (Wesley), D Loughrey (St Andrew's), S Furlong (Wesley), D Walker (Wesley), R Wyse (St Andrew's), A Sothern (St Andrew's), A Stanley (Sandford), M Darling (Wesley), T Hill (Wesley), R Shaw (St Brendan's Sch), R Motyer (Wesley), C Shannon (Wesley); manager: G Garrett; coach: S Barry; assistant coach: N Denham.

ULSTER UNDER-18: J Baird (Banbridge Acad), A McRoberts (Sullivan Upper); F Mills (Glengormley HS), P Gleghorne (RBAI) capt, P Browne (RBAI), D Given (Raphoe), C McKnight (Banbridge), M Dorman (RBAI), C Boyce (Banbridge Acad), M Watt (RBAI), M Purcell (Sullivan Upper), J Bell (Friends), S Forbes (Banbridge Acad), A Coulter (RBAI), S Todd (Antrim GS), R Reay (Banbridge Acad), B McCandless (Newbridge College, Banbridge), M Moreland (RBAI); manager: P Grimes; coach: A Smyth; assistant coaches: N Madeley, D Wilson.

MUNSTER UNDER-16: C Smith (Ashton), S White (Midleton); A Beamish (Bandon), D Beamish (Bandon), S Brickenden (Villiers), P Burns (Bandon), E Gleeson (Villiers), R Gray (Villiers), D Harvey (Ashton), D Hobbs (Ashton), K Lynch (Bandon), C Ross (Ashton), P Shanahan (Bandon), A Smith (Bandon), C Sweetnam (Bandon), N Tuohy (Newtown) capt, E White (Bandon); manager: B Crowley; coach: T Dunne; assistant coach: A Chambers.

LEINSTER UNDER-16: R Murray (Wesley) capt, S O'Keeffe (Newpark); N Dee (St Andrew's), B Doherty (Wesley), Z Dutton (St Killian's), M English (Wesley), J Kane (St Mark's), J Kirwan (St Andrew's), S Loughrey (St Andrew's), S Lowry (St Andrew's), G McDonnell (St Michael's), R Pedreschi (Wesley), C Pyke (Skerries), D Robinson (Wesley), K Smith (Wesley), G Walker (Wesley), A Nolan (St Andrew's); manager: R Pelow; coach: S Bredin; assistant coach: T Watkins.

ULSTER UNDER-16: A Appleton (Banbridge Acad), S Brown (Sullivan Upper); J Acheson (BRA), D Ames (Cookstown HS), R Bell (Banbridge Acad), D Best (Cookstown HS), S Boyce (Banbridge Acad), J Colville (RBAI), C Gregg (RBAI), N Hamilton (RBAI) capt, S Kirk (Campbell), M McCague (Banbridge Acad), R McCann (Wallace HS), R McCrea (Glengormley HS), M Pollock (Friends), M Smyth (Banbridge Acad); manager: A Purcell; coach: K Lunn; assistant coach: P McKelvey.

YOUTH INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Harlequin Park) - Under-18: Today: Ulster v Munster, 1.30; Ulster v Leinster, 5.45; tomorrow: Munster v Leinster, 12.0; Munster v Ulster, 4.0; Sunday: Leinster v Ulster, 11.15; Leinster v Munster, 3.15. Under-16: Today: Ulster v Munster, 12.0; Ulster v Leinster, 4.15; tomorrow: Munster v Leinster, 10.0; Munster v Ulster, 2.0; Sunday: Leinster v Ulster, 9.30; Leinster v Munster, 1.30.

LEINSTER SENIOR LEAGUE (tomorrow): Division One: Monkstown v Dublin University, St Andrews, 12.0; Railway Union v Clontarf, Park Avenue, 12.0; Corinthians v Pembroke Wanderers, Whitechurch Park, 1.0; Aer Lingus v Glenanne, ALSAA, 2.30. Division Two: St Brendans v UCD, DCU, 1.0; Skerries v Naas, RCSI, 1.0; Suttonians v Weston, Sutton Park, 11.45; St James's Gate v Portrane, Iveagh Grounds, 2.0.