Champions refuse to loosen grasp on titles

WOMEN'S HOCKEY: Pegasus and Hermes maintained their domination of their respective leagues over the weekend by retaining their titles, with Pegasus completing a five-in-a-row in Ulster and Hermes taking their fourth Leinster crown in five years by beating Loreto 2-1 at Belfield yesterday.

It added to what was already a fruitful weekend for the Dublin club, whose seconds won the Irish Junior Cup on Saturday by defeating Pegasus II.

Yesterday's game between Hermes and Loreto followed much the same pattern as their Leinster Senior Cup final the Sunday before, with Hermes taking a 2-0 lead before Loreto threw caution to the wind in an attempt to get back in to the game.

Hermes took the lead in the 13th minute through Deirdre McDermott when she nudged Mary Logue's pass in to the bottom right corner of the goal.

Three times they came close to doubling their advantage, with Fiona Connery's corner strike going just wide of the right post, Louisa Healy saving from Jill Hodgins and Rosie Walsh sweeping Claire Sullivan's cross from the right just past the left post.

Healy prevented a dominant Hermes from extending their lead early in the second half, twice saving from Daphne Sixsmith and McDermott, but when Logue was yellow-carded 17 minutes in to the second period, for a challenge on Sarah Rand, Loreto had their chance to at least force the draw they needed to keep the title race alive.

Instead, it was Hermes who scored next, just before Logue returned, with Caitriona Carey converting a stroke awarded after McDermott had been "body-checked" by Healy in the circle.

Eight minutes from time Rand hit the right post, before Aoife Pomeroy halved the deficit, but Hermes defended with composure until the final whistle, taking the three points they needed to secure the title.

While Loreto are assured of second place in the league, Pembroke Wanderers (who beat Trinity 2-0 on Saturday) and UCD (who lost to Old Alexandra on Saturday but beat Trinity yesterday) are the sole remaining contestants for third place in Leinster. Three more points, from their two remaining games (against Corinthian and Loreto), will suffice for Pembroke.

A goal in each half, from Sarah Moores and Carol Devine, gave Hermes II their first Irish Junior Cup success since 1979, beating Pegasus II 2-0.

But the Belfast club still had plenty to celebrate over the weekend when their firsts clinched the Ulster title. Even before they took to the field against Ballymena, who they beat 2-0, the title was assured after Ballymoney could only draw with Belfast Harlequins.

Ballymoney, Ards and Portadown will contest second and third places in Section A.

In Munster, UCC took second place in division one by beating Waterford 2-0 on Saturday, with second-half goals from Viv Fenton and Alma Carey.

UCC will meet the Connacht champions in the all-Ireland preliminary game for the unenviable right to face Pegasus in the quarter-finals.

IRISH JUNIOR CUP FINAL - Hermes II 2 (S Moores, C Devine), Pegasus II 0.