Harlequins to `give it a go' against the holders

"It wasn't the kindest," is Harlequins' goalkeeper Sharon Hutchinson's polite description of the draw for this weekend's quarter-finals of the Sharwood's Irish Senior Cup that paired the Munster champions with holders Pegasus in Belfast. "But I suppose someone has to play them," she adds, wistfully.

As a fully paid up member of the Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Goalkeepers, Hutchinson could only read - and weep - the results from the Ulster League so far this season, where Pegasus have scored 79 goals and conceded just two in 13 matches.

Their captain, Jeanette Turner, rates this Pegasus side as the best she has played in her eight years at the club but few would deny that the overall standard of hockey in Ulster's Section One has declined this season. Consequently the All-Ireland champions have had few tests so far this campaign - indeed a week ago they beat Ards, who were runners-up in the league last season, 9-0 in Belfast.

"I haven't seen any of the other Ulster teams this season but I hear they're not the best so maybe we're getting a false picture of the strength of Pegasus. They're still scoring goals though, and plenty of them, so that's something to fear," said Hutchinson.

Two years ago Harlequins lost 4-0 to Pegasus in the second round of the competition but last year only went down 1-0 to the eventual grand slam winners in the All-Ireland League play-offs in Belfast.

Since then Aoife Falvey and Karen O'Brien have forced their way on to the Irish senior panel alongside Hutchinson, who returned to Ireland last summer after a year in Uganda, and Rachel Kohler, described by Pegasus captain Arlene Thompson as one of the "best midfielders in the country".

"We're a different team now, we're getting better and better and I think we're getting closer to the standard of Leinster and Ulster," said Hutchinson. "We have four internationals in the team now with a lot of Munster and under21 players so hopefully that will help us put up a better show than two years ago. We'll give it a good go anyway."

Munster's second representatives in the quarter-finals, Church of Ireland, also received an unkind draw when they were paired with Muckross in Dublin. While the Leinster side will be favourites to progress to the last four Church of Ireland, who beat Trinity in the last round, are one of Munster's form teams and are currently joint top of the senior league with Harlequins.

What should be the tie of the round also takes place in Dublin, with Leinster League leaders Old Alexandra, beaten finalists in last year's competition, meeting Hermes, the Leinster champions and 1997 Irish cup winners, at Milltown. When the teams last met Alexandra inflicted Hermes' only defeat so far this season, when they won their league fixture 2-1 in December.

The Antrim Forum stages the round's only all-Ulster tie, between Randalstown, who lost to Pegasus in last year's semi-finals, and Coleraine, who will be making their first quarter-final appearance.

Irish Senior Cup - Quarter-finals: Randalstown v Coleraine, Antrim Forum, 2.30;