Hermes busy on two fronts

HOCKEY: It's a quiet bank holiday weekend on the hockey front with just three Leinster Cup fixtures taking place.

There is, though, a full Section One programme in the Ulster League with Pegasus meeting Ards, one of the teams hoping to take advantage of the pre-Christmas absence of the All-Ireland champions' five internationals.

Hermes' first and second teams are in action in the Leinster Cup - the firsts, who moved second in the league after Wednesday's 3-1 win over UCD, play Glenanne in Tallaght while the seconds meet fellow Division Two team Aer Lingus at Belfield.

Clontarf play Our Lady's at Dardistown in the day's other all-second division tie.

Meanwhile, the rules governing the running of this season's Leinster League first division have been clarified this week by the province's branch.

While the league has not been "split" as it has been in Ulster, Hermes and UCD, the only Leinster clubs with players in Ireland's World Cup squad, will have a chance to qualify for the All-Ireland Club Championship quarter-finals if they finish in the top three in the second half of the season, when their internationals will be available to them again.

Any club finishing in the top three before and after Christmas (nine games must be played in each "half" of the season) will automatically qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-finals - clubs that only secure a top-three placing in one or other of the "halves" will go into an end-of-season play-off to determine who goes forward to the quarter-finals.

SATURDAY'S FIXTURES

LEINSTER CUP

First round: Hermes II v Aer Lingus, Belfield, 10.30; Glenanne v Hermes, Tallaght, 2.30; Clontarf v Our Lady's, Dardistown, 2.30.

ULSTER SENIOR LEAGUE

Section One: Ards v Pegasus, Ards Leisure Centre, 2.30; Ballymena v Coleraine, Showgrounds, 2.30; Ballymoney v UUJ, Ballymoney, 2.30; Belfast Harlequins v Portadown, Deramore, 2.30; Knock v Randalstown, Queens, 2.30.