Hermes go top with comfortable win

There was a spring in step of the Hermes team when they took to the field on Saturday afternoon for their Statoil Leinster League match against Genesis. After word had filtered through of the 0-0 draw between rivals Muckross and Loreto earlier in the day at Rathdown, Hermes knew a victory over the Senior A newcomers would give them sole possession of the top of the table spot six weeks into the season.

Summer "signings" Carol Devine, Aoife Byrne and Aisling Keane duly obliged by providing the goals in a comfortable 3-0 win, and now Hermes are the team everyone has to chase.

"No, don't say that," is the common, nervous, response from players, coach and manager when you put it to them that Hermes have the look of potential champions. But, after five wins and a draw in their opening six matches (21 scored, just three conceded), they may well have to get used to life at the top.

Granted, Hermes have yet to meet Muckross or Old Alexandra, but their form in their matches against "weaker" opposition suggests they have the resources - and the desire - to be serious contenders for their first Senior A title. Whether Loreto are to go one better than their runners-up spot in the last campaign remains to be seen, but coach Noel Keogh knows they will have to improve their goal-scoring ratio from short corners if they are to make that leap. "They worked last week, they didn't today - we had nine to their four, but we just couldn't get the ball out cleanly," he said after his team failed to exploit that advantage against Muckross at Rathdown.

Loreto, marginally, had the better of the game against a team who, for all the endeavour of Sarah Scott and Orla Bell up front, are still plainly missing the invention which Mary Logue brought to their attack for the past eight seasons.

Railway Union are the new beneficiaries of that creativity - Saturday's 1-0 win over Trinity at Park Avenue was their third victory in five games and moves them to fifth in the table. Youngster Cathy McKean followed up last week's hat-trick against Clontarf with the winner against the students, whose disappointing start to this season leaves them second from bottom after four defeats.

Meanwhile, in the Ulster Senior League, Pegasus won the match of the weekend at the Antrim Forum when they beat defending champions Randalstown 2-0. Jeanette Turner opened the scoring in the first half with a penalty stroke, before a goal from fellow Irish international Claire McMahon secured the points in the second half.

In Munster, Harlequins went on the rampage against Waterford, winning 9-0, while champions UCC scored six without reply against Lansdowne at the Mardyke.

The Irish Ladies Hockey Union are launching a draw this week to raise funds for Ireland's trip to Helsinki next summer, where they will take part in the qualifier European Nations Cup, and the Under-21 European Championship, to be staged in Belfast in September of next year. Two thousand tickets, at u50 £5 each, will be on sale from clubs around the country.