Hermes tie looks the pick

THE MEETING of Hermes and Railway Union in Booterstown tomorrow is the pick of the ESB Irish Senior Cup second round, the game one of three all-Leinster ties, with Pembroke Wanderers hosting Glenanne and cup holders UCD away to Bray.

Hermes are still without the services of former international Jill Hodgins and while the Cork woman’s plan was always to return to hockey after running the New York City marathon last weekend, such was the quality of her performance she may now have to rethink her sporting schedule.

In only the fourth marathon she had ever run, after two appearances in the Dublin race (2004 and 2006) and one in Toronto last year, Hodgins’ time of 2:52:21 gave her a 24th place finish, making her the seventh fastest European woman in the race. “When I saw my time as I crossed the line I thought the clock was broken,” she said. “I went out way too fast and was dying towards the end. When I was going well the crowd was shouting “Looking good!” Half way through it was “Hang in there!” Near the end there were just grimaces, they didn’t think I was looking too good any more,” she said.

Hodgins is not even a member of an athletics club, relying on Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guideand research on the internet to prepare her for New York. "Even though I enjoy the freedom of doing it my own way I suppose if I want to move on from here and see how far I can go I will need to knuckle down and join a club. I just intended going back to hockey after this, but the time I ran means I have to think about things now. A bit of coaching would help, I'm sure."

The Olympic qualification time is usually around the 2:35 mark, but having knocked 15 minutes off her personal best in New York Hodgins feels, with that “bit of coaching”, anything might just be possible.

For now, then, Hermes must make do without one of their most experienced players and will have to improve on their early season form – they have dropped five points from three league games and lost to Pegasus in their opening Irish Hockey League tie – if they are to knock the Leinster champions out of the competition.

Pegasus will expect to advance at the expense of Randalstown, who they meet in Belfast, with Lisnagarvey and Ballymoney paired in the round’s other all-Ulster tie.