Instonians may have edge

MEN'S HOCKEY/ All-Ireland Club Championship: While this season's Ulster and Leinster champions, Annadale and Pembroke Wanderers respectively, both beaten at the quarter-final stage, will be idle this weekend, Instonians will set their sights on a second success at Belfield in the space of a month, one that would give them their first Irish Cup and Club Championship double in six years.

Cork Church of Ireland, will set about retaining their club title this weekend, keeping it in Munster for the third successive year.

Cork Harlequins, meanwhile, will attempt to erase memories of that cup final defeat by Instonians by rediscovering the form that won them the club championships in 2002.

The goals of David Eakins, David Egner and Edward Gash (who have almost 90 between them this season) led them to their first Munster Senior League title in three years last March - coach Dave Passmore will hope all three are similarly productive over the weekend.

Lisnagarvey will also look to their prolific goalscorers for an edge this weekend, with Timmy Cockram the man in form. Even Cockram's record, though, pales next to Kevin Lunn's: 31 appearances this season, 31 goals.

Three defeats in last year's finals, in which they conceded 12 goals, left Lisnagarvey bottom of the table without a point, so "Things can only get better" might well be their theme tune this time around.

They will look to their internationals, past and present, amongst them Mark Raphael, Errol Lutton and Mark and Lee Tumilty, for leadership, while hoping that the younger crew, including Mark Robinson, Jonathan Brown and Steven Arbuthnot, continue to impress.

If Irish Cup form is anything to go by, Instonians go in as slight favourites, having ousted all three of their opponents this weekend en route to their fourth cup success in 10 years.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

CLUB FINALS (at Belfield) - Tomorrow: Cork Church of Ireland v Instonians, 12.0; Cork Harlequins v Lisnagarvey 2.0. Sunday: C of I v Lisnagarvey, 10.0; Harlequins v Instonians, 4.0. Monday: Instonians v Lisnagarvey, 11.30; C of I v Harlequins, 4.0.

CORK C OF I: M Ruddle, K Burns, P Smith (capt), D Hales, A Chambers, R Arnopp, A Dunne, A Moffatt, J Jermyn, K Twomey, A Pritchard, N Buttimer, D Hobbs, A Whittager, J Bruton, T Dunne, A Herbert, S Parker. Coach: Dennis Pritchard.

CORK HARLEQUINS: W Bateman, L d'Alton, P O'Driscoll, J Hobbs, P Chambers, S Nicholson, D Eakins, J Aherne, J Black (capt), C Harte, D Egner, P Lombard, E Gash, D Lombard, C Daunt, R Hobbs, M Black, S Sweetnam. Coach: Dave Passmore.

INSTONIANS: N Skillen, P Gleghorne, M Wainwright (capt), S Reid, T Taylor, C Barnes, A Cousins, C Kennedy, M Irwin, G Currie, J Lewis, P Brown, N Cooke, A Lewis, M Gleghorne, J Burns, S Redpath, C Kirk. Coach: Paul Cooke.

LISNAGARVEY: N Brazil, B Waring, I Davidson, J Brown, L Tumilty, J Gray, M Robinson, M Tumilty (capt), K Lunn, E Lutton, M Raphael, T Cockram, S Arbuthnot, P Stirling, M Lappin, P Montgomery, M Purcell, S Johnston. Coach: Peter McCabe.