Lynch remains on goal trail for Loreto

HOCKEY: With the new Penneys' Leinster club season only two weeks old it might be a little early to make assumptions about the shape of the first division title race, but with last season's top four all winning on Saturday - scoring 17 goals between them without reply - it is probably safe to assume that Hermes, Old Alexandra, Loreto and Pembroke Wanderers will be the only realistic contenders again.

A week ago Ulster's Jessica Lynch, the Irish under-21 international, marked her debut for Loreto with a goal against Genesis - on Saturday she made it six goals in two appearances when she helped herself to five of Loreto's eight scores against Three Rock, who are experiencing a painful introduction to Division One hockey.

Lynch, who played with UCD last season, is one of 16 players invited by Irish coach Riet Kuper to join the senior squad's fitness programme, along with her clubmates Louisa Healy and Orla Ryan. Like the other 15 Ryan hasn't, as yet, been added to the full panel, as reported here last week, but Kuper has made it clear the opportunity is there for the group to make a breakthrough before March's Olympic Qualifier in New Zealand.

"By the end of November I will make a definite selection for the squad which will prepare for New Zealand," she said yesterday. "Before that there will be two training weekends in which everyone can show their hockey capabilities. No final panel is selected yet, we just want any potential player to be fit when selected."

One player who is unlikely to be involved in the international set-up, after her withdrawal from the panel before the European finals, is Trish Conway but the Old Alexandra player continues to excel at club level, scoring a hat-trick in Saturday's 3-0 win over UCD in what was coach Orla Bell's first game in charge.

Irish champions Hermes also got their season off to a winning start, with goals from Carol Devine, Sarah Moores and Daphne Sixsmith giving them a 3-0 victory over Corinthian, while Genesis and Trinity drew 2-2.

Munster champions Cork Harlequins had an equally comfortable start to their season, beating Bandon 7-1 with Karen Bateman scoring a hat-trick, while in Ulster Pegasus made it three wins out of three with a 4-2 win over Coleraine. Randalstown maintained their perfect opening to the campaign with their third successive win, beating Belfast Harlequins 3-2.

Harlequins, who could be without Jenny McDonough and Suzanne Beaney for much of the campaign because of international commitments, have suffered a severe blow with the news that their top goalscorer, Karen Mitchell, is likely to miss the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury.