Pembroke hit goal trail in style

Men's Hockey: By virtue of having played one game more than their main rivals for the championship Glenanne stay top of the Leinster Senior League after a satisfying weekend of goal scoring.

Glenanne's seven goals was no surprise against visitors to Glenanne Park, Kilkenny, but second-placed Pembroke's 11 against Bray was the highest tally for some time.

Both teams also followed up Saturday's league spree with a Sunday scoring session in the Leinster Senior Cup. Pembroke hit eight against Skerries, where Justin Sherriff netted five, while Glenanne knocked in another seven against Suttonians. YMCA also made it through, beating Railway Union 4-1.

Clearly the Serpentine Avenue side's trip to Europe last week left no ill effects and Bray paid the price. Oddly, though, it was Glenanne's Stephen Butler who collected the only hat-trick of the day on Saturday, with Pembroke's 11 spread out among eight players, several usual suspects bagging one or two.

That league result leaves Pembroke with an enviable record. They have scored 32 goals in five matches, averaging over six a game, while they have only conceded three goals. Glenanne's style this season seems to be to out-score the opposition.

Pakistan thrived on that philosophy for many years at the top of their game with Glenanne's 33 goals from six matches and 14 against suggesting that there is a touch of the open game about them. They might just tighten their defence, especially coming up to the crunch matches in league and cup.

Elsewhere Bray are evidently struggling and having conceded 40 goals in six games, they could very well be thinking that winning most of their games in Division Two is more rewarding than losing most in the more prestigious Division One.