Pembroke maintain their cup defence

Women's Hockey Weekend round-up: It might be proving to be a disappointing season for Pembroke Wanderers on the league front, but they're putting up a tenacious defence of the Leinster Jacqui Potter Cup they won last year, when they beat Loreto on penalty strokes to collect their first senior trophy in 19 years.

On Saturday, they inflicted only their second defeat of the season on Hermes when they beat the Leinster champions 2-1 to go through to the semi-finals of the cup, where they will meet Railway Union.

Both Pembroke goals came from short corners, with Lorna Hill giving them a first-half lead and Emily MacNicholas restoring the advantage 15 minutes from time after Sarah Moores had levelled for Hermes.

Railway swept aside Pembroke's second team to reach the semi-finals for the second time in three years. Julie Bernard got two of Railway's goals in a 4-0 win, with Ros Lynch and Sinead Dooley finishing the scoring.

Only goal difference separates Old Alexandra and Corinthian in the league and, on Saturday, a single goal was all that was required to settle their cup quarter-final.

It came from Orla Bell, after good work by Zanya Dahl, midway through the second half, but Alexandra were grateful to their Irish under-18 goalkeeper Shauna Frey, who made fine saves from Kathy Johnson and Susie Geoffroy.

Alexandra's semi-final opponents will be Loreto, who have reached the last three finals. A Cathy McKean hat-trick helped them to a comfortable 5-1 win away to Glenanne.

Cork Harlequins and Bandon will meet in the final of the Munster Division One Cup after 3-0 and 4-1 wins over UCC and Waterford respectively on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in the league, Trinity picked up their first win of the season by beating Genesis 1-0 with a second-half goal from Aisling Flinn, to lift them off the bottom of the first division above Three Rock, while Pegasus look likely to succeed in their quest for a seventh Ulster title in a row after a Joanne Campbell goal two minutes from time secured the victory in their top-of-the-table tie against Randalstown.

Ulster completed another successful under-16 campaign in Galway on Saturday, adding 2-0 and 1-0 wins over South East and Connacht to their 3-1 and 3-0 defeats of Leinster and Munster on Friday.

That Leinster goal, scored by King's Hospital's Laura Sothern, was the first Ulster conceded in two tournaments and only the second in 16 matches. Munster finished runners-up, ahead of Connacht and Leinster, who had four points apiece.