Top two trounce rivals

Pegasus and Hermes opened their All-Ireland League Finals' campaigns at Belfield yesterday with resounding victories over the champions of Munster and Connacht respectively and, barring any major upsets today, their meeting tomorrow afternoon will be a winner-takes-all affair. There wasn't a whole lot wrong with Cork's Harlequins' performance against the Leinster champions but they fell victim to some wonderful attacking hockey that produced a 6-1 scoreline in favour of Hermes, one that was, however, a little unkind on the Munster side. It was 4-1 at half-time after Mary Logue, Jenny Burke (two) and Aisling Keane rounded off superb moves for Hermes. Keane's goal was a peach, as was Karen O'Brien's goal for Hermes.

It was 5-1 just two minutes into the second half when substitute Susan McCarthy was on hand to turn home Burke's cross from the right and nine minutes from time the Irish striker completed her hat-trick, tapping in Keane's cross from the left of the circle.

The Pegasus v Galway match was a game of two halves, if ever there was one - the reigning All-Ireland champions were 9-0 up at half-time but as gutsy a defensive display as you're ever likely to see by Galway restricted them to just one further score in the second period, a short corner strike from Arlene Thompson in the 60th minute.

By then Joanne Campbell (four), Thompson, Claire McMahon (two), Hilda Beamish and Kim Mills had punished a Galway defence unaccustomed to such ruthless finishing but heroic second half displays by their goalkeeper Marie Louise Daly and sweeper Sinead Kennedy succeeded in frustrating the Pegasus attack.

"Just wait till we get at Hermes," said Galway's Ann Moylan after the game, with a large grin on her face. "We were slow starting but we're used to this type of opponent now."