Trinity face difficult task

WOMEN'S HOCKEY:UCD AND Trinity's stamina will be tested this weekend when they return to Leinster League action after taking part in the intervarsity tournament in Dublin, Trinity facing two of the top three, Loreto and Hermes, tomorrow and on Sunday.

Trinity reached the semi-finals of the Chilean Cup, where they lost to the University of Ulster, and must now attempt to kick-start their league campaign after losing their opening three games.

Against two title contenders, though, it won’t be an easy task.

In contrast, UCD – like Loreto and Hermes — will look to make it four wins out of four when they take on Pembroke Wanderers at Serpentine Avenue. A victory would complete a highly successful week for the team that beat UU 2-0 in the intervarsity final – a reversal of last season’s decider.

After being deducted four points for a player registration error, defending champions Railway Union will continue to try to make up lost ground when they meet bottom club Corinthian at Whitechurch.

The Leinster branch finally issued a statement on the matter on Wednesday evening, confirming that it had “imposed the only penalty applicable for playing an unregistered player in accordance with the bye-laws of the union”.

There was no reference, though, to Railway coach Mick McKinnon’s insistence that an error in the branch’s registration spreadsheet was partly to blame for the accidental omission of a player’s name for the game against Bray last month.

Writing on Stephen Findlater’s hookhockey.com website, McKinnon expressed his anger about the punishment for “a small insignificant admin error which was at least partially the fault of the branch”.

“It simply is not good enough to say that’s the way things have always been done,” he wrote. “If that were the case nothing would ever change for the better. Rules are in place to ensure fairness and that cheating does not occur.

“The branch are in place to ensure these things also. They have failed in their duty . . . this is the last I will say on this matter.”

WEEKEND FIXTURES

Tomorrow – Leinster League, Division One: Loreto v Trinity, Santry, 11.30; Pembroke Wanderers v UCD, Serpentine Avenue, 1.0; Bray v Old Alexandra, Loreto Bray, 1.0; Corinthian v Railway Union, Whitechurch, 1.30. Munster League, Division One: UCC v Ashton, Mardyke, 1.0; Bandon v Catholic Institute, Bandon Grammar School, 2.30; Belvedere v Univ of Limerick, Ballincollig, 3.30; Church of Ireland v Cork Harlequins, Garryduff, 2.30.

Sunday – Leinster League, Division One: Trinity v Hermes, Santry, 3.0.