Two contenders remain

FIRST there were four, then there were three after Saturday there are just the two. Contenders for the Leinster Senior League title, that is.

Two defeats last month ruled Hermes out of the race and while you won't see a white flag waving above the Old Alexandra camp just yet, their 2-2 draw with Pembroke Wanderers at the weekend effectively leaves Muckross and Loreto to battle it out for this season's Senior A title.

Not that either team had it easy on Saturday, despite 3-1 victories against lowly opposition. Loreto fell a goal behind to Glenanne in Tallaght and needed all their experience to recover and take three crucial points while Muckross found second-from-bottom Maids, with whom they drew earlier in the season, more resolute opponents than their league position suggested.

Clontarf's plight at the bottom of the table, where they are seven points adrift of Maids, became all the more desperate at the weekend when Genesis took over from Hermes II as division two leaders with a 2-0 victory over Aer Lingus. If Genesis win the division they will replace Clontarf in the top flight but if Hermes II finish on top they cannot be promoted. Only one team from each club can play in any division and the presence of the Hermes' first team in Senior A means their seconds cannot take Clontarf's place even if they were to win the second division title.

The situation at the top of the Ulster Senior League is just as confused - after Saturday's matches, Randalstown, Pegasus and Ards are now level on 19 points each. Ards, however, have played three more games than Randalstown and two more than Pegasus who beat them 4-0 on Saturday. Jackie McWilliams helped herself to a five-goal haul in a 10-0 victory over Coleraine, who have now conceded 100 league goals in 14 games this season. Time to think up a new defensive strategy.

There were no upsets in the Munster Senior Cup on Saturday when Harlequins, Catholic Institute and UCC won the day's three quarter-finals relatively comfortably.

Meanwhile Ulster retained their Junior Interprovincial title in Belfast yesterday, winning all four of their matches over the weekend. South East, who finished second, put up a brave challenge for the title but an Annette Scott goal gave the holders victory by the narrowest of margins.