EY Champions Trophy Finals places up for grabs as Pegasus and Portadown take centre stage in tense Play-Off matches this weekend

SATURDAY sees four women’s sides go toe-to-toe to secure the final places in the upcoming EY Champions Trophy Finals Weekend on May 09 & 10 at Lisnagarvey Hockey Club. Thus far, Loreto and Railway Union have both booked their places having secured first and second spot in the Women’s EY Hockey League, respectively.

In the Women’s EY Champions Trophy Play-Offs, two cross province matchups will decide who progresses, as UCD host Portadown at UCD Belfield, while Pegasus welcome Pembroke Wanderers to The Dub.

UCD will fancy their chances to progress as they enter their tie with Portadown as firm favourites having secured a third-place finish in the league, versus their opponent’s sixth place.

The last time the two met at Belfield, UCD came away with a confident 5-2 win in November. However, Portadown have arguably been the more in-form side since then in league action, securing one more win than UCD.

The visitors will also draw further motivation from the fact that they can add an EY Champions Trophy Finals appearance to their historic first top flight season, a factor that tightens the margins even further.

At The Dub, Pegasus will take on Pembroke Wanderers in a tie that is almost too close to call.

While Pegasus have enjoyed a relatively steady season that culminated in a fourth-place finish, by comparison to Pembroke’s relegation battle that concluded with a sudden surge up the table on the final weekend, there has been little to separate the sides.

A 0-0 draw in their first encounter was followed up with a 1-0 win in Pegasus’ favour in February, giving the hosts the edge. But Pembroke have been in flying form in the tail end of their campaign securing three wins and a draw in their last five games, momentum that they hope will help propel them to a finals weekend appearance.