WITH the title race hotting up in the Women’s EYHL, Leaders Loreto face a considerable test as they look to return to winning ways against Catholic Institute.
Railway Union travel to Pegasus with aspirations of extending their unbeaten league run to 10 games.
Old Alex meet Ulster Elks in a battle for fourth place in the table. Pembroke Wanderers host UCC as pressure piles on the hosts to get some crucial points with the relegation zone just one space away.
And Ards play UCD in Londonderry Park with time running out in the fight for survival.
In the Women’s EYHL2, Monkstown travel the short distance to Muckross as they hope to take another step closer to topping Pool A, while Portadown will earn an automatic three from their final game following the withdrawal of Greenfields from the tie.
In Pool B, Lurgan host Ashton with the visitors needing a win to keep their play-off hopes alive, and Queen’s University travel to University Galway with a win seeing the Ulster side go top of the pool heading into the final round.
Saturday, March 29
EY Hockey League Division 1 – Women
Loreto vs Catholic Institute
13:15 | Loreto Beaufort
After last weekend’s defeat to Railway Union, their first in the EYHL since April 2023, Loreto must recover quickly if they are to pick up the points they need to secure their third league title on the bounce. They don’t have an easy task on their hands as Catholic Institute pay them a visit fresh off the back of two wins over the weekend that lifted them to third. Loreto still control their own destiny but will find themselves under considerable pressure if Saturday doesn’t go their way.
Umpires: Gillian Garrett, Gill Hohn
Old Alex vs Ulster Elks
14:00 | Alexandra College
A penultimate league outing for these sides sees Old Alex and Ulster Elks face off in a battle for third spot. Hosts Old Alex enter the tie having won last weekend, while Ulster Elks might have had their confidence knocked following their 5-0 loss at the hands of UCD. This one could go either way and could prove crucial in the EY Champions Trophy Play-Off battle.
Umpires: Liz Clifford, Julie Fisher
Ards vs UCD
14:30 | Londonderry Park
A massive clash for both sides on Saturday as Ards host UCD in Londonderry Park. For Ards, just 3pts separates them and Pembroke Wanderers in eighth, with a win on Saturday likely going a long way towards their topflight survival hopes. UCD, meanwhile, could take another major step towards a play-off place if results elsewhere go their way.
Umpires: Eimear Linehan, Aaron Saunders
Pegasus vs Railway Union
14:30 | Queen’s University
Railway Union, emblazoned by their victory over Loreto last weekend, travel north to Pegasus in search of an eleventh league win as they hope to keep the pressure on at the top of the table. Pegasus will prove a more than capable opponent as they themselves look to stave off the chase of UCD in the battle for Play-Off spots. The hosts enjoyed a win away from home to UCC last weekend, and a scalp this week of Railway’s calibre would be a considerable bonus to the 3pts a win would earn them.
Umpires: Linda Coughlan, Sarah Craig
Pembroke Wanderers vs UCC
14:30 | Serpentine Avenue
Much like Ards, the pressure is mounting on Pembroke to pick up results with just three games remaining for the Leinster side in the league. They face a UCC who are still in search of a first EYHL win. The Cork students came close last week against Pegasus, but couldn’t quite hold out. They’ll hope this is their week when they travel to Serpentine Avenue.
Umpires: Rob Argent, Ellie Duffy
- Loreto – 36pts
- Railway Union – 34pts
- Ulster Elks – 28pts
- Catholic Institute – 26pts
- Old Alex – 26pts
- Pegasus – 23pts
- UCD – 19pts
- Pembroke Wanderers – 16pts
- Ards – 13pts
- UCC – 7pts
EY Hockey League Division 2 – Women
Pool A
- Portadown – 27pts
- Monkstown – 25pts
- Muckross – 18pts
- Cork Harlequins – 11pts
- Greenfields – 0pts
Muckross vs Monkstown
13:30 | Muckross
Arguably the tie of the round in the EYHL2 pits promotion hopefuls Muckross and Monkstown against each other. While both sides have already secured passage out of the pools, Monkstown can still push their way into first with two wins from their last two games, while Muckross could make a late surge for second. The two sides are well acquainted having met many times in both Provincial and National competitions this year. A game too close to call!
Umpires: Allister Campbell, Michael Scott
Pool B
Ashton vs Lurgan
13:00 | Mount Temple
A proper six pointer pits third place Lurgan against fourth place Ashton as the sides jostle for that all important top three finish. The hosts must pick up a win on Saturday, and score considerably more than their opponents to close the gap between the teams. For Lurgan, the task is simple; a win, draw or loss by a one goal will guarantee they progress to the next stage.
Umpires: Stuart Egner, David Murray
University of Galway vs Queen’s University
14:30 | Dangan
An all-university clash sees Queen’s travel to Dangan in search of a critical win that would see them overtake Corinthian at the top going into the final round. The hosts are without a win this campaign but have run plenty of teams close, including two narrow losses to current pool leaders Corinthian, so Queen’s will still need to bring their A-game for this one.
Umpires: Martin Hughes, Simon O’Connor
Pool B
- Corinthian – 31pts
- Queen’s University – 26pts
- Lurgan – 16pts
- Ashton – 6pts
- University of Galway – 6pts
