HOCKEY: After the highs and lows of the Olympic qualifiers, hockey gets back to normal this weekend with both women and men’s Trophy and Challenge finals. In today’s Challenge finals, Kilkenny is involved in both men and women’s finals. They take on Botanic in the women’s decider and Ballynahinch in the men’s final. No Leinster clubs are involved in tomorrow’s Challenge finals, with Greenfields and Omagh in the women’s final, followed by a men’s showdown between Raphoe and UCC.
In Leinster, Pembroke Wanderers and Monkstown face off in tomorrow’s Mills Cup final (2pm) at Grange Road, Dublin. All funds raised at the gate will go to the “Friends of Chris Pelow” fund. Chris Pelow, a member of the Corinthian club based in Australia, has recently had a leg amputated after he was diagnosed with an aggressive tumour of the foot.
* A strong Leinster women’s team will contest next weekend’s U21 Interpros for men and women in Cork. The squad is: Niamh O’Connor (Genesis); Gillian Pinder (Hermes); Hannah Matthews, Ali Meeke, Sinead McGirr, Hayley Mulcahy (Loreto); Erika Hinkson (Old Alex); Sorcha Clarke, Anna O’Grady (Pembroke); Orla Fox, Rachel Barnett (Railway Union); Enna Horan, Vera Taaffe (Trinity); Sarah Greene, Nicola Gray, Caroline Hill, Deirdre Duke, Niamh Atcheler (UCD).
SNOOKER: Josh Boileau from Newbridge CYMS won the National Under 19 Snooker Championship in the Douglas Snooker Club in Douglas SC, Cork. In the final, the 16-year-old Boileau beat the Irish No 1 Ryan Cronin from Cork 3-1. Boileau also won the highest break trophy after knocking up a superb 123 clearance in his semi-final victory over David Cassidy.
A day later, at the same venue, Cronin also made the National U-21 Championships final where he lost to Karl Fitzpatrick from Carlow. It means that Fitzpatrick will lead the Irish team at the World Under 21 Championships in China later this year. Cronin and Cassidy, as the the next two players in the current rankings, will join him.
VOLLEYBALL: As part of its preparation for the European Championship Small Nations qualification round in Luxembourg next June, the Irish men’s volleyball squad travelled to France for a training camp, including valuable friendly matches against pro-league teams VBC Cambrai and St Quentin FL.
Locally, the semi-finals of the Association Cup take place today (Sat) at DCU. In the men’s competition, UCD hope to avenge a league defeat by Munster Thunder in January, while last year’s champions Ballymum Patriots face many times previous champions Aer Lingus.
The Aer Lingus women’s team, going for a fourth consecutive league-cup double, play Naas Cobras in their semi-final, while Santry take on Clondalkin-based Dublin Volleyball Club.
CANOEING: Eoin Rheinisch leads the entry for this weekend’s Irish slalom canoeing selection races at Sluice Weir on the river Liffey. Taking on Rheinisch in the men’s K1 class are Ciaran Heurteau and Patrick Hynes. In women’s K1, Hannah Craig leads an entry that includes Aisling Conlon and Helen Barnes. Places on Irish teams for the European Championships next May, three World Cups in June and possibly the London Olympics at the end of July are at stake.
It will be a busy weekend on the Liffey. With water levels at a record low, tomorrow’s National Wildwater Canoeing Championships race is switched from Foxford, Co Mayo, to the Wildwater club in Chapelizod.
Heading for the river Nore in Kilkenny are the marathon men and women whose season also begins this weekend.
TRIATHLON: Mariusz Olejniczak of host club Naas won a closely contested final round of the Naas Duathlon Series at Punchestown. Olejniczak’s time of 53 minutes for the 3.2km run, 19km cycle and 3.2km run gave him a narrow margin of 23 seconds over Activ Multisport’s Bjorn Ludick, with David Fagan of Midlands Tri Club, who had led after the day’s fastest bike time, a close third.
Aoife Lynch of Pulse Tri Club made it three straight wins for the series when she finished first woman in 57 minutes 41 seconds. Marie Boland and Rachel Glendon were second and third.
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