Thursday, April 23: This Saturday, four women’s & four men’s sides will go toe-to-toe to secure the final places in the upcoming EY Champions Trophy Finals Weekend on May 09 & 10 in Lisnagarvey Hockey Club. Thus far, Loreto and Railway Union, and Lisnagarvey and Banbridge have both booked their places having secured first and second spot in the Women’s & Men’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 topflight 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.
In the Men’s EY Champions Trophy Play-Offs, four Leinster sides battle it out to join Ulster sides Lisnagarvey and Banbridge on May 09.
Three Rock Rovers take on Corinthian at Grange Road in the first of two Men’s Play-Offs on Saturday with the hosts hoping to book themselves another EY Champions Trophy place. The hosts were the third best team in the league this season by a decent margin and will have their 5-1 win over their opponents just a fortnight ago to draw confidence from as they prepare for the tie. Corinthian, however, will by no means roll over and have proved themselves a worthy adversary this season, with a win over Three Rock Rovers in Round 3 just one of their many strong performances this season worth highlighting.
Elsewhere, Pembroke Wanderers face Monkstown in another edition of an age-old rivalry. There has been little to separate the sides across the season, with Pembroke finishing a place ahead of Monkstown by four points picked up from draws and bonus points, as well as a better record in front of goal. Monkstown, however, will look to leverage their experience in this stage of the competition on Saturday given this will be Pembroke’s first time in the Play-Offs since making their EY Hockey League return two years ago.
13:00 – UCD vs Portadown – UCD Belfield
15:30 – Pegasus vs Pembroke Wanderers – The Dub
14:30 – Pembroke Wanderers vs Monkstown – Serpentine Avenue
15:00 – Three Rock Rovers vs Corinthian – Grange Road
Hockey Ireland
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