Monkstown’s upwardly mobile side will hope to show off their skills to a wider audience this afternoon as they live stream their men’s EY Hockey League contest with UCD on Saturday (2.15pm).
The Rathdown club have made a positive start to the campaign with Guy Sarratt in fiery form hat trick propelling them a 4-2 win over Pembroke a week after salvaging a draw late in the game against Banbridge.
Sarratt was a key figure for UCD in the past couple of seasons and will now meet a student side who are growing after a summer overhaul and have former Town players Josh Filgas, Sam Byrne and Matthew O’Brien Holohan looking to make an impact.
** You can view the Monkstown v UCD game live from 2.15pm here
At Havelock Park, Bann are up against YMCA in what promises to be a high quality affair between two sides intent on fast-paced hockey.
The Co Down side’s hopes of a result were stymied last week when key overlapping presence Philip Brown went off with a head injury against Rovers, also limiting their corner options.
YM, meanwhile, found the Glenanne corner machine too hot to handle, but their ability to stretch the game means this tie could have serious entertainment value. They also have the confidence of having raided this same venue a year ago to land three points.
Pembroke will hope the return of Alan Sothern to the line-up can see them get off the mark for the season. His razor-sharp shooting was a loss in their loss to Town a week ago but he is set to return to the fray while Mark Duggan is also back to add to their midfield options.
They will host Glenanne who are on a high with maximum points with Shane O’Donoghue netting three times in two appearances. Their corners were a feature against YMCA a week ago with Shannon Boucher providing a twin threat from the top of the D.
Corinthian head north for the second time this term to take on Lisnagarvey at Comber Road with Ian Stewart and Chad Futcher leading the line. Andrew Sutton brings a wealth of experience which they will need against a Garvey side packed with talent.
All told, Garvey’s Saturday squad features 12 players who are either capped at international level or currently in Mark Tumilty’s wider senior Irish panel. Following a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Glenanne, they raced away from Annadale in game two to run up a 5-1 success and get back on track.
** To view the men’s EYHL table, click here
At Grange Road, Annadale will look to show off how much they have improved since this time a year ago when they endured a harrowing 10-0 defeat at the hands of Three Rock Rovers.
It was a rough outing in which Dale were left without a recognised goalkeeper in the second half due to injury and the Rathfarnham club duly prospered. Since then, both sides have undergone an overhaul with Rovers perhaps even surprising themselves with two wins from two having seen seven players emigrate and then assimilating a high volume of newcomers.
Annadale, meanwhile, are also building on their cohesion after the arrivals of internationals Tim Cross, Michael and Callum Robson.
Men’s EYHL Division 1 (Saturday): Banbridge v YMCA, Havelock Park, 2.45pm; Lisnagarvey v Corinthian, Comber Road, 2.30pm; Monkstown v UCD, Rathdown, 2.15pm; Pembroke Wanderers v Glenanne, Serpentine Avenue, 4pm; Three Rock Rovers v Annadale, Grange Road, 3.45pm