Wednesday, February 19: Following on from last weekend’s Knockout-16 round, the winning teams are preparing for the AIG Irish Senior Cup Quarter Final matchups this Saturday.
In the Women’s competition, Ulster Elks host Railway Union in one of the most difficult ties of the round to call. Loreto welcome Pembroke Wanderers to Beaufort with the hosts high on confidence following an 8-2 win in their KO16 round. Corinthian will be keen to cause an upset when they face Catholic Institute. UCD and Pegasus will battle it out for a place in the Semi-Finals in another interesting encounter.
In the Men’s competition, Monkstown will welcome another Cork-based side to Rathdown, this time facing Cork Harlequins in the cup. Pembroke Wanderers host YMCA in Serpentine Avenue and Corinthian face Annadale in St Columba’s in two topflight encounters in the Quarter Finals. Lisnagarvey will host Three Rock Rovers in the fourth and final Quarter Final, with the game set to take place later in the month to accommodate Three Rock’s participation in the EuroHockey Indoor Club Challenge I in Puconci, Slovenia.
Elsewhere, three EY Hockey League Division 2 games will take place between Saturday and Monday as Monkstown face Muckross in a crucial Women’s Pool A match as both teams look to keep pace with Portadown. Kilkeel host Portrane in the Men’s Pool A as the hosts look to inflict a first loss of the campaign on Portrane. And on Monday night, Queen’s University Belfast host fellow Ulster side Lurgan in a Women’s Pool B meeting.
Three Rock Rovers will also be in action over the weekend as they travel to Puconci, Slovenia to compete in the EuroHockey Club Indoor Challenge I. The side qualified by winning the National Indoor Championships in 2024, and will travel to their tenth new destination, and ninth different country since rising to prominence as arguably Ireland’s strongest indoor club team, beginning in 2011.
AIG Irish Senior Cup – Women
Ulster Elks vs Railway Union
22/02 | 12:45 | Ulster University
Arguably the most difficult matchup of the Quarter Final stage to call is first on the bill as Railway Union travel north to face Ulster Elks. Both sides are enjoying fine veins of form with Elks on a seven-game and Railway on a nine-game unbeaten streak across Hockey Ireland outdoor competitions. These sides met less than three weeks ago in the league, playing out a tight 1-1 draw.
Umpires: Sarah Craig, Julie Fisher
Loreto vs Pembroke Wanderers
22/02 | 12:45 | Loreto Beaufort
Host Loreto have continued their flying form from 2024 into 2025 and will have aspirations of a return to the AIG Irish Senior Cup Final, having exited the comp in the semis in 2024. The side got off to an ideal start with a confident 9-2 win over visiting Cork Harlequins. Pembroke’s win over Monkstown last week saw them progress, with the chance of an upset fueling the already burning fire of an all-Leinster encounter.
Umpires: Alison Keogh, Luka Novakovic
University College Dublin vs Pegasus
22/02 | 15:00 | Belfield Water
Hosts UCD have been on a constant upward trajectory since their slow start to the campaign, a trend they will look to carry into their second game of the AIG Irish Senior Cup. They face a Pegasus side who have been defensively solid all year, forcing sides into tight encounters both at home and on the road. Another difficult fixture to call, this one might go all the way to a penalty shootout to decide who progresses to the Semi-Finals.
Umpires: Ben Geoghegan, Peter Urwin
Corinthian vs Catholic Institute
22/02 | 15:15 | St Columba’s College
After coming out on top against Portadown, Corithian face another massive test as they welcome Catholic Institute. The visitors will be favourites among neutral fans given their topflight status, but progression is by no means guaranteed for the Munster side. Corinthian will take a lot of confidence into the game, particularly from the strong performances of goalkeeper Berne Van Wyk both in normal time and when called upon in the penalty shootout.
Umpires: Liz Clifford, Cameron Slade
AIG Irish Senior Cup – Men
Monkstown vs Cork Harlequins
22/02 | 13:00 | Rathdown School
Monkstown face their second Cork-based side in a row in the AIG Irish Senior Cup, having beaten Cork C of I in the previous round. Next to visit Rathdown is Cork Harlequins. The Munster side will look to Julian Dale to help lead them to a major upset, with the forward netting four times last week against Glenanne. Monkstown can call on almost a full-strength side for this tie but will be without forward Jeremy Duncan who is away representing Ireland at the FIH Pro League in India.
Umpires: Sunny Charles, Gary O’Connor
Corinthian vs Annadale
22/02 | 13:15 | St Columba’s College
After a commanding away win against the Belfast Harlequins, Corinthian will aspire to emulate that performance against another Ulster side, Annadale. However, Annadale will enter Saturday’s game with increased confidence after their own victory last weekend, and continued growth and improvement on the field over the last number of weeks. This game could come down to the wire.
Umpires: Bruce Bale, Aaron Saunders
Pembroke Wanderers vs YMCA
22/02 | 15:00 | Serpentine Avenue
A Dublin rivalry in Serpentine Avenue closes out the Men’s action in the AIG Irish Senior Cup on Saturday as Pembroke face YMCA. While YM have been the stronger side across club competitions so far this season, Pembroke will back themselves to grab a result having won their last two games thanks to strong performance. While YM will be without Adam Walker from penalty corners, they will likely look to Grant Glutz to help in that department to help them on their quest to secure a Semi-Final berth.
Umpires: Rob Argent, Russell Donaldson
EY Hockey League Division 2 – Women
Pool A
Monkstown vs Muckross
22/02 | 15:00 | Rathdown School
A crucial Pool A tie for both sides sees Monkstown host fellow Leinster side Muckross in Rathdown School. The sides are well acquainted having met in their provincial league before Christmas with Monkstown emerging as 2-0 winners, a result that will bolster their confidence for the Pool A meeting. For both sides, a win is critical as they aim to keep pace with Portadown and finish among the play-off places in their pool.
Umpires: Kris Cholewa, Simon MacAllister
Pool B
Queen’s University Belfast vs Lurgan
24/02 | 19:45 | Queen’s University
QUB host Lurgan for a Monday night match under the floodlights as both sides play their second Pool B games of the campaign so far. Both Ulster teams made strong starts in their first games, with Lurgan grabbing a 4-0 win on the road against University of Galway, and QUB picking up a 1-0 win away to Corinthian. A win for either side would see them top the table to take early control of the pool.
Umpires: TBC
EY Hockey League Division 2 – Men
Pool B
Kilkeel vs Portadown
22/02 | 14:30 | Kilkeel High School
Kilkeel will look to put a sudden halt to Portrane’s dominance of Pool B when the sides meet in Kilkeel High School on Saturday. The visitors have enjoyed a flawless start to their second ever EYHL2 campaign, winning all three of their games in the competition and scoring an impressive nine goals in the process. But Kilkeel will be keen to stop them, with a win for the Ulster club giving them two wins from two and putting them within 5 points of top spot in the pool with a game in hand.
Umpires: Les Allen, Michael Scott