Catholic Institute on the cusp of Munster title
If Catholic Institute’s women continue their remarkable perfect record for the season, they will be crowned Munster Division One champions on Sunday evening.
Tomorrow’s game against Belvedere would not normally pose them too many problems but Sunday’s fixture against rivals Cork C of I will be a much tougher affair. Win both games, and the Limerick side will have claimed the title back from UCC with a couple of games to spare.
However, there may be some fatigue in the Institute legs with the likes of Anna Horan and Leah Clery juggling an Irish U18 camp in England with their school and club commitments.
Nonetheless, their well-rounded squad has coped well with the experience of Christine O’Shea, Rosie Pratt, and Kym Daly proving crucial, while young Laura Foley has made an impact.
For C of I, they will anticipate being four points off the pace going into Sunday’s tie while coach Graham Catchpole will also be acutely aware they need points to grab an EYHL2 place.
In the national division, Cork Harlequins also have a double weekend. They go to Dublin to play Pembroke on Saturday before hosting Belfast Harlequins on Sunday at Farmers’ Cross. Coach Darren Collins says they need to start matching their home form to their excellent showings on the road, where they have picked up four wins from five.
Quins have a doubt over Julia O’Halloran, who was injured in the Irish Junior Cup defeat to UCD while they hope the likes of Mount Mercy pair Sarah and Jane Murphy do not carry too much fatigue through from Wednesday’s enthralling schools’ cup final defeat to Crescent.
On the men’s side, Cork C of I will make it four away trips in eight days as they play Dublin’s YMCA on Saturday and Three Rock Rovers on Sunday. The YMCA tie is vital to their survival hopes, facing the side a point above them. They have a rotten record against Three Rock but will hope to put that right this term, especially when they meet in the Irish Senior Cup semi-final in a few weeks.
