Sargent waxes philosophical over loss of Quins stars

Cork Harlequins will be without two of their most influential players for tomorrow’s crunch early-season six-pointer against Cork Church of Ireland at Harlequin Park (11.45am).

Captain Eimear Cregan and Cliodhna Sargent are in Jordanstown in camp with the Irish national side, putting the home side at a distinct disadvantage, given C of I have not lost anyone to international call-ups.

Despite the obvious frustration of clubs effectively being punished for producing international players, Quins manager Pat Sargent, mother of Cliodhna, insists there is little point in worrying about factors outside of the club’s control.

Cliodhna Sargent: Set to miss Quins' crunch clash with C of I due to international commitments. Picture: Adrian Boehm

“We’re always going to get caught at some stage with the girls being away with Ireland, and it is tough on us that it’s happened for such a big game,” she said.

“But we have to just take these things as they come, it’s going to happen no matter what. We’ll still have a strong team with a couple of former internationals (Rachael Kohler and Karen Bateman) in the side.

“We didn’t look for a postponement or anything. There are very few free weekends anyway now due to the Irish Hockey League, and the last thing we want is to have a load of back matches to play. There’s enough pressure on the girls as it is, they have to play so much hockey.”

Quins, who are gunning for their 13th consecutive Munster title, have been solid rather than spectacular in their opening wins over Bandon and UL.

But they will still go into today’ s clash as favourites against a C of I side that has hit 12 goals in victories over Ashton and Belvedere.

The Garryduff outfit will be hoping to give Michaela Mihailou a rousing send-off in her last game for the club before she returns to Australia next week.

The clash of last year’s top two always whets the appetite, but the occasion is given added spice today as it is part of a double-header involving the men’s teams, with the latter hitting off at 2pm.

C of I needed a golden goal winner from Jonathan Bruton to seal a dramatic 5-4 win in the Munster Senior Cup final the last time these teams met, once again proving the unpredictability of these ties, and today’s clash is equally tough to call.

Quins will be missing Philip McLaughlin and David Mills, but otherwise can call on all their big guns for a clash that will serve as a perfect warm-up for both sides’ opening IHL clashes next weekend.

C of I will hope to give Michaela Mihailou a winning send-off as she plays her last game for the club before returning to her native Australia. Picture: Des Barry/Irish Examiner

John Jermyn’s return from Holland has significantly boosted C of I’s offensive options both from play and set-pieces, but Quins have a score to settle after losing out to their perennial rivals in both the league and cup last season.

Meanwhike, UCC will be hoping to improve on last weekend’s 4-0 Peard Cup defeat to Bandon when the west Cork side visit the Mardyke, while Catholic Institute seek their first points of the season when they welcome Quins B to Rosbrien.

Elsewhere, UCC’s women have also been hit by international call-ups, and they will be without the services of Audrey O’Flynn and Hollie Moffett when they meet Ashton tomorrow (Sunday).

Áine Connery was also included in that Irish squad, but she broke a finger in training during the week and is expected to be out for up to a month.

There’s a intriguing Limerick derby at Rosbrien as Catholic Institute host UL. Institute have had a Jekyll and Hyde start to their season, going down 6-0 to Bandon on the opening day before defeating Ashton 6-1 a week later.

Kym Daly will be hoping to help Catholic Institute to a derby victory over UL this weekend. Picture: Eoin Tyrrell

They gave UCC a tough time at the Mardyke last weekend, eventually losing 3-1, and their attacking triumvirate of Kym Daly, Naomi Carroll and Rosie Pratt is improving with each outing, and they still have three or four players due back off the treatment table.

UL have given a decent account of themselves so far, giving lie to the notion that student sides traditionally start slowly with a 2-1 over Belvedere in their opening encounter.

Even more encouragingly, they made Quins work extrremely hard for their 2-0 win in Limerick last weekend, and Jen O’Loughlin and co. will fancy their chances of claiming local bragging rights.

In Ballincollig, Belvedere and Bandon will both be looking to blow off some steam after particuarly sore defeats last weekend. The hosts were thumped 7-0 by C of I, while Bandon’s shock 1-0 defeat to Ashton will have hurt every bit as much.

*See Fixtures and Results for full list of games