After four rounds of league games, DCU Mercy remain
the only unbeaten team in the Women’s Super League, but face an extremely tough
test this weekend.
The league leaders travel to Cork to face Fr Mathews
- who have lost just one of their opening four games - in what is set to be one
of the games of the weekend. Mathews, who are reigning Champions Trophy
champions, will be hoping to defend their home court in style on Saturday
evening and will look to the experience of Grainne Dwyer, Shannon Brady and
Chantell Alford to try and get them over the line this weekend.
Mathews’ head coach, James Fleming, looked ahead to
the clash: “We have a young squad this year and have been happy with our
progress so far. DCU are the team to beat, they have a squad full of
internationals with a brilliant coach. We are up against it, and it will be
nice to see how we are as a group – we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Mercy for their part have a talented cast to choose
from, with Sarah Woods dazzling for them against Maree last weekend, Americans
Ashley Russell and Meredith Burkhall now well and truly settled in, and young
stars such as Rachel Huijsdens and Maeve Phelan coming more and more to the
fore.
Looking ahead to it, coach Mark Ingle stated: “We’re
looking forward to the challenge of playing Fr Mathews in Cork. They have had a
good start to the season and have an established side that have been together
now for three years, while we have been integrating some new players into our
set up and have been focused don trying to get better each week. It will be a
very competitive game as both teams have strong inside games, so it will be a
different challenge for the referees to get the calls right with two big teams
going against each other in the paint.”
One of the other big clashes of the weekend in the
Women’s Super League sees the second meeting in as many weeks of Leixlip
Amenities Liffey Celtics and Ambassador UCC Glanmire. The sides met just last
Saturday evening in Cork in the opening round of the Hula Hoops Cup where an on
fire Glanmire side knocked the reigning cup champions out of this year’s
competition. Liffey were without the services of Sorcha Tiernan due to injury
and will be hoping to reverse that result at home this weekend to keep their current
strong league form going.
Another interesting matchup is in store in
Waterford, as Maree travel to face Maxol WIT Wildcats. Both teams have identical
records in the league so far, and with Wildcats boasting a tough inside game
and Maree known for a fast-paced, high intensity game, it’ll be interesting to
see who dictates the pace of the clash. Elsewhere, Pyrobel Killester host IT
Carlow Basketball while Singleton SuperValu Brunell face off against Marble
City Hawks.
Over in the Men’s Super League meanwhile, one of the
big battles of the weekend sees the meeting of Belfast Star and UCD Marian in
De La Salle on Saturday evening. Both teams come into the clash off the back of
a mixed weekend of results last weekend, with each side losing one game and
winning one game. Star will be looking to new signing Ben Marello for some big
scores this weekend, as well as the sharpshooting and hugely impressive CJ
Fulton as they bid to bag a big home win.
Elsewhere around the league, unbeaten DBS Éanna
travel across town to meet DCU Saints in a big Dublin derby on Saturday
evening. Coughlan C&S Neptune meanwhile face off against Pyrobel Killester
in Cork. Neptune lost their unbeaten tag last bank holiday Monday afternoon at
the hands of Griffith College Templeogue in Dublin, and will be hoping to
bounce back strong from that loss this weekend. Killester meanwhile come in off
the back of a tough home loss to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors and will be aiming to
take the spoils from Cork.
Abbey Seals Dublin Lions meanwhile are still chasing
their first win of the season and will be aiming to do it at home this weekend
as they welcome Keane’s SuperValu Killorglin. Killorglin come in off the back
of a big win against Belfast Star last weekend, but with both of their two wins
so far this season coming at their home court, Lions will be hoping to deliver
another on the road blow to the Kerry side. Maree host Griffith College
Templeogue in Galway on Saturday evening in what’s set to be a closely-contested
game, while Warriors go head-to-head with Moycullen in Tralee.
Basketball
Ireland Fixtures: November 1st-3rd
Friday
1st November 2019
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Division One
UL Huskies v Limerick Celtics, UL Arena-Limerick,
20:15;
Saturday
2nd November 2019
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Super League
Abbey Seals Dublin Lions v Keanes Supervalu
Killorglin, Colaiste Bride, 17:30;
Coughlan CandS Neptune v Pyrobel Killester, Neptune
Stadium, 19:00;
DCU Saints v DBS Eanna, DCU Complex, 19:00;
Garvey’s Tralee Warriors v Moycullen, Tralee Sports
Complex, 19:30;
Belfast Star v UCD Marian, De La Salle, 20:00;
Maree v Griffith College Templeogue, Calasanctius
College, 20:00;
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Super League
Fr Mathews v DCU Mercy, Fr Mathews Arena, 17:00;
Pyrobel Killester v IT Carlow Basketball, IWA
Clontarf, 18:00;
Maxol WIT Wildcats v Maree, Mercy Gym, 19:00;
Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtics v Ambassador UCC
Glanmire, Leixlip Amenities Centre, 19:15;
Basketball
Ireland Men’s Division One
Limerick Sports Eagles v IT Carlow Basketball, PESS
Building-UL-Limerick, 19:00;
EJ Sligo All-Stars v Ulster University, Mercy
College, 19:30;
Scotts Lakers St Pauls Killarney v LYIT Donegal,
Killarney, 19:30;
Fr Mathews v Waterford Vikings, Fr Mathews Arena,
19:45;
Portlaoise Panthers v Limerick Celtics, St Marys
Sports Hall, 20:00;
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Division One
Phoenix Rockets v Swords Thunder, Methodist College
Belfast, 15:30;
Griffith College Templeogue v Ulster University,
Nord Anglia International School, 19:00;
Sunday
3rd November 2019
Basketball
Ireland Women’s Super League:
Singleton SuperValu Brunell v Marble City Hawks,
Parochial Hall, 14:45
