Mayo go to church tomorrow

Fri, Jan 16, 2009

“It’s not ideal but that’s the nature of junior soccer,” said Mayo manager Declan Kilkelly of his side’s preparation for tomorrow’s quarter final of the Oscar Traynor Cup. Mayo only got back to group training this week after their win over the Galway League in the last round of the group stages of the competition in December, due to the Christmas break and FAI Junior Cup action. Tomorrow they will make the trip to Dublin to take on the United Churches League in the quarter final of the premier tournament for county sides in junior soccer looking to book a place in the final four of the competition.

But Kilkelly has a few headaches ahead of the game with Dessie O’Malley (Westport United) definitely out, while Ballina Town marksman Mick Duffy is a long term absentee due to injury. Castlebar Celtic’s Andy Neary is also a major doubt in the lead up to the game and Kilkelly is resigned to the fact he will be more than likely with out him. But it’s not all doom and gloom for Mayo who see the return of Westport United duo Danny Scahill and Dave Cameron, and Castlebar Celtic’s Stevie Ryan who all missed the do or die clash with the Galway League last time around.

Back to basics for Mayo sides

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

After last weekend’s adventures on the national stage it’s back to the basics of the Connacht Junior League for the Mayo sides in division 1A and 1B. Both Castlebar and Ballina bowed out of the All Ireland Junior Cup last weekend at the first round stage, with Westport the only Mayo side to progress to the next round of the competition. With four games to go for two of the Mayo sides in the league it’s do or die time as they try to finish in the top four of the exclusively junior sides to book their place in the All Ireland cup for next year.

Mayo road league wraps up

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

The 10th Annual Mayo AC Road League, which concluded with the ninth race at Westport recently, was the most successful so far. Increasing numbers are taking part in running related events and the Fit4Life programme has become another opportunity for people of all ages to get involved. During the course of the 2008 League 104 men and 100 women won individual points through finishing in the top 25 in at least one of the races.

Reilly revels in comeback

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

Neither Iorras Aontaithe nor Westport United took the easy road into the last 32 of the FAI Junior Cup last weekend. The two remaining Mayo sides in the competition were made to sweat it out right until the end, with Iorras having to endure the dreaded lottery of penalties to book their place in the next round. Indeed both sides had to come from behind in their games, Erris trailed Dublin Bus by 2-0 just before half time in their encounter in Carnenash.

‘Pitch Perfect’ for the Mayo Scór final

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

Some 300 people packed Breaffy GAA hall for the final of the Mayo Scór competitions at the weekend with clubs from all over the county going head to head in solo singing, music, dancing, quiz time, recitations, and acting.

Was there really a ban on group training?

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

I have been listening to the experts for a number of months now discuss the ‘player burnout’ topic. In fact it has been discussed on and off for the best part of a decade now. I don’t know about you, but I am beginning to suffer a little burnout myself listening to and, on occasion, talking about it.

Back on the road again

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

I always feel a little sad taking down the tree on “Little Christmas”. Once the decorations and sparkling lights are boxed away and the tree has been dragged un-ceremoniously out the door (or window) for the nearest collection point, there can be no denying that all the razzmatazz, hullabaloo and magic of Santa is over for another 11 months. Last Tuesday evening in the Silke household was even more poignant than normal as our five year-old-daughter was let stay-up late to help packing the crib and taking down the tree. As the tree was carried out shedding needles at an enormous rate, she too shed a few tears and was very, very sad that her tree — the one she had picked on her own with the help of the nice Coillte man — was now dead.

Her parting comment as she headed up the stairs for bed with her head down low and looking very melancholic was;

New year, new faces, and some new rules

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

As his side made the longer than normal trek back to the dressing room from the pitch in Dangan after subsiding to a five point defeat at the hands of NUIG, John O’Mahony faced the first of his interrogations at the hands of the hungry press core on the 50m line of the college pitch. After getting his first competitive view of his side for 2009 and how the new rules regarding yellow cards would play out, he held court over what he had just seen for the previous 60 minutes. Over the course of the game five players, two from Mayo and three from NUIG, were shown the line for picking up yellow cards, one as early as the eighth minute when Greg Begley was sent to the line for a clumsy challenge on Billy Joe Padden. “I believe the GAA are not going to change them because managers are saying they want them changed, but we have a meeting in the middle of January and I'll do my talking there. There will need to be some tweaking on them, the first lad to get sent off for NUIG my reading of it initially is it's a yellow card if you pull down a player, and will that lead to people appearing to be pulled down or fall and get a lad sent off. We'll give them a chance and see, if it adds to free flowing football then it's always a positive, but we'll have to hold our fire and see,” said O’Mahony.

A new year dawns for Mayo hurlers

Fri, Jan 09, 2009

A little over six months on since they tasted a defeat of the bitterest kind to swallow, the Mayo senior hurling side will be getting back into competitive action this weekend. With a place in the final in their grasp a late surge from Carlow saw Mayo lose their footing on their home patch, and with it a chance to make it to the final of the second tier competition. Seeing their chance to appear in the Christy Ring Cup final slip through their fingers in McHale Park against Carlow late last July will have left the Mayo squad eager to put things to right in 2009.

From the tough times to the good times in 2008

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

It is hard to believe that another year has flown by so quickly. This is the time of year for most sports people to indulge a little, give the body a rest and reflect on the year gone by. There will be a few of you who will look back on the past year and recall magic moments experienced It might have been a new personal best in an athletics event, a provincial or All-Ireland medal won or even a part played in the defeat of rival competitors. Some of you might have underachieved and are feeling a little guilty. Others will reflect and feel that, with a bit more effort, greatness could have come their way. Whatever way you look at it you cannot turn the clock back now and there is no point in killing yourself with guilt at this stage. Anyway, 2009 is but a pup away and you will, once again, get an opportunity to take on new challenges for the year ahead. With a brand new attitude, the promise of abstention from the cursed drink, and sheer hard work, you will begin to feel good about yourself again, maybe even as early as the end of January.

The Best of the West this Christmas

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

At this time of year it can be very difficult to know what to get for people at Christmas. When you are 15 or 20 years married or more and the collective libido may not be what it used to be, there is always a temptation for a female to buy her partner a good book which might stop him bothering her trying all night to do what he used to do all night.

Mayo sides crash out in fifth round

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

It was a bad weekend for the two Mayo sides who were in action in the fifth round of the FAI Junior Cup last week. Both Castlebar Celtic and Manulla took their leave from the competition. Celtic will be the ones feeling hard done by as some strange refereeing decisions cost them their place in the sixth round of the competition. Celtic managed to get the ball in the back of the Rathkeale net three times but two of them were struck off the record. The Castlebar men headed to Limerick with a depleted squad with both Andy Neary and Declan Flynn ruled out through injury. But they thought they had hit the front early on when Peter Dravins fired the ball to the back of the net after a flick on by Sean McHale only for the linesman’s flag to go up. However, 31 minutes in they were rewarded when Sean McHale, was able to direct the ball to the back of the net following a scramble in the box from a Ger O’Boyle corner kick.

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