Search Results for 'Mayo Senior Football Championship'

I know what it feels like to lose, having been there on several occasions throughout my sporting career. It never gets any easier and you just cannot prepare for it. I was in the losers’ enclosure with the Crossmolina football team again last Sunday, having come up short against Knockmore for the second year running. It is standard practice that the manager of a team would say a few words on such occasions and it is not an easy thing to do. I tell them that the hurt they are feeling can help to push them on for next season. The ugly feeling can propel them to greater heights if channelled in the right direction, and there is no point in apportioning blame on anyone or anything just now. It is not a time to be feeling sorry for themselves, but I can and do fully understand why they look so weary and broken-hearted. I tell them how proud I am of their efforts and in my eyes they are not losers. These lads prepared as professionally as any inter-county team. They are ordinary lads with ordinary jobs who made an extraordinary effort over the past eight months. Many postponed holidays, left building sites hours ahead of schedule to train with the club. I acknowledge that enormous effort, but at the same time I tell them that there are no guarantees in sport. Winning a county title does not come easy, irrespective of what people might think. I mention the enormous effort and sacrifices men made decades earlier just to get to see a football match never mind play in them. There is no point lamenting what might have been, but the preparation for next year must start now. It is important that young footballers continue to grow and develop and equally important that they do not give up after a defeat. Crossmolina are top of the league table with four games left and we will be doing our best to win that title. It is important that we do not throw away the opportunity to continue to progress.

Tourmakeady v Ballyhaunis,

Ballintubber v Ballina

Sunday week will see a triple header of quarter finals in the Mayo senior championship in McHale Park. The action in the senior championship will get underway on Saturday August 28 at 6.30pm when Ballintubber and Ballina go toe to toe in the county grounds. On Sunday August 29 things will get off to a rip roaring start when Castlebar Mitchels and Breaffy square off at 2pm in a local derby, they will be followed by Charlestown and Shrule Glencorrib ant 3.30pm. The final action of the day will be the north Mayo giants of Knockmore and Crossmolina Deel Rovers going head to head.

Mayo have named an unchanged starting 15 for their All Ireland semi final against Tyrone, however manager Tony Duffy will be sweating on the fitness of two of his starters ahead of the big game. Both centre half back Conor Walsh and corner back Brendan Harrison are doubts for the game. “We might not be able to get our full strength starting 15 out on to the field for Sunday but we will be giving the lads every opportunity to make Sunday's game,” Duffy told the Mayo Advertiser earlier this week. Even if the two defenders do not make it Duffy is more than confident in the players he has in reserve. “We’ve got a great panel of 32 lads now and every one of them is working as hard as they can to put themselves in contention for a spot on the field, if the lads don't make it I'm fully confident in they guys we have to come in being more than capable of filling the gaps.”

There was plenty of anticipation in the Café Bar of the Royal Theatre last Tuesday night as the winners and losers of the senior, intermediate, and junior championship group stages gathered to find out their fates for the last weekend in August. Only those sides in the senior and intermediate championship which finished in the no-man’s-land of third place in their group had no interest in the draw, with quarter final and relegation pairings to be decided by the luck of draw from the hat (or Pyrex glass bowl in this case). With the draw about to begin, the unmistakable theme tune from the 1980s classic TV show and 2010 summer blockbuster flop The A-Team pierced the ears of those in attendance, but the errant ringing phone was quickly silenced as there was important business to be taken care of.

The draws have been made for the senior club quarter-finals and they have thrown up some novel pairings. Neighbours Castlebar and Breaffy come together in what should be a very interesting local derby, that should generate plenty of banter. However Castlebar are a better team at the moment and, in my opinion, should prevail. Ballina and Ballintubber go head to head and the outcome is a tougher one to predict. Pat Harte picked up what looked like a serious knee injury last Saturday playing for his club against Castlebar in the Michael Walsh tournament final and l would be surprised if he is fit to play next week. His loss would be significant, and for that reason I will opt for Ballintubber. Charlestown are wily old campaigners and probably too experienced to be toppled by Shrule/Glencorrib. That leaves Crossmolina v Knockmore. Now this is a tough one for me to call. What I do know is that both teams will go at it hammer and tongs as there are plenty of young aspiring footballers on each side to ensure we have a cracking game of football. Personally, I would not mind if it was a poor one, if we were guaranteed a safe passage into the semi-finals!

This Sunday, August 22, Westport will host a 5k fun run and walk around the historic tourist town. The event is open to absolutely everyone of all abilities and will take place through the grounds of Westport House. The event starts at 4.30pm sharp at the North Mall, with registration taking place from 3.30pm in the same location. The course has been accurately measured, and is the ideal distance for families, walkers, Fit4Life members, and club runners. For further information contact Mel King on 087 2231052 or Anne Ronayne on 087 6973587. This 5k event is being organised by Westport AC supported by Mayo Sports Partnership. As part of the Westport Get Out There Adventure Festival, the Westport community, and Mayo Sports Partnership have come together to promote an Active Westport for all. This 5k event is sponsored by the West Bar and Restaurant.

Mayo manager Tony Duffy has named his side for this Sunday's clash with Tyrone in the All Ireland semi-final in Croke Park. Duffy has named the same 15 as started the All Ireland quarter final win over Offaly in Hyde Park at the start of the month. However there are injury doubts over both Brendan Harrison and Conor Walsh ahead of the game.

So with seven of the eight quarter finalists already known, the last place in the knock out stages of the Royal Theatre senior football championship will be known by Saturday night when Breaffy host West Mayo in the final group game of the competition.