Females shine at National championships

Fri, May 24, 2013

An extremely large entry into the 2012/2013 National u18 championships last weekend saw the first session of boxing on Friday last take the full seven hour shift to complete. Seventeen Mayo boxers, a combination of both male and female, weighed in on Friday morning. Two female boxers added a pair of additional titles to the 32 already won by Mayo boxers this season. Lycia Heneghan (Ballinrobe BC) and Kathy Higgins (Ardnaree BC) were successful in their attempts to include national titles on their records.

Tommy Joe is right on time in Ballindine

Fri, May 24, 2013

The soggy weather did not deter organiser in chief, Dave Huane, from clocking up his fifth Annual Ballindine "Guess your own time" four mile road race last Saturday evening. A good field assembled at the top of the hill start at Ard Lugalisheen and all were checked over for watches and other timepieces, having 'guessed their own finishing time' when they entered.

The summer starts now for club stars

Fri, May 24, 2013

The hard yards put in on the muddy fields from Belmullet to Shrule over the wild winter and soaking spring will be put to the test this weekend when the first ball is thrown-in in this year’s Mayo club championships. From Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon, across 16 games in the senior and intermediate championships the shape the summer will take for 32 clubs will start to form.

Mayo stroll home in Salthill shoot-out

Sun, May 19, 2013

Mayo 4-16
Galway 0-11

Galway 0-11

Westport United on the verge of historic cup defence

Fri, May 17, 2013

Sunday morning will see a mass exodus of football supporters from Westport, but rather than heading south to Galway they’ll be pointing their wagons east, in the direction of the small Roscommon village of Lecarrow about 17km west of Athlone to the home of the Roscommon and District Football League. It’s there that Westport United will be looking to put together a historic back-to-back pair of Connacht Junior Cup victories. Last years rain-sodden penalty shootout victory over Athenry in Terryland Park will go down in history as one of the great days in the famous junior club’s history, but if they manage on Sunday to bring the trophy home for the second time in as many years, they’ll be telling tales of this side for many, many years to come around the town.

Celtic ladies look to make national breakthrough

Fri, May 17, 2013

Sunday is going to be an emotional day for the Castlebar Celtic women’s senior side when they face off against Peamount United in the final of the Bus Éireann Women’s National League Cup in Milebush Park. Along with dealing with the nerves of the biggest day that a lot of these players will have played in, they will also be keeping the memory of their late coach Jeremy Dee very firmly in their minds. At 2pm on Sunday a tree laying ceremony will be held at Milebush Park in memory of the late Jeremy Dee, who worked at Milebush for a number of years, along with coaching the Celtic side who have reached this Sunday’s final.

Galway the underdogs as they welcome Mayo to Salthill

Fri, May 17, 2013

If past performances are a good indicator of future performance – and they are – Mayo will beat Galway on Sunday at Pearse Stadium (4pm).

Moyles’ Mayo looks to retain title

Fri, May 17, 2013

It’s probably forgotten by a lot of people, but along with reaching the All Ireland senior final last year, Mayo also reached the junior equivalent of the competition also, where they came unstuck against a classy Kerry side in Cusack Park in Ennis.

The junior competition itself is a strange competition, with different rules for different counties and plenty not even taking part in it. Ulster don’t hold a competition at all, while Mayo can only field players who haven’t played senior club championship or with the senior inter-county team the previous year. And Sunday’s Connacht final opponents are hamstrung by not being able to field players who have played with the senior inter-county side in last year’s championship, so it’s effectively a B team for them.

“I’m sure they’re planning an ambush in Salthill”- Horan

Fri, May 17, 2013

All eyes on Sunday will be on a new look Mayo front six as the Connacht Championship throws in for another exciting instalment. Injuries have forced the hand of James Horan into lining out without what most people would say are four of his chosen starting forwards. While it’s good news that Alan Dillon and Andy Moran have made sufficient progress to take their places on the bench for Sunday, how match fit they are and what kind of impact they will be able to have after prolonged lay-offs is yet to be seen. The loss of Jason Doherty in recent times has added even more to Mayo’s problems up front along with loss of Michael Conroy a few weeks ago for a good portion of the early summer at least. Stepping into fill the gaps on Sunday are two championship debutants, Cathal Carolan and Darren Coen. While Carolan has got some inter-county miles under his belt in this year’s league campaign from the first Dublin game on, the only game time that Coen has seen in the senior side in the league this term has been a brief blood sub appearance on Leeside. Joining Cillian O’Connor and Kevin McLoughlin and the pair of debutants in attack is the experienced duo of Alan Freeman and Enda Varley.

Ladies face old rivals as they get back to the big time

Fri, May 10, 2013

Once upon a time, not so long ago, Mayo were the dominant force in ladies’ football, winning all before and behind them. While Mayo slipped down the pecking order over the past decade, Cork stepped up and grabbed the top spot in the pecking order and have remained there more or less ever since.

Mayo enter the last chance saloon in the Garden County

Fri, May 10, 2013

Following on from their 11-point defeat at the hands of Kildare in Newbridge last weekend in round one of the Christy Ring Cup, the Mayo senior hurling team are on the road east again this weekend looking to keep their season alive. Christy Phillips side will make the journey to Arklow for tomorrow afternoon’s game knowing that unless they pick up a win their season will come to an end in the second weekend of May.

Celtic ladies reach national final

Fri, May 10, 2013

Last Monday afternoon, Castlebar Celtic senior ladies side created a bit of history by making it into their first ever senior national final thanks to a 3-1 win over Raheny United in the Women’s National League Cup semi-final. Celtic went in trailing at half-time but came out fighting in the second half and goals from Shaunagh Jackson (2) and Katie Walsh sealed Celtic’s spot in the final against Peamount United.

It was a good end to a weekend where Celtic’s u18 boys team came up short at the very end when they lost 4-0 to Castleview of Cork in Turners Cross in the final of the FAI Youth Cup. The concession of two goals in four minutes in the second half saw the game get out of the reach of the hoops, who brought a large support to Cork with them last Saturday. There’s not much time to dwell on what might have been for the Celtic team, who are out in action in the Connacht U18 final tomorrow against Mervue United at 2pm.

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