Captains drive ins and big changes at Westport
Fri, Apr 01, 2011
Balla
Last Sunday the captain’s drive in (John O’Connor) took place in Balla Golf Club, which kicked off the official start of the 2011 season. A guess the length of the combined drive in competition took place after the drive in of O’Connor and lady captain Delia O’Hara. Half of the proceeds went to the winner with the other half going to a local charity. The winner on the day was Bridget McNamee. The drive in was followed by a three ball scramble which had more than 100 entrants and was sponsored by Abbeybreaffy nursing home. The winners of the competition were the team of Conor Holian, Seamus Holian and Breda Cleary. The midweek scrambles will tee off for the first time on Wednesday April 6.
Doherty wins Harlequin Adventure Duathlon
Fri, Apr 01, 2011
Con Doherty from Westport put older and far more experienced athletes to the sword at the Harlequin Duathlon. Sixteen-year-old Con showed his running prowess when he obliterated the field with a blistering run up to the Booster station at Glenisland some 1,450 feet above sea level.
Anthony Murray, who won the Sea 2 Summit race in November, was the only one that could keep pace to Con, with David Sands from Ballina making it a clean sweep for Mayo athletes in third.
Read more ...Byrne comes third in 100k ultra marathon
Fri, Apr 01, 2011
What a weekend just gone it was for John Byrne of Mayo AC, last Sunday will be a date the Straide man will never forget. Byrne joined the five man Irish team in Perth, Scotland, for the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k ultra race. This annual event is not only a very competitive race between the home nations but also incorporates the Irish 100k championships. The team manager was well known adventurer and experienced ultra athlete Richard Donovan from Galway. Two experienced runners, Thomas Maguire - the current Irish record holder (7 hours 4 minutes) - and John O'Regan, were joined by Keith Whyte (Ennis Track Club) and Daniel Doherty (Basingstoke and Hants AC), both attempting their first 100k. John Byrne came to the race having entered the ultra distance zone in 2010 with a 50k race in Galway in August and an excellent 60th place in the World Championships in Gibraltar in November. Between these two he completed yet another Dublin marathon. One hundred kilometres is the equivalent of running two marathons back to back and finishing with a 10 mile run.
Sunday's 7am start at serene and foggy North Inch Park in Perth came even earlier as the clocks went forward. The 2.38k circuit was as perfect as you could find. Tree lined park paths, Bells Sports Centre on one side, and the slow flow of the river Tay on the other. Byrne reached the marathon mark in three hours and steadily passed the halfway 50k point in three hrs 33 mins. He had been lapping the circuit at 10.15 - 10.30 pace throughout.
Read more ...Victorious Rebels head to McHale Park
Fri, Apr 01, 2011
Just under a year ago Mayo travelled to Pairc Ui Chaoimh to take on Cork in the final group game in division one of the National Football League and came away with a 0-16 to 0-11 win and a place in the final of the competition. Only a few weeks later both sides squared up again in Croke Park and from the minute the ball was thrown in that day both teams’ seasons veered off in very different directions, Mayo’s ending on a Saturday evening in Longford eight weeks after that league final defeat and Cork’s on the final day with the ultimate prize.
Read more ...Gerald’s claim Connacht u14 crown with assured display
Fri, Apr 01, 2011
St Gerald's, Castlebar 3
St Joseph's, Galway 0
Cooney leads Mayo charge in semi-final showdown
Fri, Apr 01, 2011
Stephen Cooney heads the list of Mayo hopefuls into the second series of All-Ireland semi-finals at various venues this weekend. A former minor champion, his next logical step is to earn his senior spurs by capturing an intermediate title. Such titles are far from easily won and his showdown with the highly rated Diarmuid Nash from Clare this Sunday promises to be a top quality affair. Nash and partner Niall Malone reached the intermediate doubles final when they did just enough against Chris Doolin and Niall McGrath of Roscommon in a refixed semi-final match at Clooney on Saturday. The Cooney v Nash match is currently scheduled as the third of three games at Claremorris but may be moved to Ballaghaderreen the same afternoon.
Read more ...Hurlers go in search of fourth win
Fri, Mar 25, 2011
Murtt Connolly’s Mayo senior hurling side are looking to keep up their 100 per cent record in division 3B of the National Hurling League this Sunday. Mayo will host Donegal in McHale Park on Sunday at 2.30pm. So far this season wins over Roscommon, Fingal, and Louth have Mayo sitting pretty at the top of the table with three wins from three. Sunday’s opponents Donegal have one win from their three outings in the league, with their solitary win coming away to Monaghan in their second round game. Mayo’s last outing was a fortnight ago when they ground out a hard fought win over Louth in Dundalk. Connolly’s men will also have the services of dual player Keith Higgins back in harness for the game on Sunday after he returned from a holiday recently. In their last outing Kenny Feeney was the main man for Mayo, clipping over seven points, keeping up the good form he showed against Fingal in Mayo’s previous encounter. The goals came from Niall Murphy, Derek McDonnell, and Darren McTigue with Eoin Maddigan also prominent for Mayo. After Sunday’s game Mayo will have two games left in the league against Sligo and then away to Monaghan in a double header with the football team on the last day of action in the league stages of the competition. Mayo have their first outing in the Christy Ring Cup pencilled in for Saturday April 23 at home to Wicklow, and if they can keep up their good form of the early season through the latter stages of the league it will set them up nicely for their main competition of the year.
Read more ...Three hundred participants to race on Castlebar streets
Fri, Mar 25, 2011
The Harlequin Adventure Duathlon on March 26 is set to attract a bumper field of more than 300 competitors with some of the best adventure/duathlon racers in the country taking part in the run/bike/run event.
Organiser Seb Locteau who is one of the organisers of the Connemara Marathon is extremely happy with the entry to date. “After last year’s successful event its great to see that the 2011 event will be even bigger an better,” he said. “The course is not too severe and its easy to navigate around. This year we have made it a bit more challenging with longer runs and an off road bike section. In the last few months I have seen this route being used a lot by fitness enthusiasts.”
Read more ...Connacht prepared for avenging Aironi
Fri, Mar 25, 2011
Connacht are preparing for another bruising battle with Italian outfit Aironi when they visit the Stadio Zaffanello on Saturday (4.30pm).
Read more ...John Byrne ultra marathon man
Fri, Mar 25, 2011
People often shake their heads when they hear you are about to run a marathon. Mayo AC's John Byrne is well used to dedicated preparation. He has been their most successful athlete over many years now at a range of distances from 5k upwards. He has completed 24 marathons and a 50k. Over the past year John has moved on to new goals. Given the number of training miles he runs it seemed a natural step-up that he would progress 'beyond the marathon', or that zone defined as ultra distance running. The 100k is the equivalent of running two marathons plus ten miles - 62.5 miles in total. Start out in Ballaghaderreen, run along the N5 to Bohola, take a diversion down to John's homeplace in Straide, then back onto N5 at Ballyvary, through Castlebar and Westport, then on to the R335 until you hit Louisburgh - you will still have 3k to run to complete 100k!
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