Mayo Hurlers Sink the Lakesiders
Sun, May 17, 2009
he Mayo hurlers caused one of the shocks of the year on Saturday last in Westport GAA Grounds, as they dumped early season favourites Westmeath out of the Christy Ring Cup for 2009. Westmeath came into the tie as 1/7 on favourites, but the bookies got it all wrong as Mayo kept their championship aspirations alive thanks to a dogged display of power and skill.
Read more ...Westport claim Connacht Senior Cup after extra time
Sun, May 17, 2009
Westport United 2
Athenry 1
Last chance saloon for Brennan’s boys
Fri, May 15, 2009
Evan Sweeney’s point five minutes into injury time last Saturday evening in Austin Stacks Park, Tralee, broke Mayo hearts in the first round of the Christy Ring Cup. The point saw Kerry slip by Mayo on a scoreline of 3-11 to 1-16 and send Mayo into a losers play-off with Westmeath this weekend. “It was heartbreaking,” according to Mayo manager Martin Brennan when he spoke to the Mayo Advertiser earlier this week. The Westport man has been guiding Mayo for the past two years alongside Galway legend Pete Finnerty, and before the game last weekend was full of confidence of taking Mayo that one step further this year after losing in the Christy Ring Cup semi-final last season. But no, it’s do or die for Brennan’s boys if they lose on Saturday against a Westmeath side which has won two of the last three Christy Ring Cup titles. It’s a relegation play-off and trying to avoid getting bumped down to the Nicky Rackard Cup for next season that they face.
Read more ...More winners from around the clubs
Fri, May 15, 2009
Balla
The JT Sports competition was won by Pat Walsh with a score of 36 on the back nine, with Oliver Moran coming home in second place also with a 36, while Tommy Walsh came third with a 35. The ladies’ competition was won by Mary Brett who scored a 35 on the back nine, with Geraldine Kilgallon coming home in second place also with a 35. Delia O’Hara took the bronze medal place with a 34 on the back nine, with Michael Miller’s 39 enough to take the youth prize. Due to the inclement weather, last Wednesday’s scramble was cancelled. Sympathy is extended to Jim Quinn and his extended family on the death of Jim's sister, Bridie Fahey, Athlone, recently. May she rest in peace.
Westport look to start and end their season in style
Fri, May 15, 2009
There may be concerns voiced form players and managers about the length of their season in Mayo soccer circles, but the progress of Mayo sides in national and provincial competitions to the latter stages continues, even though they should be in off season. This weekend Westport United are looking to round off their season, or if you look at it another way, kick start it with victory in the Connacht Senior Cup on Saturday. With the Super League only a couple of weeks away United will take on Athenry in Milebush Park on Saturday evening in the final of the eight strong competition for the best of the best in the province.
Read more ...First leg of Mayo road race league this weekend
Fri, May 15, 2009
The Carramore 10k is the first race in Mayo AC's 2009 Road Race League, which is sponsored by Vodafone C & C Cellular and supported by Mayo Sports Partnership. The race is on tomorrow at 6pm. This will the first chance for participants to pick up league points in what promises to be a very competitive league this year. The Carramore 10k is a firm favourite on the western athletics calendar and is now in its sixth year of the race. The course is a fast, one lap, rural circuit which will test all athletes. There is a good community spirit and there has been lots of local help in support of the main organiser Christy Heneghan, who has been involved in athletics since the 1970s. Once again the race is supported by local business people PJ and Helena O'Connor. This race has a strong fund-raising tradition. The main charity this year is the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. To date the event has raised €46,000 for its palliative care service.
Read more ...Mayo’s David O’Loughlin returns home for FBD Rás
Fri, May 15, 2009
Mayo’s David O’Loughlin returns home as part of a five-man An Post Sean Kelly team that have high hopes of continuing their recent good form in Europe, back on home soil. O’Loughlin competed in the 4km track pursuit at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won his and Ireland's first ever UCI Track World Cup medal when taking the 4km Individual Pursuit bronze at the Beijing World Cup meet in January, and followed this with a silver medal at the Copenhagen World Cup meet in Denmark.
Read more ...Still answering the captain’s call
Fri, May 15, 2009
I had the privilege of introducing the last man who captained a successful Mayo All Ireland winning minor team to my own young man and a few of the Castlebar under- 12s at their training session last Saturday morning at McHale Park. Michael Fitzmaurice, captain of the Mayo minors in 1985, approached my car with a bag of footballs on his back. I hadn’t a clue who he was until he removed his cap. Even then it took me a second or two to recognise the former star as, like a few more of us he is, by now, follically challenged. He sat into the car and we chatted football for a while. I was delighted to discover that he was a part time GAA coaching officer, travelling around to a number of national schools down around his home place, Lacken. Michael was a great footballer and I recall making a number of telephone calls to his home in the mid nineties trying to persuade him to get involved with the Mayo senior set up of my tenure. He couldn’t make the commitment at the time for a number of reasons and I have to say it was our loss. Still it was good to have the chat and to reminisce about times past. Michael had spent the morning working with a Mayo under-14 development squad and I am sure they will be better players because of his tutoring. So also will the national school kids in and around Lacken.
Read more ...One of the best picks his best
Fri, May 15, 2009
Tom Humphries from The Irish Times stable is one of my favourite sport journalists. He is a terrific wordsmith, however, like most of us, he can be hit and miss on occasions. Nevertheless, when he hits the spot as he often does, there is a ping in your head like the noise that you hear when you occasionally catch a drive off the tee box as it should be done. For those few fleeting seconds as you watch the ball arrow down the fairway — you feel really good about yourself — and as those who love clichés turn to you and say - “that’s the one that will bring you back the next day” — you let yourself have that inner smile of satisfaction.
Humphries has written his Lockerroom column on the back page of The Irish Times for well over a decade and it is required reading for most sports fans. His self-deprecating humour allows him to poke fun at most things. Last Monday, he wrote 125 things that he loves about the GAA as his reflection on Lá Na gClub. Some of them were off the wall in my view and some just did not work, however in an effort to keep the doom and gloom of economic meltdown and Local/European/by-election talk at bay, and obviously a way of getting 800 words on a quiet week, I have selected my personal favourites from his list of 125. You don’t have to agree with them; just enjoy them for what they are. A bit of fun.
Read more ...
