‘Mobile Holmes’ had the Mitchels very mobile last week
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
Castlebar Mitchels county champions 2013 has a nice ring to it particularly if you are from the county town. The Mitchels won with a bit to spare, however they did their level best to keep us on the edge of our seats giving Breaffy a glimmer of hope with some wayward shooting, they did not put this game to bed until the 56th minute despite being so comfortable. When you are only a goal up there is always a chance your opponents could sneak in against the run of play. It is hard to believe it is 20 years since Castlebar won the Moclair Cup. Little did Tom Reilly know when he captained them back in 1993 he would have two sons playing against each other in a county final. I could still nearly name the Castlebar team that claimed that crown.
Read more ...Mayo AC athletes bring home medals from Dublin marathon
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
Mayo AC had a strong squad in Dublin on Monday for the 34th Dublin City marathon. The race was a genuine Irish Marathon championship with the absence of elite runners due to there being no official sponsor until Airtricity came on board. Women’s race winner was Maria McCambridge in 2:38:53, while the first man was 2012 Balla 10k winner Sean Hehir in 2:18:21. This is the first time an Irish duo has won the race in more than 20 years. While the weather in Mayo may have looked benign, bright, and sometimes breezy, it was not so in Dublin at the edge of storm St Jude. Split times over the final 10k indicate these last few miles were tough in blustery conditions.
Read more ...Minor and u21A finals down for decision this weekend
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
There is no let up on the GAA front as winter creeps in with the A finals in the minor and u21 championships down for decision this weekend. First up is the meeting of the newly crowned senior champions Castlebar Mitchels and Bohola Moy Davitts in the u21 A final in the Connacht Centre of Excellence in Ballyhaunis this evening at 8.30pm.
Read more ...Celtic head for Aviva showdown on Sunday
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
Castlebar Celtic will live out the dreams of every soccer player in the country on Sunday when they take to the field in the Aviva Stadium in the Women’s FAI Cup final. The game itself will also be broadcast live on RTÉ Two television at 12.20pm giving everyone who cannot make it to the Dublin 4 venue a chance to see the girls do their stuff on the big day. The Celtic girls and management team know they will be going into the big game as underdogs against Raheny United, having lost to the same opposition in the league a fortnight ago 9-2, but that is not something Celtic manager Adrian Carrberry is putting much stock into ahead of the game. “The result wasn’t a fair reflection on our team, we matched them for the first half and we were probably the better side in that half,” he said. He also lamented the fact that his side conceded two penalties in that half which was very out of character.
Read more ...Lam urges injury-struck Connacht to give it one big push before autumn break
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
n the back of another "gut wrenching" loss, Connacht must now regroup to host title-seeking Glasgow Warriors at the Galway Sportsground on Saturday (5pm).
As always Connacht will have parked that Leinster disappointment and will be reharnassing their emotion and energy to try to deny a Scottish outfit which has undergone a resurgence since Gregor Townsend took over the two seasons ago. But Connacht's task has been made all the more difficult by continuing injuries and the departure of utility back James So'oialo for personal reasons.
Read more ...Kiltane go looking for final spot
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
Winning the Mayo intermediate title this year was number one on Kiltane’s list of objectives at the start of the year, they achieved that a number of weeks ago and a summer season of senior championship football now beckons for the north Mayo men. But winning the Mayo title was not the be all and end all of this team’s ambitions and they have taken to the Connacht championships with gusto, and on Sunday they will return to MacHale Park looking for a place in the Connacht final and put themselves in with a chance of doing what both Davitts and Charlestown have done in the two previous years, top off a great season with provincial honours. Then come the spring time a crack at an All Ireland series could await them and set them up for 2014 in style.
Read more ...Cill Chomain take on Galway champions for final spot
Fri, Nov 01, 2013
The first game of Sunday’s double header in MacHale Park sees Cill Chomain look to complete the first of a north Mayo provincial double in the Connacht Championship. The Mayo junior champions take on Galway side Headford at 2pm in the county ground, with a place in the Connacht final at stake.
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Horan staying on for 2014
Fri, Oct 25, 2013
The Mayo county board confirmed on Wednesday evening that James Horan has pledged his future to the Mayo senior team for next season. The Ballintubber clubman held his second meeting with county board officials in eight days on Wednesday night. Speculation that there would be a shake-up in the management backroom team was confirmed with the news that James Nallen would not be part of the setup next year. The Crossmolina man had been part of Horan's management teams since he was appointed to the role in October 2010.
Read more ...Bringing it all back home
Fri, Oct 25, 2013
The dividing lines are fluid when it comes to the boundary, fluid enough to see two brothers togging out for opposing teams on Sunday, but one thing that is not fluid is the desire of both Castlebar Mitchels and Breaffy to take home the Paddy Moclair Cup with them on Sunday evening. Both of this year’s finalists have got there on merit, one was expected to be still standing here, while the others dusted themselves off after heavy defeat to the other in the group stages and have battled back to show their true worth.
Read more ...Final day drama to sort out the Super League title
Fri, Oct 25, 2013
There will be plenty of drama in the Elverys Super League on Sunday when the final round of games kick-off, with both Ballina Town and Ballyheane having a chance to claim the title. Last Sunday Fergal Forde’s men from north Mayo had a chance to claim the title when they played their catch up game against Westport United, but last years champions were not in any mood to just let Ballina Town take their crown and ran out 3-0 winners against them in the Sportspark.
That win sets up this weekend’s round of games very nicely, with Westport United also set to have a big day as they travel to Quigley Park to take on Ballyheane, while Ballina Town are making their way to Celtic Park to take on Castlebar Celtic. Both teams are sure to have their own men at their rivals grounds for updates on how the games are going. As it stands Ballina Town have a one point advantage going into the game, so it is all in their own hands. If the win the title is theirs, but a draw or a defeat and win for Ballyheane and they take the title. It has been one of the most exciting races in recent league memory, with Ballyheane’s re-emergence to a Super League powerhouse after a year out of the top flight something many would not have predicted at the start of the season. The Heane have gone through this year’s league campaign unbeaten to date, with their tight defence one of their bedrock of their title run, conceding only 10 goals in the league so far, eight fewer that their fellow title contenders. Ballina have lost three times this year so far, the most recent coming last weekend when the Covies put three past them thanks to efforts from Dave Cameron, JP O’Gorman, and Michael O’Rourke. The possibility of a play-off between the Ballina Town and Ballyheane is also looming, if Ballina Town lose to Celtic and Ballyheane draw with Westport United, leaving the two sides locked on 28 points. It is lining up to be a nerve wracking day of football in two grounds within a few miles of each other.
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