Search Results for 'Kevin Keane'

Marking Time

Westport was awash with more than 2,500 competitors who took on the gruelling challenge of Westport Sea2Summit on a bright and breezy Saturday morning.

Westport made light work of having to play three championship games in seven days last Saturday night when they cruised home to a six point win over Kiltimagh in the Mayo Intermediate Championship final in MacHale Park. On Sunday, they will be back in Mayo GAA HQ where they take on Galway champions Monivea-Abbey for a place in the final of the Connacht Club Intermediate Championship.

If they are going to do it tomorrow evening, then Westport are going to do it the hard way by winning their third game in seven days when they take on Kiltimagh in the Mayo Intermediate Championship final. Damien Loftus' men needed two attempts to get past Shrule-Glencorrib in the semi-final, with Wendesday night's reply win not looking like it was even a possibility with 15 minutes gone.

Kiltimagh v Burrishoole

Four games spread across three venues will determine the future of eight sides all looking to be the one to claim the Mayo Intermediate Championship and book their place with the big boys in the senior event next summer. The last few games that had to be tidied up in the group stages took place last weekend and Kiltimagh, Westport, Belmullet, and Islandeady topped their groups, with Moy Davitts, Burrishoole, The Neale, and Shrule Glenncorrib joining them at the quarter final stage as runners up.

Connacht Championship quarter-final

At the end of the day the long and winding road has led back to the destination that most had hoped for, Mayo in the first All Ireland semifinal on Sunday August 21. Rather than coming through to this stage as provincial champions with just a quarter-final to play, Mayo have made their way through the scenic route and disposed of Leinster opposition twice and then the Ulster champions to get here. Next up for them is a challenge from a group of men from Munster, but once again it is not one of the ones we would have expected. Tipperary, a division three side that finished their league campaign just two points above relegation to division four for next year, have wandered their way through this championship summer to become the story of the summer.

At the end of the day, the result is all that matters. It wasn’t the prettiest of games in Croke Park, but it was intense, intriguing and full of industry and some moments of pure inspiration. Mayo are in the All Ireland semi-final in two weeks time and that’s exactly where they want to be. They dug in and put in the hard yards on the field in Croke Park and thanks to Lee Keegan’s point five minutes from the end, that seemed to take at least five minutes before it dropped over Niall Morgan’s bar they won the day and moved step closer to their ultimate goal.

Mayo put in their best 70 minutes of football under Stephen Rochford's watch to easily account for Kildare in their third round qualifier in sun drenched Elverys MacHale Park last Saturday. There is no question it had to have been the most relaxing 70 minutes Rochford has had since he took over the reins. The opposition has to be taken into account however. Kildare are no longer a force in football, they struggle to beat division four teams, they are probably the fifth best team in a Province that has only one decent team, but as the saying goes Mayo can only beat what is put in front of them.