Search Results for 'Stephen Rochford'

Galway have not beaten Mayo since July 13, 2008 in championship football.

The countdown is well and truly on for Mayo's first championship home game of the season next Saturday night when Galway come to MacHale Park for the semi-final showdown. In the lead-up to the game, Mayo manager Stephen Rochford spoke to the press earlier this week about the contest.

After the historic high of climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand last Saturday afternoon and lifting the Nicky Rackard Cup, it's back to even more serious business tomorrow for the Mayo senior hurlers. Unlike the Christy Ring Cup, winning the competition does not guarantee you promotion to the next level of the senior hurling championship, so it's back on the road again for Mayo and a date with Derry in Ballinamore in Leitrim for the right to have a place in the draw for the Christy Ring Cup next season.

Last Tuesday night most of the teachers who are involved in Extra-Curricular activities during the school year at The Jes on Sea Road in Galway city where we teach, went out for a bite to eat and a few beverages in An Pucán just off Eyre Square.

The Connacht championship is the most special one in the entire All Ireland championship, with every one of the province's home counties kickstarting their championship adventure on foreign soil in either London or New York twice in a five year cycle. Last weekend it was Mayo's turn to head east to London and while there was a football match to be played, it was as much a social event where old friends and new acquaintances soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed each other's company from early in the morning till well into the evening.

Last Tuesday night most of the teachers who are involved in Extra-Curricular activities during the school year at The Jes on Sea Road in Galway city where we teach, went out for a bite to eat and a few beverages in An Pucán just off Eyre Square.

The Mayo senior team travel to London tomorrow from Ireland West Airport for the start of their 2016 championship and kickstart their bid for an unprecedented six Nestor cups in a row. The 100/1 on Connacht champions will have little or no trouble in disposing of the exiles no matter what way we try to butter it up.

Stephen Rochford has named his first championship starting team for Mayo this lunch time, Rochford has handed Ballina Stephenites attacker Evan Regan his championship debut in this game and has named nine of the side who started Mayo's All Ireland semi-final replay defeat to Dublin in the starting 15. The players coming into the side who didn't start that day are Brendan Harrision, Kevin Keane, Patrick Durcan, Jason Gibbons, Evan Regan and Conor O'Shea. Dropping to the bench from that clash are Seamus O'Shea, while Ger Cafferkey, Donal Vaughan, Chris Barrett, Barry Moran and Diarmuid O'Connor aren't part of the match-day 26. There had been doubts of the fittness of O'Connor, Barrett, Moran and Ger Cafferkey ahead of the game.

There is a full round of senior football championship matches down for decision this weekend on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Mayo football championship kicked into life in sweltering Mediterranean like conditions last weekend. Defending champions Castlebar Mitchels showed no ill effects from their All-Ireland final nightmare two months ago when they easily accounted for Crossmolina Deel Rovers despite fielding just over half of the team that started in that All Ireland final.