For the first time since 2018 the Mayo senior hurlers will be playing Christy Ring Cup hurling in the championship.
After three years in the Nickey Rackard Cup, culminating with last year's victory in the final over Tyrone in Croke Park, Mayo are back playing championship hurling in the third tier of the championship.
They will get their campaign underway on Sunday afternoon, when Kildare come calling to James Stephens Park in Ballina in their first round encounter. Mayo are heading into the championship off the back of a disappointing league campaign, which saw them relegated from Division 2B after they were beaten by Wicklow in a relegation play-off a fortnight ago in Tullamore.
The league was a campaign Mayo will want to forget and have put behind them, as they only managed to pick up a single point over the course of their five games, which came in round one when they drew 2-15 to 2-15 against Wicklow in Ballina. They followed that up with losses against Donegal, Derry, Sligo and London before they were beaten in the relegation play-off by the Garden County men.
Mayo's opponents on Sunday were playing in a division higher than Mayo in the league and managed to hold on to their spot in that division, finishing in fifth place after they picked up a win and draw against Down and Carlow during their five league games and will pose a very serious test for Mayo on Sunday.
After their opening round this weekend Mayo will be in action away to Wicklow the following weekend, with a trip to London on Saturday, April 23 and home games against Sligo and Derry in the weeks after that. The competition is being played on a league basis with the top two sides meeting in the final.
