They will go in as the underdogs on Saturday, having never claimed the senior championship title, but Martin Brennan’s charges from the west coast served fair warning last weekend when toppling one of the two east Mayo giants of the small ball game in the county. The narrowest of margins was all that separated Westport when they saw off Tooreen in McHale Park at the semi-final stage on a scoreline of 1-13 to 1-12. But were it not for a late long range goal from Kenny Feeney for the vanquished side, the gap would have been more comfortable for the former Mayo manager’s side. Stephen Broderick was the main man for Westport, scoring eight points for his side in the semi-final and they will need big performances from him along with the likes of Eoin Madigan, Rory Brennan, and Adrian Connolly if they are to knock Ballyhaunis off their perch.
Knocking Ballyhaunis off their perch is a lot easier said than done. The east Mayo men have been the giants of the game in the county at adult level over the last number of years. Castlebar who have been progressing really well at underage level in the recent past, have not reached the stage where they can live with the best of the best. The lopsided nature of their semi-final win could play against them if Westport can get at them early, Ballyhaunis had not as competitive a game as Westport had in the semi-final stage. With players like Keith Higgins, Niall Murphy, Derek McConn, Pierce Higgins, Michael Walsh, and Paul McConn at their disposal, the TJ Tyrrell Cup should be wintering covered in red and black ribbons despite Westport’s best efforts this Sunday evening. The action gets under way in McHale Park, Castlebar, on Saturday at 3pm. The game will be preceded by the re-fixture of the Minor A Hurling Championship final between Castlebar and Tooreen at 1.30pm. The game was previously abandoned by referee Charlie Collins who will be the man in the middle again on Saturday. Fading light and the decision not to turn on the floodlights in the county ground saw Collins bring the former contest to an early and unsatisfactory conclusion.
