It is a big weekend in the local championship with a series of mouthwatering matches in the offing. One could make a valid argument for any of the four teams left in the race to covet this year’s county senior title. If I was pressed to predict a winner, I would possibly give a nod towards Ballintubber on the basis that they are winning all of their league matches, so their form is reasonably good. They are the current county champions and will have come on a lot, particularly in terms of confidence, from last year’s success. However I just would not bet on them beating Ballina this weekend. Crossmolina beat Ballina last Sunday in the league, but I got the impression that they were holding a little in reserve for this Sunday. The Ballina boys would also have been anxious not to pick up any injuries so close to a big game. As it happens, Pat Harte did limp off during the game with some sort of an injury, so he might be a slight concern coming into Sunday’s game. I don’t think Ballina manager John Healy was too concerned at dropping two points as it leaves him a little room to kick ass this week as he gets his team focused for the semi-final. All in all I feel the Stephenites have more in them than I witnessed last Sunday, and therefore I think they have a right good chance of beating the county champions. It promises to be a fascinating contest.
Castlebar aces up front
Castlebar v Knockmore is another interesting match as here again there appears to be very little between the two sides. Castlebar were, without doubt, the best team that Crossmolina encountered in this year’s league. That clash was months ago however, and I believe their form has been patchy in recent games. They did however put 1-18 on the scoreboard in their league match last Sunday but also conceded four goals in the same game against Shrule-Glencorrib which is somewhat of a concern for them going into this weekend’s game. The lad that really did the damage in the league match against Crossmolina months ago was ‘will of the wisp’ corner forward Tom King. He is missing through injury for the championship and is a serious loss to the Mitchels. Knockmore’s form hasn’t been great in recent weeks either, losing to Westport and taking a hammering from Ballina a few weeks ago. They addressed that poor form last Sunday with a comprehensive victory over Ballinrobe which suggests that they are back in the groove. However I think if Castlebar manage to tighten up their defence they may have too many aces up front and might just sneak this one. Incidentally young Danny Kirby had a fantastic game against Crossmolina in the quarter final and he could possibly prove a match winner again this time.
Fight for survival
Meanwhile there is a right battle going on in the senior league with a number of teams desperate for points to avoid relegation. Our Crossmolina side is involved in that battle and, with at least two games left and needing two points, our destiny is in our own hands. It is the first time in years the club has found themselves in this situation and it is rather uncomfortable. Understandably since our interest terminated in the championship a number of weeks ago it has been more difficult to keep the squad together. Numbers at training are way down and with the nights drawing in, combined with poor weather, the whole thing has become a bit of a chore for everyone. We have to keep the show going however and will be fighting tooth and nail for those two points from our remaining games in order to keep us in Division 1 of the league for next season. We were due to play Ballinrobe this Sunday, but as Donal Vaughan is involved in a four day training camp with the international rules squad, Ballinrobe understandably did not want to play without their inter-county star as they, too, are battling for survival. We didn’t mind agreeing to their request for a postponement and it now looks like that game will be played on the county final weekend. Meanwhile the slog continues for survival.
