The first game of Sunday’s double header in MacHale Park sees Cill Chomain look to complete the first of a north Mayo provincial double in the Connacht Championship. The Mayo junior champions take on Galway side Headford at 2pm in the county ground, with a place in the Connacht final at stake.
Kieran Moran’s men battled through a tough Mayo championship to claim the title with a final win against Ardnaree after having to go two rounds with Louisburgh in the semi-final in the same venue. Moran’s men will be hoping that familiarity with the venue will be another advantage to them on Sunday against Tom Flynn’s north Mayo side.
In their final win over Ardnaree, Cill Chomain showed plenty of heart and fight coming back from the concession of an early goal to run out comprehensive 2-12 to 1-7 winners over Ardnaree. Terrance Moran was deadly accurate from frees in the county final kicking five of his six point total from dead balls, while Martin Geraghty’s knack for scoring big goals also kept up in the final, he and James McAndrew bagged 1-1 each over the 60 minutes.
In the middle of the park Brendan and Derek Moran will be expected to put in a solid shift to get their tricky forwards moving with Rory Ginty and Gary Ruddy all capable of chipping in with a few scores on Sunday.
At the back Josh Healy, David Coyle and Matthew Burke all put in good performances in the Mayo final and they will have to be on their toes again on Sunday afternoon.
Running the line for Headford on Sunday is Mayo man and Glencorrib native Tom Flynn who guided them to a tight fought 2-10 to 0-14 win over Tuam Stars in the Galway final. They ensured their win thanks to a late, late, goal from Alan Meenaghan to fend off a late Tuam rally. Meeneghan’s brothers Niall and Sean had been impressive early on in the game and they led by 1-7 to 0-5 at the break with Sean Meenaghan hitting the first goal of the game three minutes in to set them up. But they were made sweat for the win and had to dig deep at the end to claim the Galway crown. Sunday’s showdown promises to be an tough encounter between both sides.
