Mayo let opening day victory slip through their fingers
Sun, Feb 24, 2013
Mayo 0-18
Roscommon 1-15
Connacht under pressure to improve away form
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
Connacht’s away form is under ever-increasing scrutiny as the club heads to Wales to face Cardiff Blues this evening (7.30pm). Coach Eric Elwood has had to make four changes from the side that beat the Ospreys last week. Robbie Henshaw’s involvement with the Irish set up has seen him remain in camp with the national side, so captain Gavin Duffy will start at full back this evening picking up his 151st cap for Connacht. Tiernan O’Halloran’s knee injury has forced him out with Fetu’u Vainikolo replacing him. There will be plenty of extra Mayo interest to see how Brian Murphy does at inside centre, the 27-year-old only signed professionally with Connacht last summer from Galwegians and the former Shrule-Glenncorrib GAA man will be looking to make a big impression. In the pack Andrew Browne will replace Mick Kearney in the second row
Read more ...Rice takes home Castlebar honours
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
Balla
Last weekend’s stableford competition saw Oliver Moran taking home the first place prize on 35pts, Jim Rodgers came home in second place one point further back, with Chris Mannion coming home in third place. The ladies’ competition was won by Margaret Walsh on 35pts, Geraldine Evans finished in second place and Marie Flanagan took third place.
Byrne comes second in defence of 50k title
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
John Byrne (Mayo AC) finished second on Saturday in the National 50k championships hosted by Donadea Running Club. Marathon Mission member Barry Minnock (Rathfarnham WSAF) who was second behind John last year was the clear winner of the Irish 50k title in 3hrs 5:02. John finished in 3:07:40, an excellent result with a typically resilient performance in another ultra race. He was rewarded with a personal best by 10 seconds. Conditions for the 107 starters in the forest park setting were quite different from 2012. The mainly gravel trail course (10 laps of 5k) had sections of sticky mud after a wet winter and compounded by the effects of logging vehicles which prevented water running off the track in places. From the start Minnock showed the pace that brought him a 2:17 marathon in 2012 and had opened up a 0:27 lead by the 7k mark. Although he was well within John’s sight at that point, as the laps went by he gradually extended this to 1:13 by halfway 1:30:22/1:31:35, and to 2:42 by 40k – 2:25:55/2:28:37. As they both tired over the remaining 10k John clawed back a few seconds but by then Barry Minnock was well in control and a deserving winner in 3:05:02. In the circumstances it was a brilliant effort by both athletes. Third place went to Peter Mooney (Unatt) in his first run over this ultra distance in 3:17:45, with his brother Rory (Raheny Shamrock AC) fourth in 3:18:40. The top four finishers were all under the 3:20:00 qualifying time to compete internationally.
Read more ...Mayo Stages launch tonight
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
The 2013 instalment of the Hotel Ballina and Kennedy Motors Mayo Stages Rally is almost ready to tear up the tarmac of north Mayo. The official launch of this highlight of the Mayo Motorsport calendar will take place this evening in Hotel Ballina, which will also be the headquarters for the event which will take place on March 10. The event will kick off at 8pm and a range of rally cars will be on display outside the venue and all are welcome to attend the launch.
Marshals wanted for rally
Read more ...Mayo open league campaign at home to Roscommon
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
The Mayo senior hurlers have their first competitive outing of the season with a home game to near neighbours Roscommon this Sunday, February 24, at 2pm in Elverys McHale Park. This is their first game under recently appointed manager Christy Phillips who is hoping to start the League campaign with a win. Phillips and his backroom team of Ciaran Hynes (Westport), Austin Kenny (Tooreen), and Sean Malee (Kiltimagh) have been fine-tuning their preparations for the League since the first week in January, training three times a week at the 3G Connacht Centre of Excellence in Bekan and playing a number of challenge games. The hurlers received a major boost over the past few weeks with the return of Westport’s Aiden Connolly to the panel. Connolly was Mayo’s stand out player last season and his arrival will be a major boost to Mayo’s full backline. Mayo will be looking for strong performances from seasoned campaigners Donal O’Brien, Pa Connell, Shane Morley, Derek McDonnell, Kenny Feeney, and Brian Hunt. Relative newcomers to the panel Ciaran Finn, David Kenny, Adrian Guiry, and Colin Staunton will also be hoping to impress. The match day panel will also be bolstered by the return of All-Star Keith Higgins and football panellist Cathal Freeman.
Read more ...Mayo claim national INDO inter-county title
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
The Mayo men’s darts team created a little bit of history last weekend when they brought home the goods from the annual INDO inter-county championship otherwise known as the All Ireland championships. Mayo sent both a men’s and women’s team to Ennis where this year’s championships were held. The ladies’ team made it all the way to the last eight but were sent packing at the hands of the best that Dublin had to offer and it was left to the men to bring home the glory, which they very much did and brought home the title for the first time. After a tough two days competition in the group stages, Mayo topped their group thanks in no small part to a shoot-out win by Terry McNulty in a vital game.
Read more ...Registration nights coming up for a number of clubs
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
There will be a number of registration evenings over the next few weeks for a number of clubs across the county. Castlebar Town will be holding a registration day for new and existing members tomorrow Saturday, February 23, from 1.30pm to 3pm in the clubhouse. While there will also be a meeting for anyone interested in playing for the new Castlebar Town senior women’s team taking place this evening, February 22, at 7.30pm in the clubhouse.
Read more ...McCann and Cooney in national last 16 action
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
Two of Mayo’s finest will go in search of victory in the last 16 of the All Ireland 40x20 Open Championships over the next few days. Tomorrow afternoon in Kingscourt in Cavan Joe McCann will face off against Antrim’s Ricky McCann at 2.15pm. On Tuesday evening in St Comans, Roscommon, at 8pm Stephen Cooney will be up against it when he faces off against Diarmaid Nash from Clare, the Clareman having previously won a World 23 and under title. The draw for the quarter finals of the All Ireland doubles 40x20 Open Championships was also held recently and Mayo duo Joe McCann and Deeise Keegan will square off against Kerry pair Dominic Lynch and JJ Quirke in Tulla, Co Clare, at 2pm on Sunday, March 24.
Read more ...Derby date for Mayo schools in semi-final showdown
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
Tomorrow afternoon the townland of Bekan will see the meeting of some of the best schools’ footballing talent in the county when St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, and St Colman’s College, Claremorris, come face to face in the Connacht Colleges Senior Football Championship A semi-final.
The Castlebar men booked their place in the last four with a comprehensive 1-17 to 1-5 win over St Muredach’s from Ballina in the same venue and picked up the Connacht League title earlier this year, seeing off tomorrow’s opponents by a few points on their way to the title. In their quarter final win James Durcan was their scorer in chief kicking five points from corner forward. Durcan’s brother Patrick who captains the side was another man who put in an impressive performance, along with the likes of Ronan Carolan who chipped in with four points and Jake Gannon. The Castlebar men will need to be on top form on Saturday if they are going to get the better of their south Mayo rivals. The Claremorris school will be hoping that their captain and one of last year’s star Mayo minor players, Adam Gallagher, is fit to play after Gallagher picked up a finger injury in their win over Roscommon CBS in the last eight. Other familiar names from last year’s minor team in their ranks include Stephen Coen and Kevin Lynch who will be key men in their drive to win their first provincial title since 2009, when they turned over tomorrows opponents in a tight battle in Ballinrobe. A big crowd will be expected in the new Connacht Centre of Excellence for this clash of the Mayo heavyweights, throw in is at 1pm.
Read more ...Moylette and Lynch go for glory in Elite finals
Fri, Feb 22, 2013
There will be plenty of Mayo interest in the action in the National Stadium in Dublin where the IABA Elite National Championships finals will be taking place tonight. St Anne’s Ray Moylette will be up in the fourth bout of the night when he takes on Ross Hickey in what is potentially the bout of the night in the light-welterweight (64kg) grade. Moylette is the defending European champion and ranked number eight in the world, while Hickey is a two time elite champion and is defending his title from last year. Moylette, who had plenty of injury problems last year which curtailed his chances of making it to the Olympics, is back in top form this year and over the past two weekends saw off Patrick Mongan 14-7 in his quarter-final victory and Sean Duffy 18-10 in his semi-final win last Friday night.
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