FBD league called off due to weather

Fri, Jan 08, 2010

The freezing conditions that have beset the country have seen the cancellation of the first round of games in the Connacht FBD League this weekend. The Connacht council announced the decision on Wednesday saying: “Due to hazardous driving conditions and having checked the weather forecast for the weekend Connacht GAA Council has postponed the start of the FBD Insurance League until Sunday January 17.” Mayo were scheduled to open their FBD League campaign with a tie in Garrymore against the students from NUIG on Sunday, but all the ties have now been put back a week due to the snow and ice. Mayo will now start their campaign on Sunday week, and follow it up with a game at home to Sligo IT on Sunday January 24 in Charlestown, and wrap up the league stages on Sunday January 31 in Ballinlough against Roscommon. The home final for the league has been pencilled in for either Saturday February 20 or Sunday February 28, and the final against New York on Sunday October 10.

New rules and new confusion

Fri, Jan 08, 2010

As a new year heralds in a new season, it also brings with it a new selection of rules to be tried out during the provincial and national leagues. With the FBD league supposed to have got under way in Garrymore on Sunday for Mayo against NUIG this raft of new rules will get its first airing in front of the Mayo faithful on Sunday week. For your ease, here is a run down of the new rules to be debuted on Sunday.

Fist pass: The open handed pass has been eliminated with only a closed fist pass allowed.

Tricky Terryland test for Kenny’s Mayo

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

There might be some pre Christmas pleasantries before kick off in Terryland Park tonight, but once the whistle is blown it’s do or die for the Mayo League’s Oscar Traynor Cup team. Following on from their win over the Inishowen league in the opening round of the competition, progression to the knock out stages of the competition is all down to this game for both sides. A draw will do Mayo thanks to their superior goal difference, but that’s something Mayo manager Brendan O’Connor is not thinking about. “Yah, a draw will do us on Friday night, but we are not going to approach the game like that at all, we’re going out to win on Friday night. If you go looking for a draw at the start of a game you are just setting yourself up for a fall, if we get it all and good, but we are going out to win the game.”

Loftus Recycling maintain good home

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

Team Loftus Recycling maintained their unbeaten home record in Ballina Sports and Leisure Centre on Saturday night when they recorded a hard earned 85 to 74 victory over Titans from Galway in the league. On Saturday, Loftus Recycling are at home again, in the National League, when they host Maree, Oranmore, in repeat of the epic Cup battle between the sides in the Cup quarter final, tip off is down for 7.30pm and it is sure to be a hard fought encounter between the two Connacht sides. In the National Cup, Loftus Recycling will have to travel to Cork on the weekend of January 16/17 for their semifinal. Standing in their way of a cup final appearance is UCC Demons. The cup semifinals for both the Super League and the senior men’s cup are being brought back to Cork this year to celebrate 25 years of the Neptune Stadium. The old hall has seen many a great night down through the years and this year’s semifinals will surely bring back some of those memories.

Westport 5k brings the Mayo road race league to a conclusion

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

The ninth and final race of the Vodafone C&C Cellular Mayo Road Race League takes place in Westport on Sunday December 27. It looks like being an exciting finale to another successful race series. Ninety eight men and 112 women athletes have won points in the eight races so far. The 2009 Race League has proved an excellent testing ground for the Fit4Life members who started their programme back in February. They have been training weekly at the five group sessions organised by clubs in conjunction with Mayo Sports Partnership. The Westport 5k will include a Fit4Life team challenge among the five groups.

Mary Gleeson looks certain to retain the title she won in 2008. She has won three of the seven races she contested thus far and her best six have earned her 147 points. She could be pipped for the title if Catherine Conway were to win the Westport race. However Conway, who is recovering from injury, has chosen to run the 10k at Athenry on St Stephen's Day. Breege Blehein has had a great year since her return to competition and is currently in second place ahead of Cathy Connolly.

Adventure duathlon for Castlebar

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

Adventure races are fast growing in Ireland. The west of Ireland has been leading the way with major events in the last few years using the fantastic rugged scenery of County Mayo. A new annual adventure race will be held on March 27 2010 which fits perfectly with any athletes who run, cycle, and train for adventure races around the country. The perfect event for the people looking for real adventure!

Justin Ryan crowned young Mayo champion

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

Eighteen-year-old Justin Ryan from Headford, Co Galway, was recently crowned the Mayo and Districts Motorsport Club young driver champion. Ryan managed to clinch the title by one point on the final round of the four round series based in Harrington’s Quarry Swinford. The battle for the title commenced back in May, the first event of the season, loose surface autocross. During the winter layoff from competition Ryan and his father John Paul upgraded their 1.4 Honda Civic to a 1.6, this was to prove a decisive move for the pair and the championship.

Claremorris Tournament

Fri, Dec 18, 2009

Mayo did not have any involvement in the two All-Ireland club finals which were decided at the weekend, but the record will show that Ballaghaderreen were the only Connacht club winners in 40x20 this year. St Coman’s were beaten by an impressive Liscarrol side at Crinkle on Saturday, while Salthill’s brave bid for junior club honours came to naught as they narrowly lost out to Coolboy on Sunday at Dolla, Silvermines. Salthill did feature well-known former Ballinrobe handballer Tom Sweeney in their line up, but the Galway side’s cause was as good as lost by the time Sweeney got to see any action. Coolboy’s Jerome Willoughby did most of the damage as he defeated Kevin Craddock of Salthill 21-10, 21-11, in the opening singles. John Ward and Bernie McDonnagh were unable to close the gap for Salthill in the doubles against impressive young Coolboy duo Keith Kavanagh and Gary Donohoe, losing out 42 aces to 31 overall. This meant that Salthill were 30 odd aces adrift, and while Sweeney’s determined effort resulted in a 21-7 victory it was never going to be enough. Coolboy’s John Rodgers finished off the job in the second to record a 10 ace victory overall. Credit to Coolboy whose senior team gave Ballaghaderreen a run for their money last week, they at least did not finish the season empty-handed.

There was further good news for the west in the remaining colleges’ finals played at Ballina on Sunday. Roscommon’s intermediate doubles duo, Cian Connolly and Mark Nally, representing the local CBS school put in a tremendous performance to see off the challenge of Christopher Philpot and Jamie Lynch of Clare, 21-12, 21-18. Rice College won the senior doubles and Roscommon and Galway shared the girls’ junior singles and doubles, it was a very good return for Connacht counties this years in the colleges’ softball championship.

County board convention sees walk out

Fri, Dec 11, 2009

There were plenty of Christmas decorations in the Castlecourt Hotel last Monday night, but there was a lack of Christmas cheer from some corners of the convention. The show kicked off with a hour-long debate between the members of Moygownagh and Ardagh and the top table over the issue of voting rights. Both clubs had combined together to play in this year’s junior championship, but both clubs were still under the impression that they would retain voting rights as individual clubs at the convention. They were told by the county board they would not, as to have a vote at convention all clubs have to have played at least one championship game during the past year, but since only Ardmoy (the combined team) had played Ardmoy would get three votes between the two clubs.

Worcester fixtures to decide Connacht’s Euro credentials

Fri, Dec 11, 2009

Connacht head to Worcester for Saturday’s Amlin Challenge Cup fixture - the first of two back-to-back clashes which are expected to decide who advances to the quarter-finals. With only the five pool winners qualifying, where they will be joined by three Heineken Cup group runners-up, Connacht are in the driving seat at this stage of the competition.

Help Enda Kenny to fight motor neurone disease

Fri, Dec 11, 2009

Enda Kenny is delighted to endorse an exciting White Collar Boxing Extravaganza on behalf of the Mayo branch of the Irish motor neurone disease association (IMNDA) — a group of volunteers who have come together to raise local awareness and funds on behalf of the association. They are now seeking local heroes and heroines to volunteer to take part in a six week intensive boxing training course and then perform three rounds in the boxing ring next March, while at the same time raising much needed funds and awareness on behalf of the association.

Mayo rally competitors invade Sligo

Fri, Dec 11, 2009

The Mayo and District Motorsport club were well represented at last Sunday’s Connacht mini-stages rally based out of Grange in Sligo, with over 10 crews starting the extremely tough event.

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