New challenge for Connacht in European rugby

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

After three seasons of Heineken Cup rugby, Connacht return to the Challenge Cup next season where they will face new opposition in two French and an English outfit. Drawn in pool two and ranked in tier four of eight, Connacht will face English outfit Exeter Chiefs, ranked in tier one.

Although relative newcomers to premiership rugby, the Chiefs have made their mark since being promoted to the competition three seasons ago. The two sides have met in other in two pre-season friendlies, but they have never clashed in a competition. Connacht will also face French sides Bayonne and La Rochelle. Bayonne, who finished 10th in the Top 14, ahead of Grenoble, Oonnax, Perpignan and Biarritz, played Connacht in the former Amlin Cup competition in 2010/11. Connacht prevailed on both occasions, winning at home 16-13 and in France by 35-21. La Rochelle have been newly promoted to France's Top 14 competition, having secured promotion with a 31-22 win over Agen in the PRO D2 play-off final in Bordeaux. They have just recruited Waratah's winger Alofa Alofa. Connacht should be reasonably content with this pool and will have no fears facing any of these three teams. John Muldoon is looking forward to returning to France where last season they overcame rugby doyens Toulouse in the Heineken Cup, now renamed the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Mayo AC 5K series goes to the gun on Tuesday

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

The fifth annual Mayo AC Summer 5k Series sponsored by C&C Cellular

Club referees have a big role in how a county team does too

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

Last weekend I went to a few matches in the Galway senior football championship. The only consistency in the games that I observed, was the absolute inconsistency in the referring between games, the softness of some of the frees being given, and the poor standard of club football in the county. Anyone who has been watching inter-county football over the past decade or more will surely be aware of how the Tribesmen have drastically slipped back down the football rankings. From top of the pile in 2001, to not having won a senior provincial title since 2008, or even more shockingly, a provincial minor title since 2007. Watching the dire standard of referring at club level in the county last weekend convinced me that poor quality referring is also a factor in Galway’s, or any other county's demise.

Lots of good scoring around Mayo clubs last weekend

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

Balla
Chris Jennings was the winner of the men’s competition last weekend with a score of 44pts. Bert Eagleton finished in second place and Matt Leonard came home in third place. The ladies’ competition was won by Breda Cleary with a score of 42pts. She finished just one point in front of Patricia Larkin in second place and Mary Conlon finished in third place.

Mayo do just enough in the Hyde

Sun, Jun 08, 2014

Rarely does anything come easy to Mayo in Hyde Park and on Sunday they were peering over the ledge and an exit from the Connacht championship at the hands of Roscommon, but they were able to go to the well once more when it was needed to eek out the win that puts them into the Connacht final.

Horan pleased by character, but knows there's work to be done

Sun, Jun 08, 2014

After walking their way to a third Connacht title in as many years last year, Mayo were sorely in need of a test in the competition this year and that's what they got from Roscommon in Hyde Park on Sunday. After the game Mayo manager James Horan was in a reflective mood following his sides tight one point win.

Horan shakes up Mayo attack for Roscommon showdown

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

James Horan sprang a surprise with the team he announced for Sunday’s Connacht semi-final against Roscommon this week when he opted to hand Conor O’Shea his first championship start at centre-half-forward alongside teenager Diarmuid O’Connor who will be making his second championship start after making his debut against New York at the start of last month.

Drake looking to become the latest border guard

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

His imposing presence in the heart of the defence for his club Ballaghaderreen over the past number of years has seen David Drake earmarked as one of those who could add something to the Mayo set-up. The 24-year-old former Sligo IT and UCD Sigerson Cup player has been given that chance this year and he is looking to become the latest in a long line of men whose postal address may say Co Roscommon, but will bleed green and red on the football field rather than primrose and blue.

Experienced Mayo should have too much for Roscommon

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

This time last year Mayo trounced Roscommon by 0-21 to 0-9 in McHale Park in the provincial semi-final.

The real stuff begins now

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

Mayo travel to Hyde Park on Sunday to take on Roscommon in the Connacht semi-final.  It’s remarkable that it has only been five weeks since we played New York in Gaelic Park. It feels like that game was in a different year. I mentioned in a column a few weeks back that James Horan should keep five or six midfielders in his panel, however I didn’t envisage what was going to happen after that. Tom Parsons is the latest to be struck down with a bad hamstring tear on top of Barry Moran and Jason Gibbons already suffering disheartening injuries. They say things happen in threes, so I hope no more players join them on the casualty list. No time is a good time to get injured but end of May/early June is the nightmare time for any footballer. If your injury is so bad that you are not able to participate in any level of training it may leave you on the scrap heap for the rest of the year as the stamina and fitness levels you have worked so hard to build up will dwindle away like a puff of smoke.

Battle to be the best of the rest

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

By the time this paper hits the shelves on Friday morning, either Moy Villa or Straide and Foxford United could be sitting on 10 points and level on points with second placed Ballina Town in the Elverys Sports Super League.

Bank holiday competitions brings out the good scores

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

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Last weekend’s greensome competition was won by the team of Lorcan Cribbin and Eamon Donnellan with a score of 47. The pair’s back nine play held off the challenge of Aodan McSuibhnie and Pauline O’Connor in second place after they also finished on 47. Third place went to Geraldine Kilgallon and Marie Flanagan who scored 48.

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