Champions drop points at home

Sun, Apr 20, 2014

In a truncated round two of the Elverys Sports Super League where the games between Ballyheane and Westport United and Castlebar Celtic and Moy Villa were postponed the big news from the weekend was Straide and Foxford United's 2-0 win away to the champions Ballina Town in Belleek on Sunday afternoon. The newly promoted side who picked up a 3-2 win away to Manulla last weekend made it two wins from two so far this season with the goals coming from Conor Sherry and Stephen Wallace. The tangerine clad side will be looking to make it three wins from three next week when they host Castlebar Celtic on the banks of the Moy. On Saturday night another of the Super League new-boys Charlestown Athletic who earned a point against Ballyheane last weekend thanks to two late goals picked up their first win of the season with a 2-1 win over Fahy Roves in Charlestown. Goals from Jacob Gawalkiewicz and Thomas Meehan put the east Mayo side into a 2-0 lead, before Fahy Rovers cut the gap back to a single goal after finding the net from the penalty spot. Next up for Charlestown Athletic is a trip to the Sportspark and a game against Westport United next Sunday afternoon.

In a sun drenched Carramore, Manulla picked up their first win of the new season coming from a goal behind to see off Iorras Anotaithe 3-1 in the Spring sunshine. (While the sun was shining, the decision of one of the linesmen to forgo his boots in favour of just wearing socks in the first half was an unexpected sight this early in the year). Manulla had most of the play in the contest against a battling Iorras team, but they failed to test Phelim Munnelly often enough in the first half, with Rory Martyn and Ben Frayne going close on a couple of occasions each. The visitors took the lead after 64 minutes when Eamon Carey drove the ball past James Jennings with a sweet strike from the edge of the area. That goal stunned Manulla into action and they leveled the game up two minutes later when Rory Martyn slotted the ball home from a knockdown by Shane Durkan. Five minutes later Durkan put his team in front with a powerful header from a well worked short corner. The game was made safe nine minutes from time, when Keith Burke skipped past two defenders down the left wing and placed the ball in the far corner of the net, less than a minute after his introduction from the bench. Next weekend Manulla will make the short trip to Moneen to take on Fahy Rovers while Iorras will host Ballina Town in the big north Mayo derby.

Celtic book league cup final spot

Sun, Apr 20, 2014

Castlebar Celtic booked their place in the Bus Éireann Women’s National League Cup final for the second year in a row thanks to a 3-1 win over Peamount United in Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon. The Hoops are becoming quite the cup side, having made the final of this competition last year along with the final of the FAI Women's Senior Cup earlier this year in the Aviva Stadium. They go on to meet Wexford Youths in the final of the league cup on May 18.

Move to improve getting ready to go to the tape

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

The first race in Mayo AC's new 2014 Move 2 Improve series is the Kilmovee 10k tomorrow April 19 at 1pm. The club are delighted that the new series will be sponsored by C and C Cellular, continuing its involvement with the club over the past nine years. The Move 2 Improve series consists of six races - four 10km, and two 8km, all independently organised events with accurately measured courses, permits from Athletics Ireland and their own prize structures. John Roddy and his team have worked hard to make Kilmovee 10k one of the best organised events in the country, and its popularity has grown immensely in a short time - this will be its fifth year. You will enjoy a big welcome, a traffic free course, chip timing, and wholesome refreshments afterwards before the prizegiving at the Community Centre. Details of the event are available at www.kilmovee10k.com. As the name suggests, the Move 2 Improve series is focused mainly on those who have taken up the sport in recent years, who are looking to achieve new levels of performance. Many will have taken up the sport through Fit4Life and other local initiatives. Others will have an opportunity to experience races in the company of their peers, make new friends and generally have fun. The series is open to all. Mayo AC hopes this new format will offer opportunities and incentives for all participants to measure, improve, and achieve their goals through personal best times, and move to a new Level. Full details of the Move 2 Improve series are at www.mayoac.com

Foxford’s formula for racing

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

Foxford’s Sean Hynes kicked off his 2014 Formula Sheane (pronounced ‘Shane’) season last weekend at a double header in Mondello, The opening two rounds of the MicksGarage.com backed championships, which has twenty one drivers at present registered for the series, provided some thrilling racing.

Westport duo in action in Portugal

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

It was a solid international opener for the rising stars of triathlon over the weekend in the Quartrira ETU European Cup in Portugal following the senior event on the Saturday, Sunday saw the junior elite athletes take centre stage with Ireland having two representatives in the Junior Men’s race in the shape of Westport’s Con Doherty and Aichlinn O’Reilly. With 75 men on the start line the 750m opening swim was always going to be congested and hard fought. The super swimmers to the front were out in under 9:30 with Christopher Perham of Great Britain in the lead. The Westport duo of Con Doherty and Aichlinn O’Reilly found themselves towards the back of the pack exiting beside each other in 10:16 and with plenty of work to do. Doherty shot through transition and went about closing down the leaders over the testing 20km bike leg. The pack up front were working well together and would stay away and go into the run with a nice advantage. Doherty went on to clock the fastest run in 16:08 but was left with too much to do following the swim. His blistering run was by far the quickest from the chase pack and brought him up to 13th overall. O’Reilly came off the bike in a chase pack behind and clocked 18:05 for the 5km run to finish 49th in just his second junior elite level race.

Adrian Freeman Memorial Cup

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

The Adrian Freeman Memorial Cup Day for the Mayo GAA u14A Feile na nGael title takes place tomorrow April 19 in the Tooreen.

Mayo fail to make extra man count again

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

Mayo limped out of the national league in spectacular fashion last Sunday in Croke Park against a much livelier and hungrier Derry team. What has everyone worried is Mayo’s failure and inability to make a numerical advantage count for the second time in three weeks.

It was Stephen Cluxton who was red carded for the Dubs’ three weeks ago, this time it was Fergal Doherty, the heartbeat of the Derry team after a thunderous hit on Aiden O’Shea in the shadows of the Hogan Stand. I was very keen to see how Mayo would use the extra man after what happened against Dublin two weeks previous.

Mayo fall flat against Derry

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

Having the championship throw-in against New York in just over a fortnight will have been a welcome relief to James Horan and his squad this week as they picked over the bones of last Sunday’s national league semi-final defeat at the hands of Derry in Croke Park.

New season kicked off in style

Fri, Apr 18, 2014

The big game of the opening weekend of the Mayo League Super League last weekend was the meeting of Westport United and Castlebar Celtic in the Sportspark only seven days after their Connacht Cup semi-final clash in Castlebar. The Covies came out on top this time around, despite going in trailing 1-0 at half time thanks to a Jason Hunt goal. But three second half strikes from Martin Geraghty and a Dave Hoban brace gave the hosts a 3-1 win.

Mayo fall short again in Croker

Sun, Apr 13, 2014

Mayo left Croke Park on Sunday evening with far more questions than answers, as a 14 man Derry team ran at them and right through them, into the National Football League final in a fortnight's time. For the second time in the space of a few weeks, Mayo had a man advantage and a decent lead, but they were unable to see the game out and came up short in Croke Park. When Fergal Doherty was shown a second yellow card and ordered off the field for a late challenge on Aidan O'Shea in the build up to Mayo's goal 24 minutes in, it should have been the staging post for Mayo's march to victory. But, they never got moving as freely as expected and Derry ran out deserving winners.

Champions get off to winning start in Super League

Sun, Apr 13, 2014

Ballina Town got their title defence off to a winning start in Attymass on Saturday night thanks to early goal from ace marksman Brendan Lavelle against a tough battling Moy Villa side. The champions made all the running early on in the contest, but were made to sweat at the end as Moy Villa threw everything at them to try and salvage an equaliser at the death.

Stephen Moyles served an early warning of Town's intent when when he was played in down the right after four minutes, but he pulled his effort wide of Patrick Keane's post four minutes in. The Moy Villa goal only survived two minutes more, before it was breached by Ballina.

Work rate disappoints Horan as Derry book final spot

Sun, Apr 13, 2014

Mayo supporters left Croke Park on Sunday evening with plenty to ponder for the summer ahead. While losing to a Derry team who have impressed in this years league campaign is no great failure on the face of things, the manner of the defeat is what has supporters and the Mayo manager alike looking for answers. “We were three points up and we had a good goal chance, we made a hames of it. We didn't take it and the longer that game would have went on Derry would have won by more, I'd say. They were starting to run through us and away from us. A very disappointing performance from us and one we'll have to analyse very seriously, the whole lot of us as a group. We weren't good today, right through. So we need to have a look at that” proffered Horan in response to being asked should his side have put away a 14 man Derry team.

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