Search Results for 'Colm McManamon'

While they are far better known for their small ball game, the black and amber Cats from Kilkenny are standing in Mayo's way of reaching the All Ireland Junior Football Championship final tomorrow afternoon in Tullamore. Kilkenny who only field a football team at junior level have progressed to this stage of the competition after winning the British junior crown, travelling over and back to Great Britain for all their games this summer so far. In the final of that championship they saw off the challenge of Scotland to book their final four spot.

Charlestown 1-7

When Colm McManamon took over Burrishoole three years ago, it looked to be a forgone conclusion that he would be able to guide a talented, hard working, side back into the senior ranks in the near future. But it has not worked out that way for the men from McGovern Park in Newport. For the third time in as many years, he has guided his side to the final of the intermediate championship, and left them only 60 minutes from achieving their goal. But on Sunday they could not have asked for a harder side to get through at this grade than those who they will be facing in the green corner.

It has been a remarkable few years for Ballintubber, escaping with the intermediate title by the skin of their teeth in 2007 and going on to put together back to back senior titles in 2010 and 2011. This year, they are looking to make it three senior titles in a row. On Sunday in McHale Park, Crossmolina Deel Rovers will become the latest side to try to knock Peter Ford’s men off their lofty perch.

The colours may be from the opposite ends of the spectrum, but come Sunday afternoon in McHale Park the black of Davitts and the white of Burrishoole will collide for 60 minutes of all or nothing action.

Both Breaffy and Ballina will do it again on Saturday evening as both sides battle it out for the last remaining place in this year’s Treanlaur Catering Mayo Senior Football Championship semi-finals. The sides finished level in McHale Park last Saturday evening thanks to a late equalising point from Breaffy wing-forward Matthew Conroy. Ballina looked to have the game theirs for the taking on a couple of occasions in both the first and second halves when they opened out big leads. But Breaffy pulled the Stephenites back in on both occasions to leave the game level at 1-11 to 0-14 at the end. Mayo minor Evan Regan was the main man for the north Mayo side, scoring 1-6 over the hour and caused the Breaffy defence a number of problems. Jim O’Shea and his management team will have been thinking hard all week what is the best way to counteract Regan’s threat tomorrow.

With dreams of Sam, put to one side for another year last weekend. It is back to the real heart of the GAA this weekend when the Mayo club championships thunder back into action at the quarter final stage. McHale Park on Saturday and Sunday is the place to be with a double header on the first day and the Sabbath day serving up a triple header of action in the county ground.

When the final whistle is blown in McHale Park on Sunday, one team in white will be celebrating claiming the intermediate championship and promotion to the senior championship for next year. But will it be the white and green men from Burrishoole or the white and black clad side from the Gaeltacht in Tourmakeady.

The intermediate football championship has been a graveyard for many a man who tried to predict the eventual winners of the competition for many a year. This grade is often so evenly matched that the vast majority of the 16 sides which start off at the beginning of the year could end up with the Sweeney Cup. The final four this year all can lay legitimate claims to being in with a very good shot of claiming the title, and by Saturday at 7pm we should know the final pairing. Things get under way at the county grounds when Burrishoole and Kiltimagh go head to head at 4pm, with Tourmakeady and Belmullet rounding off proceedings at 5.30pm.

Apparently since betting was allowed on minor inter- county championship matches no county attracted as much money as Tyrone minors last Sunday. They were 4/11 favourites to beat Mayo and the money flowed on to them. They arrived in HQ with a formidable reputation (as most northern teams do these days) and the word circulating about the place before the match was we would be doing extremely well to be in contention. But this Mayo team obviously did not give two hoots for the reputation of their opponents and they tore into them from the get go. They got the perfect start with three quick points, but that good start was nullified in a flash with a brilliantly taken Tyrone goal.