SHC semi-finals and JFC action takes top billing in this week’s club fixture schedule.
Silver Hill Foods Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Finals
Castleblayney v Clontibret, Thursday, 8.00, Oram
Inniskeen v Truagh, Thursday, 8.00, Gavan Duffy Park
The SHC semi-finals are down for decision on Thursday.
Castleblayney will expect to build on an impressive campaign to date when they meet Clontibret at the changed venue of Oram. Blayney won all five group games and they are hell-bent on reclaiming the title which they lost in last year’s final against Inniskeen. Clontibret’s only win of the round-robin stage came against Carrickmacross, while they also got a walkover from Monaghan Harps. Hugh Byrne, Fergal Rafter, Mark and Peter Treanor and Paddy Finnegan are among the main men for Blayney, while Clontibret will need the likes of Cormac Connolly, Brian Greenan, Aodh Curran and Michael O’Dowd available and on form if they are to have any chance of making this a contest.
Inniskeen continue their defence of the Mick Quigley Cup in their semi-final against Truagh in Monaghan. Inniskeen won all four of their group games before conceding to Castleblayney when already qualified. Their run included a five-point win over Truagh, who won three of their games to finish third. Trevor Hilliard, Ronan and Paul Meegan, Martin Murphy, Michael Lennon and Séamus Loftus backbone an experienced Inniskeen team, while Conor McKenna, Conor Boyle Conor McGinnity and Damian McCarron are crucial for an improving Truagh side.
Universal Graphics Junior Football Championship Round 2B
Drumhowan v Oram, Saturday, 7.00, Blackhill
Scotstown v Toome, Sunday, 4.00, Tyholland
The JFC continues with two Round 2B qualifier games over the weekend.
On Saturday evening in Blackhill, Drumhowan will be expected to continue their run through the back door when they take on Oram.
Drumhowan lost to Toome in the preliminary round after a replay plus extra-time, but they bounced back last time out at the expense of Éire Óg. Oram lost tamely to Aghabog first time out, although they did grind out a narrow win over Killeevan in Round 1B. Drumhowan’s high-scoring win over Oram in May has started a run of three consecutive league wins for the 2012 JFC winners, who are now up to fifth, three points and three places above Oram.
Kevin and Kieran Mooney, Colm Lambe, Darren Duffy, David Millar and Anthony Mulligan are central players for Drumhowan. Pauric Graham’s return from New York has bolstered an Oram team which also includes Ryan McGuinness, Seán Graham and Deaglán Crowe, but they will still need an improvement if they are to go any further.
Tyholland is the venue for Sunday’s game between Scotstown and Toome.
Toome made a good start to the championship when they beat Drumhowan after a preliminary-round battle that went to extra-time in a replay, but they lost out to Blackhill in Round 1A. Scotstown also went to a replay in their opener – having led by ten points at one stage of their drawn game – only to eventually lose out to Killanny. Toome are seven points and five positions ahead of Scotstown in fourth in the JFL with a game in hand and they took three points from Sunday’s opponents in their two league clashes; having drawn in round one before running out convincing winners on their home ground.
Scotstown can call on promising young players like Seán Mohan, Elliott Maguire, Micheál McCarville, James Hamill and Donnacha Dolan, but despite the absence of the suspended Gavin Flanagan, Toome should have enough in the tank with players such as Gary Wilson, Liam and Stephen McCooey, Jason Murphy, Mattie O’Reilly and Seán McMahon.
Four of Friday’s five scheduled County Monaghan Credit Unions Senior Football League games have been postponed, with the only one going ahead being leaders Ballybay v Magheracloone.
Four of the five Monaghan Electrical Intermediate Football League fixtures are also off, with Inniskeen taking on Corduff on Sunday.
There are two Eurotech Junior Football League games on Friday night, with table-toppers Killanny away to Killeevan and Éire Óg hosting Aghabog.
The Maguire Transport Minor Football Championship Division Two begins with quarter-finals between Truagh and Toome and Emyvale and Doohamlet on Tuesday evening.
The McElvaney Recycling Minor Football Leagues also resume on Tuesday evening, with the Division One fixtures being Carrickmacross v Truagh, Killanny v Monaghan Harps and St. Patrick’s v Donaghmoyne. In Division Three, it’s Corduff v Seán McDermotts, Emerald Sarsfields v Inniskeen, Patrick Emmetts v Latton and Castleblayney v Killeevan.
The last round of the Platinum Tanks Reserve Football League Division 1B takes place on Wednesday. It’s top versus bottom when Castleblayney host Drumhowan, while second-placed Ballybay are in Emyvale and there is a shoot-out between Cremartin and Tyholland for the third semi-final spot. Division Two also comes to a close over the next few days, as Aughnamullen host Doohamlet on Sunday, with Corduff and Rockcorry at home to Éire Óg and Inniskeen respectively on Wednesday, when there is also a Division Three game between leaders Blackhill and Clontibret.
The winners of Sunday’s Under-21 Football League Division One North game between Emyvale and Monaghan Harps will join Scotstown, who play Truagh on Wednesday evening, in qualifying for the semi-finals. Carrickmacross and Killanny, who are both already out in Division One South, meet on Sunday, with the top two (Magheracloone and Castleblayney) crossing swords on Monday night. The last Division Two North game sees Latton and Killeevan face off, while Donaghmoyne and Blackhill battle it out for the right to top the South.
In another busy week in the Gerry’s Prepared Veg. competitions, there are games in the Under-16, Under-14 and Under-12 Football Leagues and the Under-12 Hurling League.
By cshalvey Thu 24th Jul
