Photo: Laois Nationalist
Two matches for Mayo teams today and two wins recorded. That makes for a good Saturday in my book.
Despite it still being only April, the hurlers were in championship action this afternoon up in Tyrone. Relegated – by the Rossies to boot – from the Christy Ring Cup last summer, JP Coen’s charges set out today in their new surroundings of the Nicky Rackard Cup in which they faced Tyrone in a Round 1 clash at Carrickmore (which, as the Mayo Advertiser noted the other day, houses the original Nally Stand from Croke Park).
Hurling’s third tier might be regarded as slumming it as far as our lads are concerned but by half-time today, at which point Tyrone led by a point, it was obvious that things weren’t all going our way. This was even more the case when the Red Hands stretched their lead to four points early in the second half.
But we eventually asserted our superiority and did so in the time honoured tradition of bashing in a few goals. Four of them, to be precise, as we ran out convincing 4-19 to 0-17 winners in the end.
It was a much closer run thing for the ladies in their League Division One semi-final against Kerry at Birr this afternoon. The Kingdom made all the running in this one – right from the off, when they goaled with their first attack – and Kerry were well in front at the break, by which time they led by 2-8 to 1-4.
Despite having the wind behind them for the second half, it took a while before the Mayo girls at last began to reel their opponents back in but when they did it was with some gusto. A string of frees from Cora Staunton helped to cut Kerry’s lead back down to a single point and then Sarah Rowe swung over the equaliser with time running out.
Cometh the hour, cometh Cora with a thumping long-range score – her eleventh point of the game, knocked over in the seventh minute of injury time – to clinch a late, late victory. The girls now go on to face Cork in the League decider in two weeks time. That match is scheduled for Parnell Park, up the road from me here, on 7th May. One for the diary, I reckon.
Great win well done to all involved, Staunton is a wonderful player and I hope she is well supported in the final, congratulations.
I thought the ladies game was timed and ended with a hooter. Anyone know what it means to be in 7th minute of injury time, if the hooter is in use?
Cora, unreal.
well done ladies mayo gaa and mayo hurlers……
That ladies team … like our U21s, they don’t know when they’re beaten. A class act. Looking forward to the final on the 7th.
This will most likely be Cora’s last season,so if you haven’t seen her play, now is the time to head along to a game or two.
Yeah Anne-Marie I was just going to say that too, it was great to see our ladies team come back from the dead like our U21 team last weekend! Well done to the ladies and to the hurlers also.
Corals the greatest ever Ladies footballer….no doubt about it.
Now if only we had a male version of her.
Cora is a brillant footballer will definetly go to the final and support the ladies they have done brillant in the league Cork will be no pushover but neither will we. Imagine if we could have Cora and Ciaran Mc Donald working full time for Mayo GAA coaching kids
She’s a phenomenal sportswoman. To have kept playing for so long is one thing, but to have maintained this standard is just amazing.