A look at the weekend's matches
TODAY
O’Byrne Cup SF Semi-final
Meath v DCU, Páirc Tailteann, 7.30pm – With Meath in the embryonic stages of assembling a team sufficiently strengthened to deliver a good league and close the gap on the top sides in Leinster, this evening’s verdict may go to the students, who are full steam ahead for the imminent Sigerson campaign.
Connacht League SF
Sligo IT v NUI Galway, Sligo IT, 6pm.
Walsh Cup SH
Laois v Dublin IT, Rathdowney, 2pm; Wexford v NUI Galway, Enniscorthy, 2.45pm.
Kehoe Cup SH
Roscommon v GMIT, Athleague, 2pm.
TOMORROW
O’Byrne Cup SF Semi-final
Kildare v Dublin, Newbridge, 2pm – Both teams are in the same process of resting the weary and auditioning the untested as well as giving a run to players who are on the margins. With just six of the team that started the All-Ireland final, Dublin are more of a shadow side than Kildare, who look more likely to win and take their defence of the title to the final.
Dr McKenna Cup SF Semi-finals
Derry v Down, Armagh Athletic Grounds, 2pm; Fermanagh v Tyrone, Armagh Athletic Grounds, 3.45pm – Down soft-pedalled their way through to the semi-final during the week but showed enough good form earlier in the month to be able to win this. Then there is the second meeting in five days between Tyrone and Peter Canavan’s Fermanagh, whose rehabilitation augurs well for rehabilitation this year.
Tyrone have been juggling young players with established ones and will be expected to do the double over the neighbours here.
Connacht League SF
GMIT v Leitrim, Strokestown, 2pm; Roscommon v Mayo, Ballinlough, 2pm; Galway v Sligo, Tuam Stadium, 2pm – Pool stages wrap up with Mayo already through and Leitrim likely to join them in the semi-finals, whereas always Galway and Sligo scrap it out for a ticket to accompany NUI Galway, who are already through.
McGrath Cup SF Semi-finals
Cork v Cork IT, Páirc Uí Rinn, 2pm; Tipperary v UCC, Clonmel, 2pm – Cork showed well with an experimental side as well the returning Colm O’Neill and can edge past the students of CIT.
In the other semi-final, Tipperary look as if they mean business but Sigerson champions UCC will be a different proposition to WIT, who they annihilated last week.
Walsh Cup SH
Westmeath v Offaly, Kinnegad, 2pm.
Munster Cup SH
Tipperary v Limerick IT, Thurles, 2pm.
O’Byrne Shield SF
Wexford v Wicklow, Enniscorthy, 2pm; Laois v DIT, Portarlington, 2pm.
Kehoe Cup SH
Louth v St Patrick’s, Drumcondra, Darver, 2pm; Fingal v DCU, Fingallians Swords, 2pm; Armagh v TCD, Middletown, 2pm.
All-Ireland Club IFC Semi-finals
Davitts (Mayo) v Éire Óg (Wicklow), Tullamore, 2pm; Milltown-Castlemaine (Kerry) v Craigbane (Derry), Portlaoise, 3.30pm – Two All-Ireland winning managers take charge of the favourites in these semi-finals. Davitts’ Pete Warren was one of John O’Mahony’s selectors in Galway in 1998 and 2001, whereas in the second semi-final, Milltown’s John Fintan Daly took Cork to the 1994 under-21 title.
Davitts should get the better of their Greystones opponents, while the Kerry champions won’t have it easy against Craigbane’s strong defence.
All-Ireland Club JFC Semi-finals
Naomh Pádraig Clonbur (Galway) v Ballivor (Meath), Carrick-on-Shannon, 2pm; Dromid Pearses (Kerry) v Derrytresk (Tyrone), Portlaoise, 2pm – Ballivor, by virtue of their impressive attack, are favoured to get the better of a decent Clonbur side, whereas Declan O’Sullivan’s Dromid Pearses are in pursuit of Kerry’s sixth All-Ireland at this grade in eight years and should take that challenge past the Tyrone champions, who have risen from obscurity to claim impressive county and provincial titles.
All-Ireland Club IHC Semi-finals
Effin (Limerick) v Middletown (Armagh), Birr, 2pm; Mount Leinster Rangers (Carlow) v Robert Emmets (London), Parnell Park, 1pm – With the Quaid brothers, Tommy and Nicky, to the fore Effin have done enough in Munster to suggest that they’ll be in next month’s final despite Middletown’s emphatic provincial win.
There the Carlow champions, celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, are likely opponents despite Robert Emmets having shocked Galway’s Moycullen in the quarter-final.
All-Ireland Club JHC Semi-finals
Charleville (Cork) v Fullen Gaels (Warwickshire), Walsh Park Waterford, 1pm; St Patrick’s, Ballyragget (Kilkenny) v Ballygar (Galway), Nenagh, 2pm – Everything, from their excellent media briefing to having won the Kilkenny under-21 A title last month, marks St Pat’s as a club on the march.
Their progress through more competitive terrain in the county and Leinster as well as the county’s strong record in this championship makes Ballyragget hot favourites.
Equally fancied are Cork champions Charleville against Fullen Gaels, who dispatched Ulster representatives Burt from Donegal in the quarter-final.
Seán Moran
