Dreaded drop looms large for eastern neighbours
Aidan Sloyan will be one of the players Ballyhaunis look to for scores in their crunch derby with Aghamore on Saturday night. Picture: David Farrell Photography
It’s not quite last chance saloon but the fat lady in the corner of the bar is warming her vocal cords. Rivalries hardly get more local than when Ballyhaunis and Aghamore lock horns, with many of the players involved as likely to meet with hurls in their hands as they are with the big ball.
But this game cannot merely be described as a distraction before Ballyhaunis aim to thwart Tooreen’s bid for five consecutive county hurling titles; it’s much too important for that. And while it’s not the greatest of surprises that Ballyhaunis should find themselves in a relegation dogfight – their championship grouping was perhaps the toughest of all – Aghamore will believe they were good enough to advance from their group, based in particular on their displays in rounds one and two against Breaffy and Belmullet were they should arguably have taken more than just one point from.
The Red and White will be warm favourites to make certain of their place in the senior championship for next season because Ballyhaunis were far less competitive in their group, which saw them begin and end with very heavy defeats to Ballina and Crossmolina in between which they were overwhelmed by Garrymore despite an encouraging first-half performance.
Paidí Ó Se once said as Westmeath manager how “a grain of rice will tip the scale” so even something like Aghamore owning a floodlit pitch when this game is to take place under lights in Garrymore could be enough to force their neighbours into the dreaded relegation final.
