Mayo make flying start to championship in London
London's Micheál O'Reilly has a first-half goal attempt blocked by Mayo corner-back Jack Coyne. Picture: INPHO/Gerry McManus
Mayo enjoyed a trouble-free opening to their 2026 championship when cruising to victory in Saturday’s Connacht quarter-final against London. There had been all of 17 points between the teams until James Davis fired over a trio of two-pointers in three minutes for the hosts towards the very end of this one-sided clash at a thronged McGovern Park.
Andy Moran’s team featured two championship debutants, Cian McHale and Hugh O’Loughlin, and the absence of U20 starlets Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne had been well signposted, but otherwise the visitors were fielding strongly and wasted little time imposing themselves in what were cool, blustery and at times, damp conditions.
McHale had a two-pointer on the board after four minutes, another after 11 minutes, and by half-time Mayo had posted seven times from outside the arc to lead by 11 points at the turnaround, albeit they had played with the stiffest of West London breezes.
Joe McGill and Shay Rafter, from frees, and Rafter and the impressive Kristian Healy from play, had swept over early points for London, and the Division 4 outfit had the first sniff of goal too when Micheál O’Reilly was foiled by a good Fenton Kelly block, but only two points during the second quarter, both of them McGill frees, told its own story about London’s struggles.
With Ryan O’Donoghue, from a free and from play, Paul Towey, Michael Plunkett and Jack Carney having all raised orange flags too, and goalkeeper Rob Hennelly driving over a ’45, it meant that just 0-2 of the Green and Red’s 17 first-half points had come from inside the arc, in what was an impressive display of shooting by the Westerners.
A quick start was needed by the Exiles if they were to have any chance of eating into their 11 points deficit (0-17 to 0-6) in the second-half and sure enough, O’Reilly this time got the better of corner-back Kelly to bury a goal just a minute after the restart, However, two point efforts by Rafter and midfielder Daniel Clarke, which might have further roused the home supporters, were narrowly off target, allowing Mayo to reset and build out their lead once more.
The visitors scored eight unanswered points against the breeze between the 49th and 65th minutes as Castlebar Mitchels duo Bob Tuohy and Paddy Durcan and substitutes Tommy Conroy and Jordan Flynn all got in on the act, while the excellent Ryan O’Donoghue extended his personal haul to eleven points.
Joe McGill swung over arguably the most spectacular of all the game’s two pointers and the six points from three late kicks by centre-forward James Davis lifted local spirits, but this was Mayo’s day – the demons of being taken to extra-time on their last visit to Ruislip well and truly banished.
The result sees Andy Moran’s side into a provincial semi-final at home to the winners of the weekend’s other contest between New York and Roscommon.
See Tuesday's Western People for full coverage of Mayo's weekend in London.
Scorers – Mayo: Ryan O’Donoghue 0-2-7 (1tpf, 4f), Cian McHale 0-2-2 (2f), Jack Carney 0-1-1, Paul Towey and Michael Plunkett 0-1-0 each, Paddy Durcan and Rob Hennelly (1 ’45, 1f) 0-0-2 each, Bob Tuohy, Jordan Flynn and Tommy Conroy 0-0-1 each.
London: James Davis 0-3-0, Joe McGill 0-1-3 (3f), Micheál O’Reilly 1-0-0, Shay Rafter 0-0-3, 1f), Kristian Healy 0-0-1.
London: Andy Walsh; Daire Rooney, Matt Moynihan, Sean O’Donoghue; Ciaran McKeon, Conor Goggin, Conor O’Donoghue; Liam Gallagher, Daniel Clarke; Josh Obahor, Jim Davis, Kristian Healy; Michael O’Reilly, Shay Rafter, Joe McGill. Subs: Finbarr Crowley and Nathan Feeney (for Goggin and Clarke 49), Liam Murphy (for McKeon 57), Marc Friel (for Rooney 61), Ciaran Gaughan (for C O’Donoghue 66).
Mayo: Rob Hennelly; Jack Coyne, Rory Brickenden, Fenton Kelly; Sam Callinan, Michael Plunkett, Paddy Durcan; Bob Tuohy, David McBrien; Jack Carney, Ryan O’Donoghue, Hugh O’Loughlin; Cian McHale, Aidan O’Shea, Paul Towey. Subs: Tommy Conroy and Jordan Flynn (for Towey and O’Loughlin 47), Cillian O’Connor (for O’Shea 57), Stephen Coen (for Plunkett 61), Diarmuid O’Connor (for Carney 62).
REF: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon)
