Sports briefs: Brothers among the goals, Mayo counts down to Rally
Gerard O'Kelly Lynch and his brothers Tony and Liam all scores goals in an emphatic win for the Sligo hurlers.
GAA: The Sligo hurlers made an emphatic start to life under new manager Stephen Shiel and to their 2024 Allianz Hurling League campaign when recording a 4-19 to 3-18 victory over Cavan, in Division 3A, at Markievicz Park last Saturday afternoon. Although only four points separated the teams at full-time, it was something of a false picture as Sligo had eased massively off the gas having led by fifteen points at half-time, 4-13 to 0-10. Indeed they were still thirteen points ahead by the 50th minute after which Cavan rattled in three goals to close the deficit considerably.
All three O’Kelly Lynch brothers, Gerard, Tony and Liam (in that order), scored first-half goals for Sligo, with the other coming from Conor Griffin on the back of an excellent delivery by Easkey’s Rory McHugh.
Their next outing is to Crossmaglen on Sunday next, where they will play Armagh who lost to Mayo at the weekend. Throw-in is at 2pm.
Sligo: Luke Comerford; Darragh Cawley, Gavin Connolly, Kevin O’Kennedy (c); Joe McHugh, Rory McHugh, Niall Kilcullen; Niall Feehily, Fionn Moylan; Liam O’Kelly Lynch, Tony O’Kelly Lynch, Michael Munnelly; Tomás Cawley, Conor Griffin, Gerard O’Kelly Lynch.
Motorsport: There is an invitation to all members, friends and supporters of Mayo and District Motorsport Club to a launch of the Mayo Stages Rally at the Great National Hotel in Ballina this coming Friday, February 9. With cars in static display, it will allow enthusiasts a chance to see the cars up close and also to meet local drivers.
The Mayo Stages Rally is this year taking place on Sunday, March 3 and will incorporate the opening rounds of the National Rally Championship, the Border Rally Championship and the West Coast Rally Championship, while it is also Round 2 of the Motorsport Ireland Junior Rally Series.
For the competitor and spectator alike, this event is like no other. The entrants will enjoy an equal mix of stages, from tight and twisty, to open, flat straights, which really have it all to challenge both crew and machine.
A Rally Programme with a detailed map will be available to purchase in the area in the coming days.
Motorsport: John Warren and Ruthann O’Connor dominated the challenging Galway International Rally stages at the weekend, steering their McHale Fusion 4 Corolla to an impressive Class 13 victory on the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.
The duo showcased their prowess by claiming the top spot in five of the eight stages on the opening day, setting the tone for a commanding performance. Warren's natural pace coupled with Ruthann's expert navigation, aided by the familiarity of local stages close to her homeland, proved to be a winning combination.
Heading into Sunday's six additional tests in the Monivea area, Warren maintained a substantial Class advantage of over a minute and thirty seconds, illustrating their mastery over the challenging stages and the competitive field.
The Green machine Toyota Corolla excelled in the difficult conditions, aiding the South Mayo husband and wife crew to climb the overall leaderboard, and adding top West of Ireland crew to a fifth place 2-wheel drive finish from over 140 starters.
Speaking afterwards Warren described the event as one of his favourite ever, while a jubilant Ruthann added: “We pushed hard, we are really happy. It was a very challenging weekend, we can be very proud of what we achieved.” Keith Cronin and Mike Galvin in their Ford Fiesta Rally2 claimed the overall victory. The pair finished 38 seconds ahead of Callum Devine and Noel O’Sullivan in a Volkswagen Polo with Josh Moffet and Andy Hayes third in their Citroen C3.
