Cormac O'Doherty remains a key performer for Derry. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The group stages of the Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups conclude this Saturday.
Christy Ring Cup
The current top two in the Christy Ring Cup face a pivotal clash when Wicklow make the long trip to Derry.
2023 Nickey Rackard winners Wicklow are the only unbeaten team after four rounds, having claimed wins over Tyrone, Donegal and Meath, plus a draw against London to move to within touching distance of a first Christy Ring final since 2012. Derry’s only loss so far was against Meath, while they have beaten Donegal, London and Tyrone. Another win on home turf on Saturday would see Derry through to their fourth decider from the last five, while Wicklow need to avoid defeat, or else they could still drop to third.
Wicklow will be looking to Luke Evans, Pádraig Doran, John Toomey and Pádraig Doyle to help protect their unbeaten record, while Cormac O’Doherty, Mark Craig, Shea Cassidy and John Mullan should be to the fore for Derry.
Third-placed London have a must-win encounter against Tyrone in Ruislip.
With five points to their credit (via wins over Meath and Donegal and a draw with Wicklow), Allianz Hurling League Division Three runners-up London will be expecting to move onto seven, which should be enough to make a first Christy Ring final since 2018, barring a draw in Derry. By contrast, Tyrone have fallen to four consecutive losses, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table.
Jack Morrisey, Dylan Dawson Seán Glynn, Paul Kennedy and Conor O’Carroll have been in form for London, who could reinstate David Devine to their starting team. Aidy Kelly has missed the last couple of games for Tyrone, who are also set to be without Cormac Munroe due to suspension.
Meath and Donegal will be looking to return to winning ways in Trim.
Wins over Tyrone and Derry brought 2023 champions Meath right back into the mix after their opening-round loss to London, but their second reversal of the campaign against Wicklow leaves them needing a sequence of results to go in their favour this weekend. Primary among them will be getting their own job done against 2024 Nickey Rackard winners Donegal, whose only points so far were achieved ruthless fashion against Tyrone.
Jack Regan, James Toher and Damien Healy should be among the main men for Meath, as should Danny Cullen, Gerard Gilmore, Liam McKinney and Luke White for Donegal.
Nickey Rackard Cup
Roscommon will be looking to qualify for their fifth Nickey Rackard Cup Final when they face Louth in Dowdallshill.
Having ended up with just one point from back-to-back Connacht derbies against Mayo and Sligo, Roscommon have risen to second place (on score difference) by beating Armagh and Fermanagh. Allianz Hurling League Division Four winners Louth are out of contention, but their win over Fermanagh will be enough to secure Nickey Rackard status.
Robbie Fallon, Brendan and Conor Mulry, Conor Cosgrove and Cian Murray could lead the way for Roscommon, with Louth looking for big performances from Darren Geoghegan, Leon Fox, Conor Clancy and Mark Gahan.
Sligo are also very much in contention as they host Armagh.
Level on points and the head-to-head with Roscommon, Sligo must win and do a little bit of catching up on their neighbours on the score-difference stakes, having seen their unbeaten run ended by Mayo last weekend. Stephen Sheil’s men won’t be taking anything for granted against an Armagh side who had a two-point league win in Sligo in March and who kept their own hopes alive by beating Louth in round four, although they would need Roscommon to slip up.
Andrew Kilcullen has hit 4-33 in four games for Sligo, with Conor Griffin and the O’Kelly-Lynch brothers also capable of playing key roles. Boosted by their recent All-Ireland U-20 ‘C’ Championship victory, Armagh can call on Charlie McArdle from that side, along with more experienced players like Tiarnán Nevin, Peter McKearney and Shea Harvey.
Mayo have already secured their place in another final ahead of their last group game with Fermanagh.
Two-time Nickey Rackard winners Mayo have hit the ground running with full points from their games against Roscommon, Armagh, Louth and Sligo. 2024 Lory Meagher champions Fermanagh’s campaign has mirrored Mayo’s, as they have yet to get off the mark.
Mayo trio Shane Boland, Liam Lavin and Cormac Phillips have all been in prolific form, with support from Eoin Delaney and Daniel Huane. Ryan Bogue, Luca McCusker, Seán Corrigan and Caolán Duffy will be looking to sign off on Fermanagh’s season with an upset in Enniskillen.
Lory Meagher Cup
Second place in the Lory Meagher Cup goes down to a straight shoot-out between Monaghan and Longford in Inniskeen.
Wins over Leitrim, Warwickshire and Lancashire have 2023 champions Monaghan up to second as things stand, needing at least a draw on Saturday to set up a semi-final v New York. 2024 runners-up Longford also beat Lancashire and Warwickshire, but derbies against Leitrim (draw) and Cavan (loss) mean they must win.
James and Shane Slevin have hit 6-7 between them in the space of two games for Monaghan, with Niall Arthur, Niall Garland and Leo Moloney also contributing. Reuben Murray, Martin Farrell, Evan Tully and veteran Johnny Casey could show the way for Longford.
Confirmed finalists Cavan will be targeting a fifth win in a row when they host Leitrim.
Wins over Warwickshire, Monaghan, Lancashire and Longford have underlined Cavan’s status as strong contenders in this competition, following an encouraging league for Ollie Bellew’s men. All four of Leitrim’s matches so far have gone down to the wire: resulting in a win over Lancashire, a draw with neighbours Longford and losses to Monaghan and Warwickshire (with the latter ending their qualification hopes).
Waterford native Liam O’Brien has racked up 3-84 this year for Cavan, who can also call on Seán Keating, Canice Maher and Nicky Kenny. Leitrim will be relying on Dublin-based duo Joe Murray and Philip Burgess, as well as Martin Feeney and Seán Ó Riordáin.
Páirc na hÉireann hosts the meeting of Warwickshire and Lancashire.
Having finished level on three points each in Division Four of the Allianz Hurling League, these teams have managed just one win between them in the championship: Warwickshire’s defeat of Leitrim last weekend. Their own league meeting finished level back in early February.
Warwickshire will be looking to Jack Grealish, Miley Connors and Éamonn Brannigan, while Lancashire will need Pádraic Burke Eoghan Clifford, Peter Boylan and Shane O’Boyle on song.
Saturday May 17
Christy Ring Cup Round 4
Derry v Wicklow, Celtic Park, 1.30pm
London v Tyrone, Ruislip, 1.30pm
Meath v Donegal, Trim, 1.30pm
Nickey Rackard Cup Round 4
Fermanagh v Mayo, Enniskillen, 2pm
Louth v Roscommon, Dowdallshill, 2pm
Sligo v Armagh, Kilcoyne Park, 2pm
Lory Meagher Cup Round 4
Cavan v Leitrim, Kingspan Breffni, 2pm
Monaghan v Longford, Inniskeen, 2pm
Warwickshire v Lancashire, Páirc na hÉireann, 2pm
