By Colm Shalvey

The final rounds of the group stages of the Christy Ring, Nickey Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups take place this Saturday, with plenty still to play for in each competition.

Christy Ring Cup

Christy Ring Cup joint-leaders Sligo and Meath clash at Markievicz Park knowing that the winners will be assured of a place in the final.

Meath were always regarded as likely candidates to win their third Christy Ring title after dropping down from the Joe McDonagh Cup last year and they have lost just one of their last 11 league and championship games. London were the only team to buck that trend, but Meath bounced back with wins over Derry and Tyrone. Sligo, meanwhile, are looking to make a breakthrough into their first final at this level, having previously won the Lory Meagher and Nickey Rackard Cups. Like Meath, they also lost in round two (to Derry), but wins over London, Tyrone and Mayo have kept them in contention. These teams had contrasting fortunes in Division IIB of the Allianz Hurling League, with Meath winning the title and Sligo being relegated.

Jack Regan, James Toher, Éamon Ó Donnchadha and Pádraig O’Hanrahan have been in fine form for Meath, while Andrew Kilcullen has been having another prolific campaign for Sligo, with good support from Diarmuid Hanniffy, Joe McHugh and Tomás Cawley.

Derry are within touching distance of a second final in three years if they can defeat Mayo in Owenbeg.

Derry are just a point behind the top two (at least one of whom will drop points on Saturday) after wins over Sligo and London, a draw against Tyrone and a narrow loss to Meath. Mayo’s fate has already been sealed as four straight defeats have consigned the 2022 runners-up to relegation. A five-point win for Mayo at this stage last year saw them pip Derry to second place, but the Oak Leaf County will be determined to secure a return to Croke Park, less than a month after their U-20s won a first All-Ireland ‘B’ title.

Derry sharpshooter Cormac O’Doherty has racked up 4-70 between league and championship during 2023, while John Mullan, Meehaul McGrath and Corey O’Reilly can also contribute. Mayo will hope that Cormac Phillips, Joe Mooney, Joseph McManus and Fergal Boland can help them rip up the form book.

London must win against Tyrone in Carrickmore to retain any hope of squeezing into the top two.

London have beaten table-toppers Meath and the bottom side, Mayo, either side of narrow defeats against Sligo and Derry. The Exiles would need all three results to go their way, as only a win, coupled with losses for Derry and Meath, would see them through on the head-to-head rule. A draw in Owenbeg would leave London needing to win by a comprehensive margin to make up the score-difference gap. 2022 Nickey Rackard Cup winners Tyrone, who pipped London in a memorable league opener in February, are out of contention for qualification. They have done enough to consolidate their Christy Ring status, beating Mayo and drawing with Derry, while also competing against Sligo and Meath.

London have the competition’s leading scorer to date in Ronan Crowley (2-45), with Jack Goulding and Seán Glynn also among their main men. Lorcan Devlin, Dermot Begley and Seán Duffin will hope to help Tyrone see the season out in style.

Nickey Rackard Cup

Donegal and Wicklow have both already qualified for the Nickey Rackard Cup Final ahead of their meeting in Letterkenny.

With a fortnight to prepare for a rematch at Croke Park, it remains to be seen how the teams will approach this dress-rehearsal, with both defending 100% records after flawless campaigns to date. They have already met twice this year, with Wicklow claiming a convincing win at Saturday’s venue, only for Donegal to turn the tables on them by a single point in the Allianz Hurling League Division IIB semi-final.

Three of the other four teams are still battling for their Nickey Rackard status, including both Roscommon and Fermanagh, who meet in Athleague.

Having established themselves as a Christy Ring team between 2016 and 2021, Roscommon lost the Rackard Final to Tyrone last year. The Rossies went into the current campaign on the back of Allianz Hurling League Division IIIA success, but they have managed just one win since (at the expense of Louth). Fermanagh paid the price for a series of narrow defeats when being relegated from Division IIIA and their fate so far has been frustratingly similar to their league campaign. The Erne County did get off the mark by drawing with Louth, but they fell just short against Donegal, Wicklow and Armagh; letting a nine-point lead slip in the latter game. Despite ending up at opposite ends of the league table, these teams couldn’t be separated in their February meeting.

Roscommon will hope that Paddy Fallon, Mickey Joe Egan and Conor Mulry can fire them to safety. Fermanagh have one of three joint-highest scorers in the competition in Luca McCusker, with Seán Corrigan, Caolán Duffy and Francis McBrien also among their main men.

Louth make the short trip to Armagh in urgent need of a result to take them off the bottom of the table.

A draw with Fermanagh is all Louth have to show for their efforts up to now, as they have lost out to Wicklow, Roscommon and Donegal, leaving the 2022 Lory Meagher winners trailing the Erne men on score difference. Having lost two of their first three games, Armagh could also have been dragged into the relegation battle were it not for a remarkable comeback last weekend that saw them wipe out a nine-point deficit to pip Fermanagh. Armagh had an eight-point win over their near-neighbours on their way to making the Allianz Hurling League Division IIIA Final, but Louth’s need is greater this time around.

The fitness of Darren Geoghegan and the performances of Liam Molloy, Mark Gahan and Ryan Walsh will be pivotal to Louth’s prospects. Fionntán Donnelly has been in prolific form for Armagh, with Tomás Galvin and Cormac Jennings also making a big impact.

Lory Meagher Cup

The Lory Meagher Cup goes down to the wire on Saturday, including a crunch meeting between Monaghan and Longford.

Monaghan go into the final round as table-toppers, albeit only on score difference, ahead of both Longford and Cavan. Having let a big lead slip in a draw with Leitrim, before falling short in a derby in Cavan, they have bounced back with wins over Warwickshire and Lancashire. Longford also had ground to make up after losing to Lancashire on the opening weekend, but contrasting victories against Warwickshire and Leitrim put them in the frame to qualify and they emerged with a point from a topsy-turvy clash with Cavan. The last three meetings of these teams have produced one narrow win each and a draw, so another tense game is in prospect.

Monaghan could welcome Fergal Rafter back to a forward line where Niall Arthur, Ethan Flynn and Thomas Hughes have been in scoring form, while Cathal Mullane, Paddy Lynam, Reuben Murray and David Buckley should spearhead Longford’s challenge.

Cavan can make their way into a second final in three years if they win at home to Leitrim.

Cavan are bidding to complete a hat-trick of wins over Leitrim this year, having beaten them twice during the league, including in the Division IIIB decider by the narrowest of margins. Cavan are also protecting a 100% home record this year, having won four from four so far, beating Monaghan and Lancashire in the Lory Meagher. Having taken until round four to earn their first win of the campaign – at the expense of Warwickshire –Leitrim could still sneak into the final, but only with a comprehensive win and with other results going in their favour.

Canice Maher has racked up 40 points in the group for Cavan, with Nicky Kenny, Cillian Sheanon and Dillon Mulligan also contributing strongly. Joe Murray, Martin Feeney, Gavin O’Hagan and Conor Beirne should play key roles for Leitrim.

Páirc na hÉireann hosts the meeting of Warwickshire and Lancashire.

Lancashire topped the table after the first two rounds, but defeats against Cavan and Monaghan have brought their fate out of their own hands, meaning they need a win and for results elsewhere to do them a favour. Warwickshire, meanwhile, are out of the running. They ended their long wait for a win by beating Cavan in round one, but they have been unable to build on that.

Lancashire have been the most prolific goal-scoring team in any tier, hitting the net 15 times to date, with Robin Spencer, Ray McCormack and Conor Kennedy providing threats in attack. Warwickshire were without their top scorer Jack Grealish last time out, with John Collins and Oisín Coffey stepping up to support Luke Hands.

FIXTURES

Saturday, May 20

Christy Ring Cup Round 5

Derry v Mayo, Owenbeg, 1.30pm

Sligo v Meath, Markievicz Park, 1.30pm

Tyrone v London, Carrickmore, 1.30pm

Nickey Rackard Cup Round 5

Armagh v Louth, Athletic Grounds, 2pm

Donegal v Wicklow, Letterkenny, 2pm

Roscommon v Fermanagh, Athleague, 2pm

Lory Meagher Cup Round 5

Cavan v Leitrim, Kingspan Breffni, 1pm

Monaghan v Longford, Cloghan, 1pm

Warwickshire v Lancashire, Páirc na hÉireann, 1pm