The group stages of the Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups pass the halfway point this weekend.

Christy Ring Cup

Two leading contenders for the Christy Ring Cup face off on Saturday when Meath head to Owenbeg to take on Derry.

Derry have made an unbeaten start with a draw against neighbours Tyrone and a convincing win over Sligo. A fancied Meath side, who are looking to make a quick return to the Joe McDonagh Cup, held off a stern challenge from Mayo in round one, before falling to a surprise defeat away to London (their first loss in eight games). The teams went in opposite directions in the Allianz Hurling League, with Meath winning Division IIB and Derry dropping down from Division IIA, but the Oak Leaf County may have turned a corner since then.

Having relied on Cormac O’Doherty for a large chunk of their scores during the league, Derry have seen John Mullan step up with 2-13 from play in their last two games. Jack Regan, James Toher, Éamon Ó Donnchadha and James Kelly should be central to Meath’s chances of bouncing back.

London will be looking to build on a big win in round two when they travel to Castlebar to take on Mayo on Sunday.

After being denied in the closing stages of their opening game against Sligo, London claimed a notable win over Meath last weekend. Mayo had also pushed Meath all the way, but they fell eight points short of Tyrone in the second round, leaving them searching for their first win.

Mayo will be looking for big performances from Cormac and Adrian Phillips and Joe Mooney, while Ronan Crowley, Jack Goulding and Fiachra O’Keeffe have been among the main men for London.

Tyrone will bid to make it three games unbeaten in their debut at this level when they host Sligo.

2022 Nickey Rackard Cup winners Tyrone have settled in well to the higher level with a credit-worthy draw against Derry and a fine win away to Mayo. Sligo began their fourth consecutive campaign in the Christy Ring with a dramatic victory over London, but they had no answers to a dominant Derry last time out. Tyrone had ten points to spare when the teams met in February, with Sligo eventually losing to London in the Division IIB relegation play-off.

Lorcan Devlin, Conor Grogan, Dermot Begley and Seán Duffin have all been in fine form for Tyrone. Andrew Kilcullen, Diarmuid Hanniffy, Joe McHugh and Tomás Cawley should be to the fore for Sligo.

Nickey Rackard Cup

Wicklow will be chasing a third straight win in the Nickey Rackard Cup when they make the long trip to Armagh on Saturday.

Having been demoted from the Christy Ring Cup for the first time last year, Wicklow proved far too potent for Louth in round one, although they had to hold off a valiant challenge from Fermanagh to make it back-to-back wins. Armagh began by reversing their recent history with Roscommon to claim a big victory, but they then fell away in the closing stages of their Ulster derby against Donegal.

Gavin Weir, Andy O’Brien and Christy Moorehouse give Wicklow plenty of firepower up front, with Armagh relying on Fionntán Donnelly, Tomás Galvin and Cormac Jennings to get them back on track.

Donegal will also be protecting a 100% record when they head to Athleague on Sunday to meet Roscommon.

Wins over Ulster rivals Fermanagh and Armagh have Allianz Hurling League Division IIB runners-up Donegal off to a fine start, while Division IIIA winners Roscommon recovered from losing to Armagh by doing just enough to pip Louth. These counties have won five Nickey Rackard titles between them, with Donegal claiming three of those, and Roscommon falling short of their own third success when they lost last year’s final to Tyrone.

Donegal have had the likes of Liam McKinney, Declan Coulter, Gerard Gilmore and Danny Cullen to thank for their strong form, while Roscommon will be leaning on Paddy Fallon, Naos Connaughton and Conor Mulry to provide the bulk of their scores.

Louth and Fermanagh will both be aiming for their first points of the campaign when they clash in Darver.

2022 Lory Meagher winners Louth fell to a heavy defeat against Wicklow in round one, before managing an improved performance when falling short at home to Roscommon. Fermanagh’s fate so far has mirrored their league campaign as another couple of competitive displays against Donegal and Wicklow have left them empty-handed. Louth won by the narrowest of margins when the teams met in the league last month.

Darren Geoghegan is the talisman for Louth, with support from the likes of Liam Molloy and Seán Kerrisk. Fermanagh will need big performances from Luca McCusker, Daniel Teague, Francis McBrien and Seán Corrigan.

Lory Meagher Cup

A third win of the Lory Meagher Cup will be in Lancashire’s sights when they head to Cavan on Saturday.

Lancashire, who were Lory Meagher finalists in 2018 and 2019, have recaptured some of that kind of form with big wins over Longford and Leitrim. Cavan have also been back on the upward curve this year, putting a winless 2022 behind them to clinch the Division IIIB title at the start of April. The Breffni men were turned over by Warwickshire on the opening weekend, but they bounced back at the expense of neighbours Monaghan.

Cavan will be looking to Canice Maher, Cillian Sheanon, Mark Moffett, Seán Keating and Dillon Mulligan to maintain their levels from last week, while Darragh Carroll, Eoghan Kelly, Robin Spencer, Shane Madden and Ray McCormack are key to Lancashire’s prospects.

Monaghan and Warwickshire both need to find winning ways when they clash on Sunday.

Monaghan have struggled to rediscover the form that brought them to a Division IIIA semi-final, as they let a big lead slip in a draw with Leitrim, before falling short in last week’s derby in Cavan. Warwickshire ended their long wait for a win at the expense of Cavan, but they were unable to back that up against Longford.

Monaghan sorely missed top scorer Fergal Rafter last weekend, increasing their reliance on Niall Garland, Thomas Hughes and particularly Niall Arthur. Jack Grealish and Luke Hands have between them contributed more than three-quarters of Warwickshire’s total so far this season.

Leitrim also need to get their first win on the board when they host Longford in Drumshanbo.

Having battled from seven points down late on to salvage a draw against Monaghan, Leitrim lost out to Lancashire in round two. Longford were unable to take anything off Lancashire, either, but they responded with a convincing win over Warwickshire. These near-neighbours met on consecutive league weekends last month, with Leitrim winning both on their way to the Division IIIB Final.

Martin Feeney, Gavin O’Hagan and Joe Murray are key players for Leitrim. Cathal Mullane, Paddy Lynam, Reuben Murray and David Buckley hit a combined 2-16 last weekend for Longford.

FIXTURES

Saturday, April 29

Christy Ring Cup Round 3

Derry v Meath, Owenbeg, 2pm

Nickey Rackard Cup Round 3

Armagh v Wicklow, Athletic Grounds, 3pm

Lory Meagher Cup Round 3

Cavan v Lancashire, Kingspan Breffni, 1pm

Sunday, April 30

Christy Ring Cup Round 3

Mayo v London, Castlebar, 12.30pm

Tyrone v Sligo, Carrickmore, 2pm

Nickey Rackard Cup Round 3

Louth v Fermanagh, Darver, 2pm

Roscommon v Donegal, Athleague, 2pm

Lory Meagher Cup Round 3

Monaghan v Warwickshire, Cloghan, 1pm

Leitrim v Longford, Drumshanbo, 2pm