Crunch time ahead for championships

SENIOR FOOTBALL

The Senior football quarter final line up has been finalised after this weekend’s footballing action: Éire Óg v Baltinglass

St Pat’s v Blessington Avondale v AGB Kiltegan v winners of Annacurra and Rathnew

The losers of Annacurra and Rathnew go into the Keating Trophy with Tinahely, Bray Emmets, Newtown and Coolkenno and one of those teams will be relegated to Intermediate.

There is still a round of match to play in Group A on Sunday week and the Annacurra-Rathnew will be on the same weekend.

The format of the Keating Trophy will be decided after the final round of matches.

SENIOR HURLING

The Senior hurling championship quarter- and semi-final line ups will be decided after the final group games next weekend. Glenealy top the table and will certainly be in the semi-final.

Joining them there will either be St Pat’s or Bray Emmets who play each other on Tuesday evening.

The winner of that clash will go straight into the semi-final, the loser will be in the quarter final.

Éire Óg, Carnew and Kiltegan are the other sides in the quarter finals and the matches on Sunday will determine the final standings and quarter final line up. Avondale can’t reach the quarter finals but won’t be relegated either.

IFC

In the Intermediate football, Hollywood have topped Group 1 with four wins from four and they go straight into the semi-final.

Donard have qualified for the quarter final with their win over Ashford while last night (Tuesday) Carnew and Stratford-Grangecon played for the remaining quarter final spot.

One of those teams will join Ashford and An Tochar in the relegation play-off from that group.

In Group 2 Rathnew and Ballymanus have qualified for the knock out stages, Rathnew’s match against Aughrim in a couple of weeks will decide the final standings, a win or a draw will be enough for Rathnew to top the table with the Billies second.

On the same weekend of action Kilmacanogue and Ballinacor play the final game in the group. If Ballinacor win they reach the quarter final, anything else and Dunlavin will take the final spot. Kilmacanogue and Aughrim are already in the relegation play-off.

In the quarter-finals the second placed team in Group 1 (currently Donard) will play third in Group 2 (Dunlavin or Ballinacor) while second place in Group 2 (likely to be Ballymanus) play third in Group 1 (currently Carnew).

The semi-finals of the Intermediate football will be an open draw rather than seeded, meaning the winners of both groups could play each other.

IHC

The intermediate hurling championship is fairly clear cut. Carnew and Glenealy are in the semi-finals while the other four teams are in the quarter-finals.

Next week’s round of games will finalise the quarter-final line up between St. Pat’s, Bray, Arklow Rock Parnell and Kilcoole.

Like the Senior hurling there are no relegation worries at Intermediate level.

JUNIOR A FOOTBALL

The Junior A football championship will come to a head this weekend with the last group games being played. Three groups here with eight quarter-final spots up for grabs.

With Blessington departing the scene there has been a change in the championship structure here.

In Group 1 Baltinglass are through with Éire Óg joining them and instead of a third team coming from this group to the quarter-finals, the third placed group here will now play the third placed team in Group 3 for the last quarter-final spot.

In Groups 2 and 3 this weekend sees the final roll of the dice for a couple of teams.

In Group 2 Valleymount and Kilcoole have secured their quarter final berth but on Saturday Laragh and Knockananna go face to face to join them. Knockananna can only win while Laragh can afford to draw if necessary due to their superior score difference.

In Group 3 Newcastle have qualified with a game to spare. Coolboy and Shillelagh will engage in battle on Sunday for the final quarter final spot and loss is not an option, though Coolboy have the added protection of a superior points difference in the event of a draw.

For Laragh, Knockanna, Coolboy and Shillelagh it’s the most important weekend of their season to date.

JBFC & JCFC

There are matches on tomorrow evening (Thursday) that will decide the quarter final line up for both championships and everything will be much clearer for next week’s paper.

JUNIOR HURLING

Not too many teams entered the competitions here and it looks like there is a Junior C final this evening (Wednesday) between St. Pat’s and Kilmacanogue-Enniskerry.

At Junior B level Carnew await the winners of Bray and Barndarrig in the final.

Glenealy and Kiltegan will play each other for the crown of Junior A champions having won their respective semi-finals last week.