Articles in the Sports News Category

MONAGHAN V MAYO Nicky Rackard Cup O’Neill Park,Clontibret, 2-00pm, Saturday Monaghan open their Nicky Rackard Cup campaign on Saturday with a home game against Mayo. That game was originally fixed for St Mary’s Park, Castleblayney, but was switched to Clontibret earlier this week, writes JOHN GRAHAM. When the draws were first made Monaghan were grouped in the redrawn 2020 Nicky Rackard Cup along with Armagh, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Tyrone and Warwickshire. Those were then broken up into two groups of four with Monaghan in a group along with Mayo, Donegal and Warwickshire. ...

Monaghan braced to begin title defence COLM SHALVEY Monaghan are set to belatedly begin their defence of the Ulster MFC in a preliminary- round derby against Cavan in Clones on Saturday. Having won back-to-back provincial titles for the first time in nearly 80 years, Monaghan face a hard road to a potential record hat-trick at this level. With the minor grade mirroring its senior counterpart for 2020 by reverting to an old-school knockout format, the sole focus this weekend will be on getting through to a potential quarter-final against Antrim. While ...

Monaghan chase crucial points against Kerry COLM SHALVEY REPORTS All of seven and a half months after round five of the 2020 Allianz NFL, Monaghan aim to secure their top-flight status when Kerry make the long trip to Inniskeen on Saturday. Following an unprecedented break between National League games after the Covid-19 emergency saw the 2020 schedule ripped up, with the club scene eventually returning in late July, the Division One table sees just three points separating the top six teams. Considering that it feels like an age since the suspension of ...

COLM SHALVEY Monaghan youngster James Gilliland has been making waves on the Irish kart racing scene. Having picked up a love for motorsport at an early age via his father Paul, Aghabog native Gilliland started kart racing in mid 2018, racing in the Rotax minimax class for kids aged between 11 and 14. He quickly picked up the knack for it, finishing third in his first race in Watergrasshill, Co Cork, before following that up with a string of good results. He finished his debut season with a win that saw ...

John Graham reports Serious doubts have been cast on whether or not this year’s inter-County, provincial and All Ireland Championships will take place following the shock revelations of the suspension of all club activity across the island. That decision was taken in the light of the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases and the fact that there was widespread flouting of the restrictions by crowds in some parts of the country following the completion of County Championships in the various counties. It is generally believed that the tipping point was reached following ...

The Monaghan GAA senior footballers and management’s recent ‘shave or dye’ fundraiser resulted in well over 30,000 euro being presented to representatives from local cancer services and the Holy Family Special School this week, writes COLM SHALVEY The county team, whose 2020 season was put on hold since early March, set an ambitious target of €30,000 for their fundraising campaign that saw each member of the set-up either shave or dye their hair back in July, resulting in several peroxide hairdos being on show during the recent club championships, which finished ...

JOHN GRAHAM The pairings, dates, venues and times for the 2020 football Championships in all four provinces as well as the 2020 hurling Championships in Munster and Leinster and the All Ireland Championships in both codes were released last week. Prior to that, there are two rounds of the Allianz Football league to be completed and the latter stages of the hurling leagues in the higher divisions to be also sorted out. Monaghan’s outstanding football league game against Kerry, which was due to have taken place last March, will now ...

No club team would have wanted to face BLUES in Ulster this year John Graham reports Scotstown are back as senior champions of Monaghan, after an absence of just one year following what in the end was a comfortable victory over Ballybay in Clones on Sunday last. Scotstown were playing in their eighth County final in a row and from the previous seven finals, they had won five senior football championship titles between 2013 and 2019, being victorious in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and completing a four in a row in 2018, ...

Emotional scenes as teams make history in the middle of a coronavirus crisis Colm Shalvey reports In a year like no other, Scotstown, Monaghan Harps and Aughnamullen will have some cause to remember at least part of 2020 fondly after lifting county titles in an action-packed weekend that brought a condensed club campaign to an end. Scotstown won their fifth Greenfield Foods SFC title in six years when they pulled away decisively from Ballybay in the second half in Clones on Sunday. Scotstown have held the Indian sign over Ballybay in big ...

Sean McDermotts GFC’s David McEntee recently accepted a Player of the Year award from his club which had a particular and poignant family resonance. David was awarded the 2019 player accolade from the Threemilehouse-based club but could not collect it at the time because he is in employment abroad. Home on holidays in July, he accepted the belated presentation of a trophy which was donated to the club in 2005 in memory of his grandparents and club stalwarts Cormac and Máire McEntee, making the accolade a source of particular pride ...