PREVIEWS: Down’s championship weekend at a glance

THERE is another weekend of championship action in Down.

Here are the fixtures.

DOWN SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND FIVE

BALLYGALGET V PORTAFERRY

Sunday, Ballycran, 12.30pm

THE top two sides in the championship to date, and last year’s finalists, lock horns on Sunday. Portaferry came out on top of the decider in 2024, and they could once again have the upper hand here.

Verdict: Portaferry

CARRYDUFF V BREDAGH

Sunday, Teconnaught, 3pm

CARRYDUFF have one point to their name following a round two draw with Ballycran while Bredagh’s sole win of the campaign came the last day out when they trounced Liatroim.

Verdict: Bredagh

BALLYCRAN V LIATROIM

Sunday, Carryduff, 3pm

BOTH teams have one win under their belts, although Ballycran also have a draw on their record, and anything other than a defeat will guarantee them a spot in the last four.

Verdict: Bredagh

DOWN INTERMEDIATE HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND THREE

BALLELA V NEWRY SHAMROCKS

Saturday, Clonduff, 2.30pm

Newry Shamrocks look to be the team to beat so far in the competition with two opening round wins and while Ballela will pose plenty of difficult questions, the Shamrocks should still come out on top.

Verdict: Newry Shamrocks

CLONDUFF V WARRENPOINT

Saturday, Ballela, 2.30pm

CLONDUFF have suffered back-to-back defeats so far in the campaign while Warrenpoint have won one and lost one but have been performing better this season.

Verdict: Warrenpoint

DOWN JUNIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND TWO

CASTLEWELLAN V EAST BELFAST

Saturday, Castlewellan, 5.30pm

THE two teams experienced very different opening days in the Junior Championship and with home advantage this weekend, Castlewellan will look to make it two from two.

Verdict: Castlewellan

DOWN INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER-FINAL

ATTICALL V ST JOHN’S

Saturday, Mayobridge, 4pm

A REPLAY was ordered here due to a scoring issue in the first encounter last week with St John’s initially awarded a one-point win. After officials from both clubs watched the footage back, it was agreed that a draw was the correct result and ultimately the Mourne County board were left with no choice. Benny Coulter’s Atticall have really caught the eye in this season’s campaign, and their tails should be up after the controversy, but this may be the end of the road for them.

Verdict: St John’s

DOWN LADIES SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

BREDAGH V CARRYDUFF

Saturday, Páirc Esler, 2pm

BREDAGH are aiming for eight county titles in a row but having won the Division One crown, beating Bredagh in the final, Carryduff will be confident of causing an upset.

Verdict: Carryduff

DOWN LADIES JUNIOR A FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

MAYOBRIDGE V TECONNAUGHT

Saturday, St John’s, 5pm

THESE two sides have already locked horns in the group stages of the Junior A championship campaign, and it was Teconnaught, playing on home turf, who came out on top that day.

Verdict: Teconnaught

DOWN LADIES JUNIOR B FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

CLANN NA BANNA V LIATROIM

Sunday, Bryansford, 3pm

THESE two sides lost the Junior A semi-finals, but Liatroim did put up a better display than Clann na Banna and that could count for a lot when these sides lock horns on Sunday afternoon.

Verdict: Liatroim