Semi spots up for grabs in Down

By Shaun Casey

THERE are only eight teams left in the running for the Frank O’Hare Cup and that number will be halved this weekend after the quarter-final battles.

The big four of reigning champions Kilcoo, the team that beat them, Carryduff, Burren and Clonduff are still alive and have been kept apart at this stage.

The action throws in on Saturday afternoon as Carryduff take on Saul, who have already gone one step further than last season by reaching the final eight.

Carryduff reached the county final last year and having finally overcome the Magpies in their last outing, they will look to push on now.

Joe McFlynn was the star of the show the last day out and rattled off 2-9 in their 2-15 to 2-13 win. Eoin Donnelly, Daniel Guiness and John McGeough are also key players.

Burren bounced back from their hefty 12-point defeat at the hands of Clonduff to hammer reinging intermediate champions Saval on Monday night. They now face Bryansford on Saturday evening.

Danny Magill still hasn’t return to action for Collie Holmes’ men, who remain in the hunt for their first championship crown since 2018.

Mark Copeland’s Bryansford caught the eye in round one, defeating Glenn. They backed it up with a one-point victory over Saul to advance straight through to the quarter-finals.

Former Down attacker Conor Maginn is still going strong for Bryansford while Danny Savage is the main man at the attacking end of the field.

Kilcoo are back out on Sunday afternoon, having got the show back on the road following their first championship defeat in six years. They are still very much the top dogs in the Mourne County.

They face a Loughinisland side that have beaten both Castlewellan and Warrenpoint to get to this stage. The pair locked horns at the same point of the championship last year, with Kilcoo winning out by only two points.

Having lost to Clonduff, they were 10-point winners last week against Downpatrick, with Micéal Rooney (2) and Jack Devlin hitting the net, but they did lose Shealan Johnston and Darryl Branagan through injury.

The tie of the round is undoubtedly on Monday night as Clonduff take on Mayobridge and both will have their eyes firmly set on a last four position. Clonduff stumbled at the semi-final juncture last year, while Mayobridge haven’t been there since 2022.