By Shaun Casey STANDING in at corner-back as a young and fresh 19-year-old, Portaferry’s Caolan Taggart thought every year was going to be like this. Win the county title, pick up a provincial crown, and give the All-Ireland series a crack. Unfortunately, sports rarely follow such easy plans. That was back in 2014 when Taggart […]
By Shaun Casey TWENTY-FOUR hours after captaining his country to a victory over Scotland in the hurlingshinty hybrid international game at Páirc Esler, Newry, Neil McManus was back in the same venue eyeing up his next opponent. He attended the Down final between Portaferry and Ballycran, with his side Cushendall awaiting the winners. “It was […]
By Shaun Casey LAST year’s 19-point pummelling at the hands of Sleacht Néill still rankles with the Portaferry players and they’re hoping to right those wrong this weekend. They take on Antrim champions Cushendall in the Ulster semi-final in Armagh on Sunday and the Down men are keen to make an impact in Ulster. “I wasn’t […]
By Niall Gartland BALLYCRAN and Portaferry is the final many in Down hurling circles expected, it’s becoming somewhat of a norm at this stage. When they clash in Newry on Sunday it will be the sixth time in-a-row that they have battled it out for the Jeremiah McVeagh Cup with the ‘Cran holding a 3-2 […]
By Michael McMullan SLEACHT Néill face a different type of test this weekend as they put their Ulster title on the line against Portaferry insists manager Michael McShane. Now in his eighth season at the helm, McShane guided the Emmet’s to tenth successive championship in Derry. Like last year, the club’s dual players quickly licked […]
By Kieran Lynch BALLYCRAN and Portaferry meet in the Down Senior Hurling Championship final for the fifth consecutive year this Sunday, in what promises to be yet another close encounter. Last year’s decider was an epic, where extra-time was needed to determine a winner, with Ballycran eventually winning on a 2-25 to 3-20 score-line. The […]
DOWN SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL BALLYCRAN V PORTAFERRY Sunday, Páirc Esler, 3pm THE big two have been lined up for a heavyweight showdown and a repeat of last year’s final. Ballycran got their hands raised 12 months ago but form this time around would point to a Portaferry victory. Advertisement Verdict: Portaferry DOWN INTERMEDIATE HURLING […]
We caught up with Portaferry and Down star Ronan Blair. Age: 22. Teams played for: Portaferry and Down. Earliest GAA memory? Getting shouted at up to u-12 for drop-hitting it. Advertisement Which team-mate has been the most inspirational and why? Paul Branniff, on my first year on senior panel he had me out practicing frees […]
Eoghan Sands believes Down have a great chance to win this weekend’s Christy Ring Cup final
