Club championship battle begins

THE club championship campaign begins in earnest with action in three provinces this weekend.

Tomorrow, Leitrim champions St Mary’s get the Connacht football championship underway with their match against Galway’s Caltra, home of the county stars, the Meehan brothers. In Ulster, meanwhile, Donegal’s Four Masters will play Monaghan’s Castleblayney for the right to play Cavan Gaels in the first round proper.

In hurling, Leinster is the first provincial championship to get underway with the county champions of Wicklow (Glenealy), Louth (Knockbridge), Laois (Castletown), Carlow (Naomh Eoin), Longford (Clonguish), Westmeath (Castlepollard), Meath (Kilmessan) and Kildare (county SHC yet to be decided).

This weekend’s club championship fixtures:

Today: AIB Connacht Club HC: Tooreen (Mayo) v Tubbercurry (Sligo)

Tomorrow: AIB Connacht Club FC quarter-final: St. Mary’s, (Leitrim) v Caltra, (Galway), Cloone, 3pm Ulster preliminary round: Four Masters, (Donegal) v Castleblayney, (Monaghan), Ballybofey 3.30: AIB Leinster Club HC: Glenealy, (Wicklow) v Castletown, (Laois), Aughrim, 1pm; Knockbridge, (Louth) v Naomh Eoin, (Carlow), Knockbridge, 3pm; Clonguish, (Longford) v Kildare reps., Pearse Park, 3pm; Castlepollard, (Wmeath) v Kilmessan, (Meath), Mullingar, 3pm