Mayo ‘triallists’ pass the test

Mayo 1-21 IT Sligo 1-15: Late points from three players ‘on trial’ with Mayo this month carried the beaten All-Ireland finalists to their first win of the new season in Ballina yesterday.

Castlebar Mitchels duo Cian Costello and James Durcan, and All-Ireland U21 winner Fergal Boland, all hit the target to break IT Sligo’s stubborn resistance. Mayo manager Stephen Rochford fielded an experimental side, and started six players who had arrived home from the team holiday in South Africa less than 48 hours earlier.

One of them — Alan Freeman — showed that the break had done him little harm, as he racked up 1-7 in 60 minutes, including five frees.