My sporting moments of 2020

TYNAN'S TAKE: COLUMN BY STUART TYNAN

I WAS sure there was a point during the spring and summer that there would not be any column like this to write come the end of the year.

But we've have had plenty of sport to enjoy and it has been a welcome distraction. This has been a tough time for us all, with the many daily things that we do that we took for granted were all of a sudden taken away from us.

But in a year like no other, the world of sport has given us plenty of moments to shock and amaze. Here is a few of mine.

MAYO'S RUN TO THE ALL-IRELAND FINAL

It may not have ended with the one trophy we crave, but it was still a thrilling journey, with a new group of players making their mark.

Before the pandemic happened, I'm sure most supporters would agree that Mayo reaching the All-Ireland would be a good year. Mayo weren't setting the world alight with some poor performances in the league at that stage. But after football’s resumption, they were one of the form teams in the country.

Any win over Galway is a good day. But the mauling of the Tribesmen in Tuam will live long in the memory. It may have not been enough to stave off relegation to Division 2, with the defeat to Tyrone cementing Mayo's fate, but there was hope we could at least end our provincial famine.

Routine wins over Leitrim and Roscommon meant another battle with Galway. In terms of nail-biting drama, it was typical Mayo. But the Nestor Cup was returning across our border for the first time since 2015.

So we began to hope that in the strangest of years, Mayo could end the real wait. After the hammering of Tipperary, we dared to dream.

Alas, it wasn't to be. Dublin saw off Mayo for the six-in-a-row and cemented their status as the greatest ever. But a new, exciting team is forming. The 2021 season can't come soon enough.

MAYO GAA CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Before the inter-county scene resumed, the Mayo club championships took place. Following an enforced lay-off of over four months, we all wondered how the competition would unfold.

What would follow is surely one of the most exciting, dramatic club championship this county has seen in many years, with plenty of quality, entertainment and shocks along the way.

Sadly, crowds for many of these games were absent and Mayo GAA TV, as well as many club's own streaming services, deserve plenty of credit for allowing us to watch them. In a roundabout way, more eyes were possibly on these championships than ever before.

Kilmaine finally got over the line in the junior A final following some painful losses over the years and it will be fascinating to see how Oisín Mullin and co. fare in the intermediate tier next season. Kilmeena can be proud of their efforts in the final and will be odds-on to win the junior A grade next year.

I'm sure Balla were not expected by many to win the intermediate title, with many predicting Hollymount/Carramore, Ballyhaunis or Kiltimagh to win outright. But the maroon and white defied all the doubters and will be playing senior football for the first time since their heyday in the 1990s. They'll probably already be seen some observers as favourites to go down. But it would be foolish to do so from this columnist's point of view.

Finally, the Ballintubber/Castlebar Mitchels stranglehold on the Moclair Cup was loosened as Knockmore won their first senior title since 1997. Ballintubber were dethroned by the eventual champions while Mitchels failed to get past the group stage. From the usual suspects, Breaffy reached the final but their long wait for a maiden senior title continues following their defeat in the decider.

With Ballina Stephenites reaching another semi-final and Westport continuing to improve, you do feel a changing of the guard is upon us.

THE DAY OF FOOTBALL SHOCKS

November 22, 2020, will be a day that will live long in the memory of all GAA fans, never mind Tipperary and Cavan.

Neither team was expected to make any waves in the provincial championship, following disappointing campaigns in the league.

But on the weekend of the centenary of Bloody Sunday, Tipperary landed their first Munster football crown in 85 years and Cavan ended a 23-year drought in Ulster against the might of Donegal.

Yes, the Premier County's victory was not unexpected. They beat Cork back in the 2016 Munster championship on their magical run to the 2016 All-Ireland semi-finals, but it was still an upset considering Kerry were expected to win another Munster title with minimum fuss. But Cavan’s four-point win over Donegal was very much one of the upsets of the year.

Having suffered relegation from Division 2, they would account for Monaghan, Antrim, Down and Donegal on their way to a first Anglo-Celt Cup since 1997. The manner in which they did was Roy of the Rovers stuff. Seven points down against Monaghan, eight against Down and behind against Donegal in the final.

It may have ended in brutal fashion for the pair of them in the semi-finals against Dublin and Mayo, but their exploits will be remembered for years to come.

LIVERPOOL FINALLY WIN PREMIER LEAGUE

It was 30 years since Liverpool lifted their 18th league title. Over those years, many Liverpool fans watched as Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United went on to dominate English football for over 20 years and eclipsed Liverpool’s league record, while the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Leicester City all added their names to the roll of honour.

Liverpool didn't exactly have a lean period over those years. They have won FA Cups, League Cups, a UEFA Cup and two Champions League titles. But the one thing that eluded them was the Premier League. There were some close calls over many years but they never achieved the Holy Grail.

Having come so close in 2018/2019, they went one better as they steam-rolled all who stood in their way, and smashed record after record. There may have been some nervy moments over whether the season would be completed following Covid-19, but at the end of June, their long wait came to an end amid joyous scenes across the city of Liverpool and all around the world. That they couldn't celebrate it with fans in the stadium took nothing away from their moment.

With the way this season is panning out, you wouldn't put it past them retaining their crown.

*You can read Stuart's full column every Tuesday in our print edition.