Dramatic final act sees Breaffy stay in Mayo senior championship race
Breaffy were the big winners on Saturday evening as they qualified for the quarterfinals of the Connacht Gold Senior Football Championship at the expense of near neighbours Castlebar Mitchels.
It took a last-gasp point from Robbie Fadden to ensure victory for Breaffy over Belmullet in Ballina on a scoreline of 0-14 to 0-13. The central Mayo team were on the verge of elimination from contention until Fadden's late point, with Mitchels so close to going through instead having secured a big victory over Aghamore (2-14 to 0-12).
Belmullet were already assured of a place in the last eight ahead of the final round of group games with two wins from the first two games, but the defeat in James Stephens Park leaves them second in Group 2 behind Breaffy and thus they will not have home advantage in their quarterfinal.
There was much less to play for in Group 3, with Ballaghaderreen and Ballintubber having already qualified for the quarterfinals ahead of their meeting in Garrymore at 8 p.m.. The 3-14 to 2-13 victory for Ballagh' means they top the group and will have a home game in the last eight.
In the other group game between Claremorris and Charlestown, played at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, the former secured their senior status with a 2-13 to 0-16 victory. Charlestown will have to try to stave off relegation through the playoff process.
There was just one game in the Egan Jewellers Intermediate Football Championship today, with Moy Davitts maintaining their winning ways with a 5-13 to 2-16 victory over Louisburgh. The winners were already assured of top spot in Group 4 ahead of the game, while Louisburgh were left facing the prospect of the relegation battle by virtue of finishing bottom of the pile.
Tourmakeady top Group 2 of the Treanlaur Catering Exclusive Junior Football Championship thanks to a 4-6 to 2-9 win over Kilmovee Shamrocks. It proved to be an expensive defeat for Kilmovee because a 0-16 to 2-8 win for Northern Gaels over second-placed Kiltimagh (who go directly into the quarters) in the other group game means it's Gaels who go into the preliminary quarterfinal ahead of the Shamrocks.
Swinford will provide the opposition to Northern Gaels in that preliminary quarterfinal thanks to their 0-14 to 1-10 win over Achill in Group 3. Shrule/Glencorrib beat Eastern Gaels 1-10 to 0-11 in the other group game, with both going straight into the quarterfinals, the south Mayo team finishing top of the table with three wins from three.
There's still much to play for in Group 1, a five-team group. Tomorrow's fixtures – Bonniconlon v Killala (12 p.m. in Bonniconlon) amd Ballycroy v Ardagh (3 p.m. in Ballycroy) – will go a long way towards deciding the three teams that will go through to the quarterfinals, with Bonniconlon and Ardagh in pole position and Ballycastle and Ballycroy fighting it out for third place. The final round of games in this group will be played on September 19.