Mayo club bypass semi-finals en route to Connacht decider
There will be no need for a semi-final for Mayo champions Tooreen as they bid to hold on to their Connacht intermediate hurling championship crown.
After getting the better of Roscommon's Four Roads in the quarterfinals, Tooreen were due to play the London champions in the quarterfinal this coming weekend.
However, the championship in the UK capital is at a standstill due to disciplinary procedures.
Robert Emmets and Brothers Pearse have reached the London decider but it has yet to be played, with two planned dates for the game having come and gone.
The upshot is that Tooreen – three-time defending Connacht champions – are through once again to the Connacht final, in which they will meet Ballinderreen of Galway.
The clubs met one before in the provincial decider, in 2017, and it was a memorable day for the east Mayo men as they won their first Connacht intermediate title on a scoreline of 1-15 to 1-11.
It was the first time a club outside of Galway had won the championship since its introduction in 2005 but since then, Tooreen have dominated it, winning four of the next five competitions (it wasn't run in 2020 due to Covid-19; ironically, Tooreen lost their county crown that year to near rivals Ballyhaunis).
Since beating Ballinderreen in 2017, Tooreen have taken the scalps of Kinvara (2019), Moycullen (2021) and Killimor (2022). They last time they lost a provincial decider was in 2028, when Oranmore-Maree defeated them by five points (1-20 to 1-15).
Last year, after beating Killimor, Tooreen defeating Ulster champions Liatroim Fontenoys of Down in the All-Ireland semi-final to set up a national decider against Limerick's Monaleen. A late surge by the Munster champions ended Tooreen's All-Ireland hopes in Croke Park but they won many admirers with the standard of hurling they produced not just that day, but on the memorable journey to the final.
To reach this year's Connacht final, Tooreen defeated Roscommon champions Four Roads by 2-23 to 2-14 in Athleague on the October Bank Holiday Monday. The final against Ballinderreen is down for decision on Sunday, November 26, in Athleague (Roscommon), throwing in at 1.30 p.m.