Louth senior semi-finals places up for grabs this weekend

The Louth Intermediate Championship is gaining momentum. There are just four teams remaining, Seán O’Mahony’s, Hunterstown Rovers, Mattock Rangers and the winners of last night’s game between Kilkerley Emmets and Dundalk Gaels.

Few predictions as to the outright winners before the competition began had any team bar most of those mentioned above named.

O’Mahony’s and Mattock were engaged in the senior league, Hunterstown were on top in the intermediate equivalent, and Kilkerley were well placed in the same competition. Gaels would have had the least support, having failed to make it to the top half of their league.

O’Mahony’s grabbed a late penalty goal in their three-point defeat of O’Rahilly’s in their quarter-final win over the weekend; and it was also a late goal that gave Mattock Rangers victory in their tie with Clan na Gael. The closest finish came in Hunterstown’s two-point defeat of St Kevin’s.

Senior quarter-finals are this weekend’s feature. The champions, St Mary’s, go to war against St Patrick’s, and this promises to be a thriller.

The sides met at the semi-final stage last year, with Mary’s edging home at St Brigid’s Park, the venue for Sunday’s renewal. Mary’s hope to have Ciarán Keenan back, off-setting the loss of another county player, the suspended Donal McKenny.

As luck would have it, all the other leading fancies have avoided each other. Naomh Mairtin, dethroned by Mary’s after winning the title two years running, will fancy their chances of beating St Joseph’s. The same goes for St Mochta’s in the joust with Dreadnots.

Roche Emmets, back in senior following their intermediate win last year, come up against Newtown Blues. This is a match that will revive old-timers’ memories of a senior final that took place between the same clubs, back in the mid-1960s.

Blues got a narrow win then, and are warm favourites to come on top in this one as well.