Stephenites set for big weekend in London

On Saturday afternoon Ballina Stephenites will step into the unknown when they take on North London Shamrocks in the quarter-final of the Connacht Senior Club Championship at 1.30pm in Ruislip. The Mayo king-pins are the hottest of favourites, but they'll be taking nothing for granted against the first-time London champions who are eagerly anticipating the clash in McGovern Park.

READ: Ballina players react to retaining county crown

The famous stadium was the venue where Shamrocks etched their names in the history books, securing their first-ever senior county championship title with a thrilling 1-11 to 1-8 victory over St Kiernan’s recently. This long-awaited win marks a significant milestone for a club founded in 2005, finally reaching the pinnacle of London GAA after years of perseverance.

Team captain Michael Miller and stalwart Eoin Flanagan proudly lifted the cup in front of jubilant supporters, a moment that symbolised the culmination of a 19-year journey. Founded from the remnants of St Theresa’s and Shannon Rovers/Sam Maguires, Shamrocks had twice fallen short in intermediate finals. However, the victory, their first over St Kiernan’s in a senior championship match since moving up to the top tier in 2015, wiped the slate clean and showed the progress being made by the North London side.

The club’s achievement was not just a victory for the senior team, but for the entire Shamrocks community. With two adult teams and a thriving youth setup consisting of six youth teams and three girls’ teams, the victory served as an inspiration to the next generation of players. The club’s commitment to developing young talent has laid the foundation for long-term success, and this year's senior championship triumph provides a new benchmark for all Shamrocks players to aspire to.

Manager Peter Witherow from Donegal, a former player with the club, praised his team’s determination, saying, “This is a win for everyone involved, from the players to the supporters. It’s been a long road, but we’ve made it,” he added before turning his attention to the visit of Ballina Stephenites.

“They're a fantastic team and have won the last two Mayo titles. They have some of the top players in the country playing for them and we know the task we're facing, but our lads are looking forward to it. They want to play against the best and test themselves. We're delighted to have the game in Ruislip and we're hoping a big London crowd turns out to roar us on and welcome everyone from Ballina. It should be a great occasions, but we'll be concentrating on the football and playing at the very top of our gam. If we can do that then everything else will take care of itself.

The North London Shamrocks have many ties with Mayo, with selector Niall Costello originating from Balla, reserve player Vinny Murphy from Belmullet and senior committee members Tom Galvin and Eamon Conroy hailing from Castlebar and Cross respectively.

Ballina will travel to London hoping to get the better of the home side and progress to the semi-final. They have been experiencing some injury worries all season and will be hoping that Ger Cafferkey may be available after missing the county final while Niall Heffernan will be hoping to get more game-time into Dylan Thornton who is recovering from injury.