REIGNING champions Crossmaglen Rangers will battle it out with neighbours Mullaghabawn and north Armagh pair Clan na Gael and Sarsfields in the group stage of this year’s Cormac Leonard Armagh Senior Championship.
Maghery, last year’s beaten finalists, have been drawn alongside Dromintee and Ballymacnab while Clann Eireann, senior league winners this season for the first time in their history, are in Group B with Grange, St Peter’s and Granemore. In Group C, Shane O’Neill’s, Silverbridge, Armagh Harps and Madden will battle it out for the three places in the knockout stage. The bottom team in each of the four groups will be eliminated.
“It’s tough,” said Crossmaglen clubman Tiernan McConville.
“We just need to take every game as it comes now and try to enjoy it and embrace it. Championship is always the main aim for us, we use the league to get a bit of game-time for lads so we’re all looking forward to it now and we’ll get the head down for the next three weeks.”
The action in the junior, intermediate and senior championships – all of which begin with a round-robin group format – gets underway on the weekend of August 18.
Ticket prices will remain the same as last year and there will be no cash sales at venues but the Armagh County Board say they are confident that their new online system will make ticket purchasing straight forward and season passes are available.
Crossmaglen finished second in Division One A and have been boosted by the return of Oisin O’Neill as well as their county stars Rian O’Neill, Cian McConville, James Morgan and Callum Cumiskey.
“Oisin is back and he’s a great help,” said McConville.
“He was out for the best part of two years so he’ll need a good run of games behind him. It’s good to have the other county boys back on the scene – it improves us and makes us all better.
“I have two championship medals and in Cross that’s not many but I have to be grateful for the two I have and hopefully we can add to it this year.”
