Huge weekend of championship action in both codes for 4 teams across Kildare GAA

This weekend is one of the biggest to arrive in Kildare GAA for quite some time, with no less than four teams in major championship action between Friday and Sunday.

The main events take place within five hours of each other on Saturday, with the Kildare hurlers going in search of glory when they take on London in the Christy Ring Cup final in Croke Park at 2pm, with Joe Quaid’s men entering that game as slight underdogs with the bookmakers against a team who relegated them to Division 2B in this year’s National Football League.

Quaid reports a near clean bill of health ahead of that game, with Naas’ Mick Purcell the only worry after he had his appendix removed around four weeks’ ago.

The Kildare senior footballers will be travelling to Longford on the same day to take on the Midlanders in Pearse Park, with a 7pm throw-in fixed for that tie. Kildare got back on track in their last outing against Derry as they ended their losing run with an eight-point victory, and they will be hoping to go within two games of the Super 8’s when they take on Denis Connerton’s men.

Beginning the weekend’s action will be the Kildare U20s who take on Carlow in Netwatch Cullen Park at 7.30pm on Friday evening in the Leinster quarter-final. The Lilywhites finished runners up behind Meath in the group stage, but rounded off that part of the competition with a 3-15 to 0-4 hammering of Wicklow last weekend.

The Kildare junior footballers will ensure that there is some Lilywhite representation in Croke Park on Leinster final day this year, as Colin Ward’s charges face Meath in the decider which will be the curtain raiser to the senior final.

We have previews of this weekend’s action in a jam-packed sports section…..