AT LAST we are nearly ready to go with the East Cork JAFC kicking-off this coming Monday night with two games down for decision.

Carrigtwohill take on Castlemartyr in Ballinacurra and in Rathcormac, Carraig na bhFear face St Catherine’s.

Then the JAFC continues on Tuesday night between Midleton and Cloyne in what is always a very tough and exciting match between these two clubs.

Michael O’Brien the secretary of the East Cork Board told The Echo it’s great to be back playing games.

“It is great to be back on the field and it was a very frustrating few months for everyone involved in GAA, from the clubs to the Board and in between.

“It is tough when you try to plan out fixtures going forward and then have to tear them up and re-start again and again but now we can take a deep breath and hope everything goes well and we don’t end up in another Covid lockdown.

“We start with the Jim Ryan cup this coming Monday evening and it is disappointing that on a year when we were about to introduce a brand new round-robin system of four groups with four teams in each group had to be scrapped because the priority was players welfare and safety.

“Instead we are now going for the knockout format in the football, but the group stages will remain in the hurling where we have our lowest number of teams competing due to our success in the Cork county championships in recent years.

“Also just one team will progress into the Cork county championships in both hurling and football and again the concern is for player safety.

“We are looking at the end of September for the football final and the first week in October for the Jamesey Kelleher Cup final and all going good we can concentrate on other championships then.”

FIXTURES:

MONDAY, JULY 20

Michael O’Connor Motor Factors East Cork JAFC: Carrigtwohill v Castlemartyr in Ballinacurra at 7.30pm; St Catherine’s v Carraig Na bhFear in Rathcormac, 7.30pm.

TUESDAY, JULY 21

Michael O’Connor Motor Factors East Cork JAFC: Midleton v Cloyne at 7.30pm.

SATURDAY AUGUST 1

East Cork Oil JAHC: Cobh v Lisgoold in Carrigtwohill at 7pm; Watergrasshill v Fr. O’Neill’s in Dungourney (Subject to change).

MONDAY, AUGUST 3

East Cork Oil JAHC: Erin’s Own v Killeagh in Midleton at 3.30pm.

Check out eastcorkgaa.com for the latest news, fixtures and times and remember times, dates and venues are subject to change especially with the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.