**By Colm Shalvey **

Semi-final places are up for grabs in the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cups this Saturday.

Christy Ring Cup

****The top two in the Christy Ring Cup Group 1 face off when Wicklow welcome **Kildare **to Joule Park, Aughrim.

Two-time Christy Ring runners-up Wicklow, who reached the semi-finals last year, have seen off Mayo and Roscommon so far. 2014 champions Kildare have recovered from their Allianz Hurling League Division 2A relegation to also take full points off the bottom two, meaning both these teams have safely qualified with a round to spare.

Warren Kavanagh, Andy O’Brien, Mikey Lee, Christy Moorehouse and former Wexford hurler PJ Nolan have been in form for Wicklow, while Barry Cormack, Martin Fitzgerald, Paul Divilly and Éanna O’Neill have been among the main men for Kildare.

A guaranteed place in the Christy Ring for 2019 is on offer in the Connacht derby between **Roscommon **and **Mayo in **Athleague.

Mayo had a good League campaign, but have been unable to take any points in Group 1 to date, despite being competitive against both Wicklow and Kildare. Two-time Nicky Rackard winners Roscommon, who succeeded Mayo as third-tier champions in 2016, were also no match for the top two in the group last month.

Mayo welcomed dual star Keith Higgins back last time out to support the prolific Kenny Feeney in attack and although they have been without Seán Regan and team captain Cathal Freeman, they will be determined to return to winning ways against a Roscommon side led by Naos Connaughton, Daniel Glynn, Éamon Flanagan and Shane Curley.

It’s still all to play for in Group 2, where Down lead the way ahead of their trip to Maghera to face Derry.

Allianz League Division 2B runners-up Down – three-time Christy Ring finalists and champions in 2013 – are top of the table after wins over Armagh and London. 2017 Nicky Rackard winners Derry lost narrowly to the Exiles in round one, but they ran up a big score in seeing off Armagh for the second time in recent months.

Daithí Sands followed his first-round hat-trick with another goal in Ruislip and he is joined on double figures by fellow Down forwards Paul Sheehan and Danny Toner, with Pearse Óg McCrickard and Declan McManus also central in the absence of John McManus. With Alan Grant, Sé McGuigan, Gerard Bradley and Cuala duo Cian and Naoise Waldron showing well, Derry will hope to have Cormac O’Doherty and his Slaughtneil team-mates Chrissy McKaigue and Brendan Rogers available for this one.

London will be expected to claim their second win when they travel to** Armagh**.

2012 Christy Ring winners London – beaten quarter-finalists in each of the last three campaigns – have been involved in two grandstand finishes to date. They ended up on the right side of the result away to Derry, only to be pipped by Down in Ruislip. Having been relegated from the Allianz Hurling League Division 2B, Armagh’s fortunes haven’t improved in defeats against Ulster rivals Down and Derry.

Free-taker Richard Murphy accounted for almost half of London’s scores in the league, but Aaron Sheehan, Colin Nelson, Shane Lawless and Kevin O’Loughlin have been leading the way in this competition. Armagh have sorely missed the influence of David Carville and Ryan Gaffney, despite the best efforts of David McCreesh, Simon Doherty, Nathan Curry and John Corvan.

Nicky Rackard Cup

Warwickshire will bid to finish the Nicky Rackard Cup Group 1 with a 100% record when they go to Longford.

Warwickshire, who added the 2018 Allianz Hurling League Division 3A title to last year’s Lory Meagher Cup success, have maintained their momentum with wins over Louth and Monaghan. Longford saw their relegation from Division 3A of the Allianz Hurling League followed by a defeat away to Monaghan, but they bounced back to defeat Louth.

Warwickshire have options in attack in the likes of Niall McKenna, Garry Lennon, Dómhnall Nugent, Paul Hoban, Paul Uniacke and Shane Caulfield, while Longford are dependent on Joe O’Brien (who has amassed just over half his side’s scores), Cathal Mullane, Patrick Walsh and Séamus Hannon to lead their challenge.

A semi-final place is within touching distance for **Monaghan **when they make the short trip to Dundalk to play Louth.

Another narrow loss for Monaghan away to Warwickshire meant they couldn’t add to their opening win over Longford. Louth drew with Monaghan on their way to the Allianz Hurling League Division 3A Final, but after losing to Warwickshire in that decider, they have been unable to earn a point yet in this group.

Mark and Peter Treanor, Éamonn Collins and Fergal Rafter have been to the fore for Monaghan, with Louth needing big performances from Paddy Lynch, David Kettle, Gerard Smyth and Shane Callan, particularly in the absence of Niall and Gerry Arthur after the Clare natives were ruled ineligible.

The last Group 2 game between Leitrim and Tyrone in Carrick-on-Shannon will decide who joins **Donegal **in progressing.

Donegal have secured top spot in the three-team group by beating both of these sides, who now face a battle where the winners will qualify for the semi-finals and the losers will be consigned to a relegation play-off. Tyrone won this title in 2014, while Leitrim have lost two finals in the last year: to Warwickshire in the 2017 Lory Meagher Cup and to Lancashire after extra-time in this spring’s Allianz League Division 3B.

Tyrone’s chances depend largely on Damian Casey, who has accumulated 2-67 in six games this year, with support from Aidan Kelly, Ryan McKernan and a fit-again Seán Óg Grogan. Veteran Clement Cunniffe (with 6-40 to his name in 2018) remains the standard-bearer for Leitrim, supported by Cathal O’Donovan, Zak Moradi, and Conor Byrne.

FIXTURES

Saturday, June 2

Christy Ring Cup Group 1 Round 3**

Wicklow v Kildare, Aughrim, 3pm

Roscommon v Mayo, Athleague, 3pm

Christy Ring Cup Group 2 Round 3

Armagh v London, Athletic Grounds, 1pm

Derry v Down, Watty Graham Park, 1pm

Nicky Rackard Cup Group 1 Round 3

Longford v Warwickshire, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 1pm

Louth v Monaghan, Dowdallshill, Dundalk, 1pm

Nicky Rackard Cup Group 2 Round 3

Leitrim v Tyrone, Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, 2pm