ONE of Connacht's great rugby rivalries will have another chapter written tomorrow in Crowley Park when Ballina take on Creggs in the Cawley Cup Final.
The clubs have met in finals many times since the first met in the 1976 Junior League decider when Ballina defeated the men from East Galway.
That was the start of a wonderful rivalry and many meetings in finals where famous names decorated the team sheets.
Some of the names popping out during a quick trawl through the archives are: Creggs' scrum-half Frank Brandon (who was actually a bank official in Ballina) and his brother Peadar - Bartley O'Grady who captained Creggs in 1982 and worked as a Land Commission inspector in Ballina, and Frank Brandon who kicked brilliantly against Ballina in a memorable battle in 1994.
Charlie Mullaney kicked penalties for Ballina during a hard-fought contest between the teams in 1979 while Tommy Cooke, Gerry O'Donnell, Pat Buckley, Aubrey Bourke and JP Leonard were also written in lights during that encounter.
In 1982, Ballina were captained by Norman Blakeney against the men from Creggs and the skipper in the Connacht Junior Cup quarter final between the sides in 1994 was Alan Rowe who kicked a last-minute penalty to secure a famous 8-6 victory as Martin Boland, Oisin Quinn and Rory Quinn excelled in the pack.
There have been many wonderful battles between the sides over the years and tomorrow will be no different.
Good luck to everyone involved. It promises to be a memorable match between two great clubs.