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2016 defeat to Townies was Ballyea’s defining moment

Ballyea have a remarkable record at senior level since breakthrough championship year of 2016 — a run to county and provincial success and all the way to Croke Park that began with a defeat to Éire Óg in the first round of the championship as Joe Ó Muircheartaigh recalls. It was a 50/50 game beforehand, but when it was all over the feeling around Cusack Park afterwards was that the Éire Óg hurlers had finally come up with a statement performance that could propel them onto much greater things. As for Ballyea, the jury was definitely out. It was 2016 and the sides had drawn each other in the first round of the senior championship and even before a ball was pucked, they’d both come a long way from one of their previous games of real significance — that was when both were fighting relegation in 2008 and played in a decider in Clareabbey that Ballyea won with a late …

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Clare boxer’s pro debut in Belfast will be shown on TG4

CLARE boxer David Ryan is set to make his professional debut on November 19 in Belfast, in a fight that will be shown on TG4.  Speaking this week he said he was delighted that the fight has been made. “I was actually meant to fight the week before in Glasgow, but I got offered this one. My manager decided to go for this instead, it’s better exposure and it’ll build my profile a bit more.” As of yet his opponent hasn’t been finalised with David telling the Champion that a few contracts had been sent out with the expectation that someone will sign this week. Does that make it harder to prepare? “Ah, you just go in and do your thing, don’t care what they do. That’s all you can do.” The bill on which he fights will be headlined by two Celtic title fights, featuring Belfast fighters.  David says that training has been very intense, and the fact a …

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Limerick Racecourse set for showpiece event of season

The Joseph O’Brien-trained Busselton heads 37 entries for the JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National Handicap Chase at Limerick on Sunday, October 23. Successful in a dramatic renewal of the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel last month, the five-year-old is one of four entries from the all-conquering O’Brien yard as the Piltown trainer seeks a first win in the race. Runner-up in the Tote Galway Plate and third in the Listowel Festival feature event, Darasso could also feature for O’Brien along with A Wave Of The Sea, second last year in the JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National, and Early Doors, a winner over hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019 and successful in the Tote Galway Plate the following year. Willie Mullins has won three of the last five renewals of the JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National and looks set to rely on El Barra which had Busselton in second place when winning at the Punchestown festival in late April. A …

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Clare rider’s podium finish in World Cup season opener

A COUNTY Clare rider has made an excellent start to the 2022/2023 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup season, scoring a podium place finish in the opening round of the series at Oslo in Norway on Sunday. Riding the 12-year-old mare Chakra, Eoin McMahon was one of 11 combinations to make it into the jump-off after a clear first round. Drawn first to go in the jump-off, McMahon posted an impressive clear in 46.13 seconds against the clock, which would be good enough for third place at the finish and 15 league points for the Clareman. Tipperary’s Thomas Ryan was also among the starters, and finished with one fence down in the first round with Springfield. The second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup, Western European League, takes place in Helsinki, Finland next weekend.

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GALLERY: Banner Ladies tough it out to add to amazing tally

Derek Dormer watched The Banner Ladies overcome atrocious weather condititions to beat Kilmihil 0-9 to 0-6 and win a 13th senior ladies football title in 15 years   AFTER a dour struggle in atrocious weather conditions it was dual star Niamh O’Dea who must take all the plaudits as she almost single handedly dragged The Banner Ladies from four down to kick the last seven scores in a tough tight tense battle with Kilmihil. With the incessant rain and almost gale like wind this was never going to be a free flowing contest but it was still an engaging battle between Clares two best sides in what has now become their almost annual County final showdown, that kept patrons entertained throughout. In fact this County final can best be described as a war of attrition with both teams putting their bodies on the line in pursuit of County Championship glory. Becky Mahon opened the scoring with a well taken point …

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GALLERY: Minor redemption for determined Clooney-Quin

Clooney-Quin eventually bridged a 16-year gap to their sole Minor A crown with a 1-14 to 1-12 victory over St Joseph’s Doora Barefield, but only after a titanic 80 minute wrestle for supremacy in extreme conditions in Cusack Park. BELYING the incessant rain that greeted this much anticipated high noon showdown, Coiste na nÓg Iomaint couldn’t have asked for a better advertisement for underage hurling than this compelling marquee decider that was filled with character, commitment and sheer determination to leave everything on the field in pursuit of the prestigious Willie Chaplin Cup. Evenly-matched throughout, Clooney-Quin were crucially much more clincial in the opening half which permitted them to carve out a six point cushion by the break, a lead that the favourites would maintain by the three-quarters mark. A storming Parish ressurection in the final quarter almost usurped the leaders though, with a remarkable seven point turnaround completed by a dramatic injury-time goal for Eoin Ogie Fanning to hand …

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Backroom alterations haven’t dimmed Scariff-Ogonnelloe focus

Sarah Skelly was part of the panel when Scariff-Ogonnelloe made that unpredecented charge through Clare and Munster in 2019. Having been there from the start of the amalgamation’s development from intermediate to senior, her experience is now required to carry the torch at management level alongside manager Alphie Rodgers and Pat Minogue after last year’s county and provincial winning backroom team headed by David Sullivan opted to step down following their All-Ireland Semi-Final reverse in February. It means that despite their unbridled success, Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s senior squad are playing under their third different management in as many years but still managed to successfully navigate their way back to a third final in four seasons. “It’s never easy to get back to the final and particularly this year as last year’s management stepped down quite late after our All-Ireland Semi-Final loss against Oulart-The-Ballagh.” commenced selector Skelly. “So it understandably took us a while to try and gather ourselves and our agenda for …

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Truagh-Clonlara set sights on unfinished business

Getting to a final is one thing, winning one is a completely different challenge as Truagh-Clonlara found to their cost last November. Granted, having relentlessly strived to make the breakthrough to their first ever senior decider, the squad actually got to contest two in the space of a fortnight but that was scant consolation having come out on the wrong side of the replay. The mindset is different this time around though according to joint-captain Michelle Powell whose sterling performances for the Clare junior side subsequently earned her a prestigious Soaring Star nomination in the last few days. “Last year was such a novelty. I mean there’s no comparison between winning the semi-final this year because last year we were just so delighted to get past the heartache of almost five or six semi-finals in a row that we just couldn’t get over the line on. “This time when we won the semi-final, don’t get me wrong, we were delighted …

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