Home » Sports (page 40)

Sports

Collins set for tenth season in charge of Clare footballers

Colm Collins has been ratified for a tenth year as manager of the Clare senior footballers. The Kilmihil native is the longest serving manager of any one team in gaelic football with Mickey Harte working with the Tyrone footballers from 2003 until the culmination of the 2020 season before being appointed manager of Louth. At Tuesday night’s meeting of Clare GAA in Caherlohan, it was confirmed that Collins will be continuing as manager of the team. Clare reached the quarter-final stage of the All-Ireland series, losing out to Derry after a memorable come-from-behind win over Roscommon at GAA HQ. Although Clare fell to a heavy defeat to the Oak Leaf County, it was a positive year for Collins’ men as they qualified for the quarter-final stage for the second time in seven years. Under the Cratloe clubman Clare have risen from Division Four to Division Two, where they have competed since 2017. After losing a Munster Senior Football Championship quarter …

Read More »

Hurling champs meet Rebels, with Deise date for footballers

THIS year’s Clare senior club hurling champions will face their Cork counterparts in a Munster semi-final this November. Meanwhile, Clare’s senior club football champions will face a Munster quarter-final clash with the Waterford kingpins. Should they win that they will go into a semi-final against the Kerry champions. The draws for the 2022 AIB Munster Club Hurling and Football Championships were made this Monday night at a meeting of the Munster GAA CCC. In Senior Hurling, the winners of next Sunday’s Waterford County Final (Ballygunner or Mount Sion) will have home advantage versus the Tipperary champions in the Munster Quarter-Final with the winners playing the Limerick champions in the Semi-Final. The Clare champions and Cork representatives will meet in the other Semi-Final. In Senior Football, the Clare champions meet the Waterford champions in the Quarter-Final with the winners playing the Kerry representatives in the first Semi-Final. At the other side of the draw, the Cork representatives will play the Tipperary …

Read More »

Ennis woman makes Ironman World Championships in Hawaii

AN Ennis woman competing in the upcoming Ironman World Championships in Hawaii has said the reality of the situation has yet to sink in. Becky Coughlan told the Champion, “It still kind of hasn’t hit me, I don’t think it will until I’m at Shannon Airport.” Amazingly Becky, a member of West Clare Tri Club, earned her place in the world championships in Kona, Hawaii after completing her very first Ironman in Cork. The challenge saw her swim 3.8km, cycle for 180km and run 42.2km and she admits that after that event in Youghal she was thinking to herself, “Enjoy this now, because I’m never doing another one.” However that all changed when she found out she had achieved a dream of competing in the iconic world championships in Kona. “I’ll never say never again,” she laughs. “It was a really cool experience, but it was tough. When I finished the race in Cork my supporters, my mam, Dave, my …

Read More »

Celtic unveil monument to key figure in Clare soccer

A tribute to Frank Healy, who was a key figure in Clare soccer, before his passing in 2015 is set to be unveiled this Sunday at the home of Fern Celtic. His wife Eileen and the Healy family are installing a memorial bench for Frank at the club’s home ground in Tiermaclane on Sunday afternoon. Frank was instrumental in the purchasing of the grounds as he spent countless hours maintaining the facility to a high standard. There is no doubt that the former Chairman of the Clare District Soccer League would be delighted to see the continued development of the grounds with children and adults alike both benefitting from Frank’s hard work. Frank’s son Timmy alongside Leonard Meaney helped to establish the club in 2001. He took a keen interest in Fern Celtic’s continued growth, which he contributed immensely towards. His daughter in law Catherine Healy told The Clare Champion that Frank held a strong passion for soccer within the …

Read More »

Seven-Up in prospect for Éire Óg as SFC reaches round 3

Eire Og Football

Senior Football Championship Round 3 Group 1 Éire Óg v Corofin at Cusack Park Ennis, Saturday 6.30pm With three quarter-final places on offer from Group 1, most eyes will be fixated on the other group tie in Ennistymon as a St Breckan’s victory would automatically see Corofin join Éire Óg in the quarter-finals regardless of the result between these neighbours. The thing is that the defending champions still require something out of this game in order to confirm top spot and fundamentally will be determined to maintain their perfect title defence thus far. Corofin arguably require a result more though as first and foremost, they can’t simply depend on their North Clare brethren to do them a favour and essentially require a positive result following contrasting performances so far. Off the back of a lacklustre display against St Breckan’s, expect Corofin to throw everything at the Ennis side on the welcome return to Cusack Park. However, with Éire Óg seeking …

Read More »

Clare man’s central role in Ireland’s Aga Khan glory

THE WORLD famous Aga Khan trophy could be making its way to Clare next month to mark the role of a Tuamgraney man in Team Ireland’s victory in the Nations Cup last week. The glittering prize is one of the most sought-after in international equestrian sport and was donated by Aga Khan III in 1926. Chef d’Équipe, Tuamgraney’s Michael Blake, ensured that Ireland took back the coveted cup for the first time since 2015 in after a tense, but thrilling, jump-off against France. An elated Michael, who is also celebrating early qualification for the Olympics in 2024, told The Champion the nail-biting finish was a little tighter than he would have liked. “We did take our foot off the gas at point, but when it came down to the penalty shoot-out, we showed we could put the ball in the back of the net,” he said. On returning to Clare last Monday, one of the first things Michael did was …

Read More »

Rhys makes it double gold for Williams boys at Dublin Horse Show

THERE was more success for Clare at the presitigious Dublin Horse Show this Sunday. Following his brother Coen’s victory in the U-16 148cm final at the main RDS arena on Friday, Rhys Williams won the International 7 & 8-year-old competition. The PARC Stables rider took victory this afternoon aboard the 7-year-old Playboy JT Z (Presley Boy x Plot Blue). Last year, the Ennis brothers made showjumping history by becoming the first pair of siblings to be crowned leading international horse rider and leading International pony rider at the FEI International Jumping Nations Cup Youth Finals.

Read More »

Late goals see Newmarket to victory in U-13B academy final

Michael O’Connor watched Newmarket on Fergus take the Under 13B academy final from Cratloe on a score of 3-3 to 1-7 As the Under 13 season winds down with the school season lurking ominously on the horizon next week the academy finals at under 13 and under 15 are providing great entertainment for club supporters. In some cases, the excitement is at a greater level as seen already this season. Meelick was the latest venue on Thursday evening for two sides who have a storied history in competition an the latest chapter was his academy final. Over the course of the game the tackling was fierce with match official Joe Mullins requiring the proverbial eyes in the back of the head. There was a player sent off and a mentor asked to leave the field such was the excitement engendered. It matters little the title on offer, be it all Ireland or Under 12 because when two GAA sides go …

Read More »