Sports

THE Aylevarroo venue for the Killimer-Kilrush coursing meeting last weekend proved to be a happy hunting ground for Clare owners. Windfarm Eiscir won his second cup of the season, Ocean Toula captured the all-age bitch stake for Parteen owner Tom Fitzgerald and members of the Gaisce syndicate from the Miltown Malbay area were celebrating their success in the Oaks Trial Stake. In-form Windfarm Eiscir is hard to beat. He proved that through his cup win at the regional meeting and he gave a repeat performance at Aylevarroo, where he won the Gilligan and McMahon Memorial Age Cup (16) in impressive style for trainer Pat Curtin and Ennis owner Claire Eustace and in the process collected more points in his campaign for a second tilt at the Champion Stakes at Clonmel.A winner at Kilflynn and runner-up at Castleisland, Kyle King was hotly tipped to reign at the Killimer-Kilrush event. He was in flying form when winning his first round on Saturday. …

During the year, Spanish Point lady captain Breda Murphy and captain Mike Hennessy, on behalf of the parent club, hosted a first former captains and presidents’ re-union, which included a round of golf and an enjoyable get-together reception afterwards. Amongst the former officers who attended were three who were in office in the 1960s, Dr Michael O’Connor (captain 1963), James Meade (captain 1964) and Dot Bolster (lady captain 1968). Sunday’s scotch foursomes winners were Bernie O’Halloran (19) and Gerry Gallagher (22) with 44 points.In this week’s seniors open, Gerry Meade (17) was the winner with 37 points from Doonbeg’s Paddy O’Grady (15).The weekly turkey competitions continue while the annual general meeting of the club’s management committee will take place this Saturday.EnnisEnnis seniors held a team-of-four competition last Thursday and the winners with 71 points were Peter Farrelly, Michael Torpey, Sean O’Gorman and John White from John Guerin, Michael Kerin, Tim Ryan and Johnny Cullinan with 68. In third spot were …

As well as winning an A4-graded 525 with his own Petosterous (Droopys Kewell-Coldwar Baby), Tom Flanagan,’s breeding was also to the fore in other races at the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium on Thursday night.Pinnacle Muffin (Boherduff Light Coldwar Baby) won an A4-graded final and the runner-up was Mythical Tar from the same litter. Pinnacle Rocy, also from the same litter, won an S2-graded sprint race while Flandy’s Secret (Boherduff Light-Flandy) owned by Conor Flanagan, was third in an A6 final.To top it off, Flanagan from Russa, Ennistymon, was also among the winners in Limerick on Friday night. Middlepark Mal (Droopys Maldini-Scattery Maid), trained by the North Clare man for Ennistymon publican Michael Marrinan, won for the third time on the trot.In Galway on Thursday night the Seamus Leahy-owned Headford May (Ballymac Maeve-Teddy Hoe), with three wins from three outings, was the hot favourite to keep her 100% record intact and she obliged with another fine win, this time with a …

Quin jockey, Paul O’Neill opened his account for the season when riding the first winner of the day at last Sunday’s West Waterford Hunt point-to-point meeting at Boulta in East Cork. A very experienced pilot, O’Neill was aboard 8-1 shot Definite Memories in the first division of the opening four-year-old maiden for Wexford trainer, Pat Cloke and the pair came good when registering a very impressive success.Help up in the early stages, the daughter of Definite Article, who was making her debut, knew the job very well and having jumped to the front two out she ran on really strongly to beat runner-up Eugene O’Sullivan’s Lady Milano by four lengths.Enniscorthy native, Cloke, who has care of the winner for his brother, Tom, said, “Paul gave this mare a great ride. He is one of the most underrated jockeys in the country and I get him to ride my horses all the time. He’s a very good horseman and is especially …

Cavan Equestrian Centre hosted its annual end-of-season pony show last week.With over 1,500 entries, the competition was of a very high standard.The show included the final of the Cavan Kingsland League and the Tansan Properties Pony Champions Tour Final. Riders have been gaining points for these finals since last March and it paid off, with the following Clare Pony Riders claiming the spoils.Results148 – 90cm (dc) Margaret McCarthy’s Lecarrowmore, Kate McCarthy.148 – 1.00 (dc) Patrick O’Brien’s Blazer, Sean O’Brien.148 – 1.10cm (placed) 1. Margaret McCarthy’s Inshaalah Grey, Kate McCarthy. 5. Catherine Harrington’s Gentle Lady, Tom Foley.148 – 1.20cm (placed) 1. Carmel King’s Crown Jewel, Tom Foley.128 – 70cm (dc) Yvonne Casey’s Jacksun King, Eimer Casey.128 80cm (dc) Kevin Reidy’s King of Rock n Roll, Jack Reidy.138 – 90cm (dc) Anthony Malone’s Ballinvella Polly, Alison Malone. Yvonne Casey’s Gowerhass Boy, Eric Casey.138 – 1.00m (placed) 3. Simone Barry’s Dalligans Drifter, Kieran Barry; 4. Carmel King’s Dundrum Lady, Patrick McNamara. 6. John …

THE Woodies DIY Athletics Association of Ireland Inter-Counties’ Cross Country Championships plus the juvenile even ages from U-12 to U-18 were held in Sligo Racecourse, where Clare athletes produced outstanding performances. Alex O’Neill (St Cronan’s) finished fifth in the girls’ U-12 2,000m and led Clare to gold medals.Aidan McCarthy (St Cronan’s) finished fifth in the boys’ U-12 2,000m with Clare taking the inter-county silver medals.Niamh Markham (Ennis Track) finished seventh in the girls’ U-18 5,000m and led Clare and Ennis Track to silver medals.Orla O’Mahoney, a former Marian athlete from Ennis and running in the Clare colours finish eighth overall in the senior ladies’ 8,000m. In the senior men’s 10,000m, Sean Hehir  (Kilkishen and Rathfarnham AC, Dublin) was outstanding in very heavy underfoot conditions and finished seventh overall for the second year in-a-row. Rory Chesser (Ennis Track) made the journey from London and finished 21st with Michael Shannon (Kilnaboy) producing a very gutsy performance to finish 25th followed by Dermot …

Dr Crokes 0-12   Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-9   FOR 40 minutes of their 15th Munster club game since 1967, Kilmurry Ibrickane played the best football they’ve produced in living memory. They showed scant respect for the Kerry champions in Páirc Dr Crócaig, kicked a succession of sublime points, defended with vigour and took the game to Dr Crokes. Everything was rosy in the Kilmurry garden until 13 minutes into the second half.It was then that Dr Croke’s centre-forward Daithí Casey, who had kicked three points, was issued with a second yellow card following a tangle with Stephen Moloney. The game looked up for Dr Crokes and Kilmurry’s huge following sensed their club was on the cusp of a stunning win.  At that stage, Kilmurry led 0-9 to 0-7, with Colm Cooper yet to score for Dr Crokes. Yet it was from that moment on, Kilmurry imploded and Dr Crokes upped their game, outscoring the Clare champions 0-5 to 0-0 in the …

ONE Crusheen family could pick up five Munster medals on Sunday.Half of the defence facing Na Piarsaigh will be made up of Dillon brothers, Cronan, Cathal and Cian, while another two brothers, Shaun and Briain, are also on the panel.At 34, Cronan is the eldest of the five and is at full-back now, having spent most of his career in the half-back line. Throughout a long career with the club he didn’t expect to reach a Munster final. On a personal level, he says it took him a while to get used to playing in the full-back line. “Times change and maybe I’m getting a bit slower. In fairness to Cian there aren’t many centre-backs as good as him around, so I ended up at full back. It’s a position I found hard to get used to at first, when you’re in the half-back line and the ball goes behind you don’t worry about it as much but now it’s …