Sports

Crusheen 0-16   Ballyea 1-8 CHAMPIONS Crusheen became the first team to seal a quarter-final place in the 2011 race for the Canon Hamilton Trophy when they accounted for Ballyea in Round 4 of the senior hurling championship at Cusack Park on Friday evening.They will have a bye in Round 5 when the battle for the runner-up spot should provide plenty of excitement.At the end of play on Friday, Crusheen were deserving winners but they were made fight all the way for this latest success by a Ballyea side is a little unlucky not to have any points on the table after three outings.Friday’s game was five minutes old before Paddy Meaney opened the scoring with a point for the winners and Shaun Dillon quickly followed with another before Niall Keane opened Ballyea’s account in the 10th minute.Four in-a-row followed for the winners who were 0-6 to 0-1 in front after 22 minutes. They could have been further ahead at this …

Sixmilebridge 1-14   O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-8 Although never managing to re-produce the form they had shown five days earlier when easily accounting for Tulla, Sixmilebridge deservingly defeated O’Callaghans Mills at Cusack Park on Sunday to seal a quarter final place in this season’s senior championship race.That the Mills will rue some very poor finishing – they had fourteen wides in all – is without question but when Sixmilebridge stepped up a gear in the second half, they proved too strong for their neighbours. It was evident from an early stage that a goal would prove crucial and this came to the winners at the start of the final quarter and put them in the driving seat.The Mills went into this tie knowing that victory was essential to keep their title hopes alive. Defences dominated in a low scoring first half at the end of which the sides were level at 0-4 each. The Mills had played with the aid of the …

The national Community Games finals concluded at Athlone IT at the weekend and there was again great success for Clare competitors, returning with a haul of 36, six gold medals, five silver, eight bronze and 17 fourth place awards.

Clarecastle 4-17   Wolfe Tones 0-15 Outscoring their Shannon opponents 3-7 to 0-4 in the second half, Clarecastle easily defeated Wolfe Tones in Sixmilebridge last Saturday. Clarecastle are now safe from the spectre of a relegation play off, while even if Wolfe Tones beat Tulla in their final group game, they cannot avoid a relegation semi-final. Clarecastle owe their win largely to a superb innings from Eamon Callinan who hit 1-10, 1-3 of which was from play. Conor O’Gorman also looked very sharp at corner forward for The Magpies, while two Shannon youngsters, Aaron Cunningham and John Guilfoyle, played some exceptional hurling, shooting eight points from play between them. Already minus a battalion of emigrated and recently retired players, Wolfe Tones also had to line out without Declan O’Rourke, although Clarecastle were themselves weakened by the absence of the Plunketts and Derek Quinn. The winners led 1-10 to 0-11 after a fairly evenly contested half hours hurling. Conor O’Gorman netted Clarecastle’s …

Scariff 2-12   Tubber 2-11 Leading 2-5 to 0-1 after just 20 minutes, it seemed inevitable that Tubber would coast to a comfortable win over Scariff in Gurteen last Sunday. That certainty soon evaporated as Scariff reeled in their opponents and fashioned a thrilling win. Ross Horan scored 2-7 of Scariff’s total, with both goals coming in the second half. Another significant contributing factor to their win was the display of Cathal Nash, when he was moved to centre back. Scariff’s defensive unit tightened up and was crucial in fashioning the win. Scariff now play Whitegate in a game that will decide who will have to play a relegation semi-final, while Tubber must beat Inagh–Kilnamona if they are to make the quarter-final of the senior championship. Eamon Taaffe scored the first of Tubber’s two goals when he found the net after Shane O’Connor had delivered a high ball, from which Taaffe picked up the break. Darragh O’Connor scored Tubber’s second goal …

Corofin 2-14   Feakle 1-15 AT the end of a well-contested Intermediate Hurling Championship tie at Newmarket on Saturday, Corofin had booked a place in the championship semi-final, thanks to a two-point victory over Feakle, who needed to win the game to stay in the hunt for the title.

Galway 0-22   Limerick 2-14 GALWAY have earned the right to make amends for one of their most humiliating All-Ireland U-21 hurling final defeats by accounting for Limerick in an entertaining semi-final in Thurles on Saturday evening.Having suffered an embarrassing 5-22 to 0-12 defeat at the hands of Tipperary last year, Galway returned to Semple Stadium all fired up to qualify for this year’s decider.Superior scoring power, greater strength in depth and a never-say-die spirit helped the Tribesmen overcome the setback of conceding goals at crucial stages to emerge deserving two-point winners.Anthony Cunningham’s men will now play Dublin, who hammered Antrim 3-12 to 0-6 in the other semi-final, in Thurles on September 10.Limerick entered the contest as slight favourites after dispatching Cork in extra-time following an epic battle in the Munster decider.However, the men in green and white never scaled the heights of this encounter and over-relied on the impressive Shane Dowling, who finished with 2-5, for the bulk of their …

West Clare Gaels 3-17   Miltown 6-5 THIS semi-final, at the end of which reigning champions West Clare Gaels secured their place in the county final, had it all, with nine goals, some fine points and a crucial penalty save. Supporters would have needed a calculator at times to keep track of the scoreline.With only six minutes played, the scoreboard read West Clare Gaels 2-0 Miltown 1-0. It turned out to be an indication of what was to follow, as spectators were treated to a game of high drama.Maria Kelly, who recently returned from Australia to line out for her club for the first time since that famous day last November when the All-Ireland Intermediate Club title was captured, was first to raise a green flag when she slotted the ball past Siobhán Talty with only three minutes played. A minute later, dual star Fiona Lafferty scored Miltown’s first goal and by the sixth, Niamh Lardner, who played a crucial part …