Car Tourismo Banner
Home » Sports (page 671)

Sports

Strong finish from Clondegad

Clondegad                     3-10O’Currys                         1-7Clondegad moved closer to a place in the semi-finals of the intermediate football championship when they overcame the challenge of O’Curry’s at Doonbeg on Sunday.While their victory was merited, a nine-point margin didn’t appear likely as the game moved inside the last 10 minutes. With nine minutes remaining, the sides were deadlocked at 1-7 each but the Ballynacally based outfit scored 2-3 in the remaining time.There was disappointment for the winners, however, as they lost Brian Carrigg with a serious shoulder injury that may rule him out for the rest of the season. Carrig had just recently returned from Australia.In a match which made history by being the first intermediate championship fixture to be broadcast live on Radio Corca Baiscinn, O’Curry’s had marginally the better of the first half exchanges and, helped by a goal from Damian Carmody, they led at the break, 1-4 to 0-4.The winners had the opening two points from Paudge McMahon and Gary Brennan …

Read More »

Clonlara edge closer to play-offs

CLONLARA go into this Sunday’s meeting with South-East Clare neighbours Smith O’Brien’s in the knowledge that a win will see them safely into the quarter-finals.While they are unbeaten in the group stage to date, they haven’t been overly impressive but their performances haven’t been helped by the absence of a number of key players due to injury. They again go into this week’s tie with Domhnaill O’Donovan, Darach Honan and Cillian Fennessy all ruled out with long-term injuries.Smith O’Brien’s haven’t delivered on the promise they showed a few years back and they have had to battle against relegation in recent seasons. They are heading for another relegation battle this year unless they can get a result from their remaining games, against Clonlara and St Joseph’s.Clonlara will carry the favourites’ tag into this week’s game, which will be played at Cusack Park. In Cormac and Tomás O’Donovan, John Conlon, Nicky and Ger O’Connell, John Moloney and the Nihills they have experienced …

Read More »

Victory a must for Cratloe

IN what is their last game in the league section of this year’s competition (they have a bye in the final round), Cratloe must beat Inagh-Kilnamona this Sunday to remain in the race.They lost their opening game to Tubber and while they bounced back with wins over Scariff and Whitegate, progress to the play-offs depends on the result at Cusack Park.While Inagh-Kilnamona have maximum points from their two games to date, they will want to continue on a winning run. Victory on Sunday will see them through to the quarter-finals, whereas defeat will leave them needing to beat Tubber in their last game to progress.Neither Inagh-Kilnamona or Cratloe were particularly impressive in their third-round wins over Scariff and Whitegate respectively. Both always looked likely winners but they were made to fight all the way to the final whistle.The Ken Ralph-trained Inagh-Kilnamona are still in the running for the senior double. They recently played a draw with Crusheen in a play-off …

Read More »

Senior title race begins

Eight teams start their campaign to win the senior camogie title next weekend. There are two groups of four, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the cup semi-final while third and fourth-placed teams will play in the Glenorma Shield semi-finals. Newmarket are the reigning county camogie champions and will be endeavouring to win back-to-back titles. Also in their group are Sixmilebridge, Clooney/Quin and last year’s intermediate champions, Corofin. In the other group, Kilkishen, Wolfe Tones, Kilmaley and the combined intermediate sides Scariff/Ogonnelloe will do battle. In recent years, it has been Newmarket and Kilmaley who have battled it out on county final day and these two clubs raised the bar in senior camogie to a new level. However, Scariff/Ogonnelloe, a young ambitious Sixmilebridge side, along with the ever-improving Kilkishen and Clooney/Quin will all want to cause an upset in the 2011 campaign. Wolfe Tones have been steadily rebuilding over the last few years and will be …

Read More »

Juniors ready for action

Nine clubs will compete in this year’s Junior Camogie Championship. The competition will be run similar to the senior and intermediate competitions, with two groups; the two in each group progressing to the cup semi-finals. The third and fourth-placed teams will progress to the Hamilton Shield semi-finals. Both league finalists, Crusheen and Feakle, are in Group 1 along with Kilmaley, Killanena and Tulla. In Group 2 are Éire Óg, Ballyea and the second string teams from Kilkishen and Sixmilebridge. Crusheen, who lost out in last year’s final, will be hoping to go that extra step and add to the junior league title picked up in March. However, they will face competition from Feakle, who will be looking to avenge their defeat in that league final. Éire Óg, Tulla and Kilkishen played in the Munster Summer Leagues and all will have gained valuable experience from playing teams from outside of Clare. Group 1Crusheen v KilmaleyKilmaley probably would prefer anyone but the …

Read More »

Clare out in the cold

GAA board officials in Clare have readily acknowledged that Cusack Park is in dire need of a multi-million euro facelift.That case was strongly presented by the executive and their team of consultants during the aborted bid to offload Cusack Park in the centre of town, to developers, in favour of a Greenfield site in Doora on the Quin Road, a few years ago. Since then, refurbishment work at the county grounds has been piecemeal, investment in the maintenance project progressing at a pace board finances permit. During the past couple of years, the terrace stand has been re-roofed and the rusted perimeter fencing around the pitch replaced. To coin a political phrase, there’s a lot done but more to do.Aside from the gates at domestic games, the board is limited as regards its revenue-generating intake. However, another source of revenue for the county board is a pay-out from Croke Park when selected as a venue for inter-county games. Unfortunately, such …

Read More »

Great scoring at Spanish Point

  LAST weekend, 98 members entered for the 2011 captain’s (Mike Hennessy) prize at Spanish Point. This was an 18-hole stroke competition with the top 15 and ties going to a play-off over nine holes on Sunday evening. The current Par is 66 and 17 players qualified from 61 nett to 67 nett which was great scoring in fine but windy conditions. The course was in great condition with the greens, in particular, running fast and proving a good test, a tribute to green keeper, Denny Gallery and his team.Leading in the play-off at five under nett were Eamonn McMahon and Pat O’Malley closely followed by John Meere on 63 and Joe O’Rourke and Brendan Sexton on 64. Highlights of the play-off were a great 31 gross (two under) by Eoghan O’Loughlin, a solid four over by Brendan Sexton, which moved both of them up the leader board but Eamonn McMahon (19) held on to win the prize with 90.5 …

Read More »

More gold for Clare at national finals

CLARE’S outstanding record at the national Community Games Finals was extended last weekend when competitors won gold in pitch and putt, judo and swimming, as well as silver in judo.Clare had 98 competitors at last weekend’s finals and they brought home a total of 78 awards, nine gold, three silver, 15 bronze and 51 fourth-place medals. All five competitors in judo returned with medals.The standard in the swimming was extremely high but most of the Clare competitors qualified for the semi-finals. Two, Eoin Rouine and Rory McEvoy, won gold.In cycling, all four competitors took to the track in very wet conditions and three of them qualified for finals. Last year’s gold medallist, Lauren McConway, won a silver on this occasion, while Quin-Clooney clubmate, Cathal Browne won a fourth-place award.In the variety final on Saturday evening, Sixmilebridge-Kilmurry won a fourth-place award, while in gymnastics, Peter Stack from Clarecastle-Ballyea won a bronze medal, his first national award in seven years competing at …

Read More »