Tag Archives: championship

  Clare senior hurling champions Cratloe suffered a shock defeat from Ballyea when the sides clashed in the opening round of the 2015 competition at Cusack Park on Saturday evening. They can still retain the title, however, but from here on they have to win all games in the competition. Ballyea were fully deserving of this victory on an evening when they were the sharper side throughout. [doptg id=”71″] This result could well prove to be very costly for Cratloe football boss Colm Collins who is also the Clare senior football manager. Ahead of Clare’s Munster semi-final date with Cork on June 14, two members of the county panel, Podge Collins and Martin O’Leary(he hurls with Ballyea) picked up injuries in this hurling tie which led to their replacement. Collins injured his knee and is now very doubtful for the clash with Cork while O’Leary suffered a collar bone injury which is expected to keep him out of action for …

There are no shortage of talking points following the draw for the 2015 Clare senior and intermediate hurling and football championships, which took place on Monday evening at Treacy’s West County Hotel. Senior champions, Cratloe will open their hurling title defence against Ballyea, while their opponents in the first round of the football championship will be Kilmurry-Ibrickane. The hurling championship (senior and intermediate) has a new format this year and will be run similar to the senior football competition. Sixteen teams will play eight first round games, after which the eight winners will be drawn against each other with the eight losers drawn against each other. At the end of last season, five senior clubs lost their status and were relegated to intermediate. Two of these, St Joseph’s and Wolfe Tones, will face each other in the first round of this season’s intermediate race The senior hurling champions from 2013, Sixmilebridge face Éire Óg in the opening round, as they seek to …

Most GAA clubs feature families who have been involved as players or administrators for generations. Cratloe have some of that type of influence but most of their active GAA families are not originally from the parish. Cratloe native and former Kilmallock senior hurling manager, Tony Considine feels this is in fact a huge advantage to Cratloe and adds freshness to the club. Generational baggage handed down is not a factor. “Management-wise everyone they have is inside but remember they’re not from Cratloe. Maybe if there was an insider, they mightn’t be as successful. Somebody didn’t buy the right pig from a fella or stole his hen,” Considine suggested. “In a club where someone local is involved, everyone knows you and, more importantly, they know everyone belonging to you. Your great uncle might have hit a slap at some fella in a pub or told him he was useless years ago. That’s the same everywhere. “I think this is why Cratloe …

Any meeting of neighbours Clare and Limerick in league or championship is a huge attraction and following the draw for the Munster senior hurling and football championships for 2015, GAA fans in both counties can look forward to two such meetings next summer. All-Ireland champions in 2013, Clare’s failure to retain the title was a huge disappointment. Manager Davy Fitzgerald recently announced changes to his management team for the coming season, when Clare will have to overcome three of the province’s big guns if he is to lead Clare to a first Munster senior title since 1998. In the quarter-final, Clare will face Limerick, with the winners going on to play All-Ireland finalists, Tipperary. The winners of that will then meet either defending champions, Cork or Waterford in the final. Limerick reached the All-Ireland semi-final in 2014 and were considered unlucky  not to have accounted for eventual winner, Kilkenny Meanwhile, Clare and Limerick will also be in opposition in the opening round of the …

By Seamus Hayes There were big wins for Clooney-Quin, Newmarket and Inagh-Kilnamona as the race for the Clare senior camogie title got underway this Friday evening. Holders Newmarket on Fergus made their intentions clear when they proved to strong for Kilkishen, winning on a scoreline of 2-17 to 1-6. They raced into a 1-3 to 0-0 lead and by half time they were 2-10 to 0-3 ahead. Clooney-Quin, beaten in two finals in recent years, were 2-9 to 1-3 ahead at half time in their clash with Sixmilebridge and they went on to win on a scoreline of 3-14 to 1-7. Inagh-Kilnamona and Truagh-Clonlara have only moved up to senior ranks in the past two years. they were level at 1-4 each at half time in their clash before the mid Clare side got the upperhand with Fiona Lafferty, Theresa O’Keeffe and Aoife Keane impressing as they went onto seal a 2-14 to 1-5 victory. the remaining first round game will …

By Seamus Hayes It’s official. The worst kept secret in  Clare GAA is out. Four senior hurling championship games scheduled for this coming weekend have been called off against the wishes of some of the clubs involved. Representatives of the eight clubs–Ballyea, Clooney-Quin, O’Callaghans Mills, St. Josephs, Wolfe Tones, Éire Óg, Sixmilebridge and Cratloe–were told this evening that the Clare senior hurling management team had “invoked the 13 day rule” which says that players “shall be free from club fixtures for 13 days prior to inter county championship action”. With three of the games scheduled for Friday evening and one for Sunday, there were only eight days, and in the case of Sixmilebridge v Cratloe, six days until Clare play Wexford in the hurling Qualifier first round. The earliest that these games will take place is August and if Clare progress in the championship, it may be later than this. The senior championship game between Scariff and Broadford goes ahead as …

By Seamus Hayes THERE was great excitement and debate following the 2014 GAA championship draws at the West County  Hotel on Friday evening. A great deal of attention focused on the senior hurling and football champions, Sixmilebridge and Cratloe respectively, and who would challenge them in the group stages. Football champions Cratloe were first to learn who their opponents will be in the opening round as the draw for the Jack Daly cup was the first to take place. Its a repeat of last year ‘s as the champions will take on Eire Og in what many believe will be the game of the round. Doonbeg, beaten finalists in 2013 will take on Ennistymon. Neighb ours Cooraclare and Kilrush will clash in the opening round for the second year in succession. Cooraclare were victorious last year on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-8. Hurling cham;pions Sixmilebrige have been drawn in the same group as Crushen, Cratloe and Kilmaley. “A very …

By Seamus Hayes TWENTY-nine  teams will compete for three U-21 hurling championship titles in Clare in 2014. The draw for the A, B and C competitions was made at Clare GAA headquarters in Clareabbey on Monday evening and threw up some interesting pairings. Fellow parishioners Clarecastle and Ballyea will meet in a quarter final tie in the race for the A title. Another interesting quarter final clash should ensue when Kilmaley take on neighbours Inagh-Kilnamona. In all, there will be ten teams in the race for the A title with thirteen battling it out for the B crown leaving six to compete for the C title. The first games in all grades will take place on the weekend of March 1 and 2. The pairings are: U-21 A—Clonlara v O’C. Mills/Bodyke with the winners to play Newmarket in the quarter final; Clooney-Quin play Eire Og with the winners to play Sixmilebridge; Inagh-Kilnamona v Kilmaley and Clarecastle v Ballyea. U-21 B—Byes …