Ennis heavyweight Martin Keenan completed a hat-trick of wins in the Irish Novice Boxing Championships in the National Stadium in Dublin last Saturday. He is now fancied to capture his first ever national title when he meets John O’Connor from Thurles in the final on Friday, February 8.

“Relieved and delighted”, was the reaction of Kilmaley’s Niall Romer to the news that his appeal against a two-month ban following a fracas in the Minor A Hurling Championship final was successful.“I am delighted that it’s over. I didn’t want any problems for anyone involved but I was determined to prove my innocence. This was one occasion when I did absolutely nothing wrong,” he told The Clare Champion.Romer trained Kilmaley to win the title at Clarecastle’s expense. A fracas involving a number of mentors from both sides took place during the second half and attracted much media attention. Spectators also scaled the railing to get involved.It resulted in Clare GAA setting up a committee to investigate what happened after which Clarecastle’s Tom Howard (manager), Anthony Daly (coach) and Stephen Sheedy (selector) along with Romer were suspended, while there were heavy fines imposed on both clubs.Romer argued from the outset that he was innocent and he sought a personal hearing that …

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David Tubridy would love if he never again has to talk about playing Division 4 football. The Doonbeg, Clare and Munster footballer has spent his entire inter-county career in the bottom division. He wants out and is hoping that come this time in 2014, Clare will be preoccupied with preparing for the start of the Division 3 League. “I’ve been playing six years for Clare at this stage and we’ve been in Division 4 every year. We really want to get out of Division 4. “We came close in two of the last three years. We just missed out by a kick of a ball and a finger-tip save last year, from a Wicklow defender. “Everything could have been different but we just have to get ready again. That’ s our main goal this year – to get of Division 4,” Tubridy reiterated. Clare required just a point from their last two league games in 2010 or a draw away …

LAST February, Clare started their NFL campaign with a 1-17 to 0-12 win over Waterford in Cusack Park. Weather permitting, the county grounds will be the venue for Sunday’s opening Division 4 game at 2pm, which will represent Mick O’Dwyer’s first league game in charge of Clare. A win, whatever the margin, will set Clare up for a serious tilt at promotion. They came close in 2010 and even closer last year, when they lost to Wicklow in Aughrim. Even a draw in the last league game of 2012 would have promoted Clare. Since then, Micheál McDermott and his management team, bar Micheál Cahill, have stepped down, with O’Dwyer, Ger Keane and Michael Neylon taking over. Clare have undergone extensive training, primarily in Corofin and LIT, while they have played several internal training matches between themselves and against the county U-21 team in Ryan’s field, Clarecastle. The senior and U-21 panels have trained together regularly, which has resulted in approximately …

NAOMH Eoin will have a new chairman and secretary for 2013 when they will celebrate their 40th anniversary.At the recent annual general meeting, secretary Michael Boland stepped down after 26 years in the position, while chairman John Bonfil did not seek re-election after eight years in the post. Both were in attendance when the club was formed on January 6, 1974.Glowing tributes were paid to both who served during the most successful period of the club.Martin Downes is the new chairman and he will lead the club for its 40th anniversary. Born in the UK, Martin returned some years ago and has been a valued member of the club at officer level and as a player at midfield, a position his son, Conor, fills on the U-16 team.Current team member Kieran Keating is the new club secretary. He previously filled the posts of treasurer and assistant treasurer.Outgoing chairman John Bonfil, now vice-chairman, paid tribute to his fellow officers and expressed …

Cathal O’Connor hasn’t pulled on a Clare jersey since their one point, All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Down in July 2011. The Coolmeen man isn’t denying that he has missed being involved. Employed as a civil engineer with Sisk, O’Connor was based in Scotland last year and is now in Wales. He couldn’t commit in 2012 but even the prospect of an eight-hour journey home hasn’t kept him away this year. Ironically the travel time from south west Wales exceeds that of his previous base in Scotland. O’Connor is not complaining however. His year-long absence has helped him to realise how much playing for Clare means to him. Extensive journey times won’t keep him away. “Travelling from Scotland wasn’t too bad but Wales is tougher. I’m about two and a half hours away from the nearest airport. The flight is about an hour and a half and then there’s the travel down from Dublin. There are no flights to Shannon from …

WHEN Clare travel to Dr Cullen Park in Carlow on Sunday, March 24, Mick O’Dwyer will find one of his former players in the home dugout. Former Kildare footballer Anthony Rainbow is in his first year as Carlow manager. He played under the now Clare manager, when O’Dwyer managed Kildare for two spells in the 1990’s and in the early part of the last decade. Kildare reached the 1998 All-Ireland final, where they lost to Galway. “Micko’s greatest attribute is his man management skills in relation to getting the best out of players. He’s done that everywhere he’s been,” Rainbow told The Clare Champion this week. “I’d like to think I learned a few things from Micko in my playing days. He always has something up his sleeve. He’s a fantastic manager and has done so well with so many different counties. He transformed football in Wicklow, Laois and in Kildare and with what he did with Kerry in the …