Sports

The line up for this year’s Clare Cup final will be completed this weekend. Clare Cup Semi-Final: Inagh/Kilnamona v Sixmilebridge (Saturday in Tulla at 4pm) Two of the powerhouses of Clare hurling face off this weekend to try and secure their place in the Clare Cup final. The sides met each other in Round 1 of the competition and Inagh-Kilnamona were victorious. Much water has passed under the bridge since then and indeed Sixmilebridge have gained ground on their rivals since the first week, with both sides finishing with the exact same amount of points, wins, losses and draws. It promises to be a very tight encounter, with both sides welcoming back returning county players and holidaying players, as the championship fast approaches and the intensity is likely to be more akin to championship pace. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Inagh-Kilnamona manager Fergal Hegarty believes that clubs are hitting their peak after the group stage of the Clare Cup. “The …

The line-up for this year’s Clare Cup final will be completed this weekend with both last four ties down for decision. Clare Cup Semi-Final: Kilmaley v Broadford (Saturday at 2pm in Newmarket) Kilmaley and Broadford go head to head this weekend for a place in the 2019 Clare Cup Final with both sides enjoying a strong run of form coming into the game. Kilmaley finished top of Division 1A to seal their place in the last four with John Carmody’s charges losing just one of their nine group stage games. That reversal came in their second round tie against Clonlara, meaning Kilmaley are now seven games undefeated ahead of their showdown with the south-east Clare men. Manager John Carmody is happy with how his squad are progressing so far in 2019. “We are pleased with the league campaign and finishing top of Division 1A showed a level of consistency and we have the benefit now of a bonus game as …

Cusack Cup Final: St Joseph’s Miltown v Clondegad (Sunday at 4pm in Cooraclare) In many ways, it is no great surprise to see Miltown and Clondegad make up the final pairing for this year’s Cusack Cup. The fact that it is the first time since 2010 that Kilmurry Ibrickane are not there is notable but we have known with a few weeks that the Bricks will be releasing their grip on the trophy after an incredible run of eight successive titles. As county champions, Miltown were always on the shortlist to contest for silverware again this year and at the first time of asking they are now well in contention. David O’Brien’s charges finished top of the standings by virtue of their superior scoring difference which saw them straight through to the final. Ironically, it was the two teams that finished directly below them that were responsible for both their defeats as they lost out to Ennistymon and Clondegad in …

Clare’s Minor hurlers have one last stand to make this Saturday if a Banner hurling team is to play in Croke Park in 2019 and it will not be an easy one. At 3pm in Portlaoise, Fergal Lynch’s side will face off against Galway, one of the most highly-regarded teams in the country. They must beat Galway but they must do so by five points or more, due to scoring difference, or they will exit the championship. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Lynch said his squad are fired up and ready to go and don’t perceive this task as tough as some might think. “We gave the lads about six days off after the Kilkenny game, as they had been going constantly since October and I suppose it was to mentally relax them more than anything. Thankfully, they came back last Friday and they were mad for road. We are really looking forward to the battle and we know it …

Clare’s senior camogie team round off their All-Ireland campaign this weekend with nothing but pride left to play for when they take on Dublin. Defeat last weekend to Waterford meant that for the fifth successive season, Clare cannot advance beyond the group stages of the championship, and the fact that their hosts are also out of the reckoning makes the game a dead rubber. It is a nightmare scenario for a championship fixture with both teams coming into it knowing that in the context of their overall season, the result means nothing in the final standings. Both teams will want to end their season on a high, but it will be difficult to raise a gallop for it. It will also be difficult for Clare to look back on another season which has seen very little progress in terms of results while the performances have also left a lot to be desired. A 12 point tally against both Waterford and …

Coming up on this week’s podcast: Derrick Lynch, Peter O’Connell & Eoghan Moloney discuss a range of topics!

Munster U20 Hurling Championship Semi-Final: Cork 0-24 Clare 0-15 A dominant second half performance saw Cork advance to the Munster U20 Hurling Final at the expense of Clare after a nine point win on Wednesday evening. A strong finish to the opening period saw Cork go in 0-12 to 0-8 ahead at the break after they fired over the last three points of the half. It could have been even worse for the Banner heading for the dressing rooms as Evan Sheehan broke inside the cover but flashed his shot across Eamonn Foudy’s goal. Advantage was being played and Craig Hanifin knocked over the free, while impressive points from Sean Twomey and danger man Brian Turnbull finished the first-half scoring. The game started at lightening pace with six points shared evenly between the sides in the opening five minutes. It took just 20 seconds for Clare to open their account as Mark Rodgers lashed over from the left touchline. Cork …

On this week’s podcast: We look back on a brilliant Irish Open at Lahinch, review Clare’s narrow loss to Meath & plenty more too!