Sports

National League Division 1 Group B Round 1 Antrim 1-21 Clare 0-22 A SOBERING start to the new season for Clare as hosts Antrim grittily dug out a rousing home victory in what was their first top flight league tie since 2008. Eoin Brennan reports. With a strong gale dictating matters, Clare started brightly with its aid to ease 0-9 to 0-3 clear by the 15th minute, four from Tony Kelly. However, Antrim incrementally grew in confidence as the half developed and would wipe out the visitors’ lead in the 29th minute when a teasing ball over the top found chief marksman Ciaran Clarke to race through and finish to the net at 0-12 to 1-09. Clare did restore a two point cushion by the break but with the elements to come, a buoyant Antrim quickly snatched the whip hand to inch ahead for the first time by the 46th minute through Keith Molloy. In a blow-for-blow second period, the …

Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group B Round 1 Antrim v Clare at Corrigan Park Belfast, Sunday 1pm (Liam Gordon, Galway) Already established as the secondary inter-county competition, this year’s Allianz Hurling League takes a even more diminishing backseat in light of the truncated season on offer over the next 14 weeks. Instead, finding your feet, form, formation and force take precedence over results in a bid to peak for championship at the end of June. Five matches in six weeks provide a far more beneficial lead-in to championship than in 2020 when an eight month absence from competitive action left counties scrambling to gain crumbs from an often misleading challenge match circuit once returning from the club championships. Without scope to conclude with any business end, this year’s Division 1 is a league in its purest sense as the top team from each group are crowned joint-winners unless they subsequently clash in the championship. Similar to Clare and Limerick’s …

CONTROLLING the controllables. Never has the phrase held such resonance as with inter-county hurling action set to resume this weekend after a five month absence, the already all-encompassing role of manager takes on a whole new magnified level of responsibility. Pre-Covid, the preparation, picking and peaking of an inter-county team was more than enough of an arduous task in itself. However, with the addition of no collective training permitted until a fortnight ago and meticulous regulations surrounding travel and match-day protocols, 2021 has elevated logistics to unprecedentedly lofty heights. The only solace is that essentially every county is in the same boat and it’s that level playing field effect that makes the impending National League all the more anticipatory for Clare Manager Brian Lohan and his squad amidst their five match schedule over the next six weekends. “I suppose like everyone else in the country, we’re just delighted to get back on the field and we’re really looking forward to …

After getting a taste of championship action in 2020, Colin Guilfoyle’s appetite has been sharpened over the prolonged close season. He spoke with Eoin Brennan ahead of Clare’s league opener. Having been on the panel since 2018, Colin Guilfoyle’s impactful cameos in the Munster and National Leagues never materialised into championship minutes until last winter when starting berths against Laois and Wexford coincided with successive qualifier victories. Even the disappointment of missing out on the All-Ireland Quarter-Final against Waterford has been used as motivational leverage for the towering Newmarket-on-Fergus forward to hopefully redress the balance when the sides lock horns once more in the Munster Championship opener at the end of June. “Time flies really. I’m going into my fourth year on the panel now and it’s mad when you think about it. Even to get the call up in the first place was a bit of a shock but I suppose every player develops differently and you just have …

THE Clare GAA €4.8 million Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan has been the subject of intense scrutiny and discussion over the last few months, in response to which clubs were invited to visit the facility for themselves last weekend before making any submissions to the new strategic group focusing on the future of Clare GAA. The Clare Champion understands that 13 clubs sent representatives on the day to view the facility, just less than a quarter of all clubs in the county. Here Derrick Lynch guides you through gallery of photographs from inside the gates of Caherlohan. GYM: It is accepted by the majority of stakeholders that the gym at the facility is in need of an upgrade, but this also could be put down to the growth and development in S&C trends since the doors were first opened in 2015. The motto of “First In, Last Out” adorns the walls along with a reminder from both the Clare senior …

This week saw the return of underage players across every discipline return to training after the latest easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Among them were the young stars in West Clare who are keeping the tradition of hurling and camogie alive in the heartland of football country. With stalwarts like Mick O’Neill and Paddy McDonnell having been central to the revival of the small ball game in the seaside town of Kilkee, the Kilkee-Bealaha hurling and camogie club has grown from strength to strength over the last number of years. Tina Roche is another of those who is a key member of the club and she outlined that the development in recent times has been great to see. “We have been hurling for six years at underage level and we are now into our fourth year of underage camogie. We started with the hurling to test the appetite, and the girls were allowed play with the boys up to U-12. After …

The chairperson of the group tasked with working toward a plan to address the issues at Clare GAA’s Centre of Excellent has outlined the three main priorities to begin that process. The much maligned €4.8 million venue at Caherlohan has been the subject of intense scrutiny and discussion over the last few months, with clubs being invited to visit the facility for themselves last weekend before making any submissions to the new strategic group for the future of Clare GAA. The Clare Champion understands that 13 clubs sent representatives on the day to view the facility, just less than a quarter of all clubs in the county. Issues have been raised in relation to the condition of the pitches at the venue, with the Clare senior hurlers opting to train at the county grounds in Cusack Park or at club pitches in Meelick, Wolfe Tones and Tubber last year. The Clare senior footballers continue to train on their pitch at …

SPORT Ireland has announced €347,216 for sports in Clare as part of a €40 million investment in National Governing Bodies for Sport (NGBs), High Performance athlete support and the network of Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) for 2021. This includes funding of €9.5 million for the network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland, representing an increase of 15% on 2020 funding. This increase in investment provides an opportunity for Sport Ireland to support a locally led, safe return to sport and to further build the capacity of LSPs, increasing their reach and impact across Ireland. Welcoming the investment in Clare Sport, Inagh Senator Róisín Garvey said, “The pandemic has highlighted how important sport is in supporting our physical, mental, emotional and social health and providing us all with enjoyment and it is good news to see this funding coming to Clare” This funding will work alongside the Covid-19 Grant Scheme announced in December 2020. Under Covid-19 restrictions, many sports at …