Sports

Munster Hurling League Clare 1-19 Limerick 1-27 LIMERICK booked their place in the Munster Hurling League final with an eight-point victory over Clare in Sixmilebridge this afternoon. A late Aron Shanagher goal did little to claw back Limerick, and the Treaty county coasted to success in the closing minutes. Limerick flew out of the traps and raced into a 0-9 to 0-1 lead after 16 minutes, thanks mostly to David Reidy of Athlacca and Adrian Breen. Breen was a particular nuisance to Clare’s full-back line in the first quarter. Reidy finished with a monster total of 1-12, being substituted after an hour of play. When Clare did settle, they outscored Limerick 0-8 to 0-4 from the 17th minute until half-time. It was Niall Deasy who did most of Clare’s damage, landing some monster frees to keep the Banner within touching distance. Diarmuid Ryan also landed two points within 30 seconds of each other when he benefitted from a poor Barry …

Derrick Lynch McGrath Cup: Clare 3-14 Waterford 3-7 The 359 hardy souls who filed through the gates of Hennessey Park were treated to a game that had all the hallmarks of the dead rubber that it was. Clare were full value for the win after owning the second period but it was little more than a glorified challenge game with little or no intensity throughout. That was summed in the manner in which Clare conceded two goals in as many minutes midway through the opening half as Waterford punished sloppy turnovers from the home side. It saw Benji Whelan’s side stretch 2-3 to 0-2 ahead after 22 minutes and there were few could argue that it was a lead they did not deserve. The first shot back in anger did arrive with 10 minutes to go to the break, as Cian O’Dea followed up his Oscar Traynor heroics with another goal. It came at the end of a well-worked move …

Liam O’Connor U-20 Development Football League: Clare 2-17 Limerick 0-7 With the start of the Munster championship just weeks away, Clare needed to hit 2020 running and they did that in style with a comprehensive win over their provincial rivals. The margin of the victory was deserved and could have been even greater if Clare had converted two gilt edged goal chances in the second period. It mattered little in the end here but when the dress rehearsals are over, every opportunity needs to be taken. Clare were dominant after the restart, but Limerick will rue three frees that went awry when the game was still in the balance. After the opening period, it looked as if a real battle was on the cards with the home side in Clarecastle holding the lead by 0-8 to 0-6 after weathering a Limerick fightback. As the break approached, Clare were 0-7 to 0-3 in front but a trio unanswered from the Shannonsiders …

CLARE and Limerick will do battle this weekend in the Munster Hurling League, and the Shannonsiders have a very short hop across the border to Sixmilebridge in order to renew one of the biggest rivalries in GAA. While teams will be far from their peak in early January, there will be plenty of bite in this fixture as Clare will look to put the last meeting of the sides, which Limerick won by 18 points, behind them. Colin Ryan has experienced the white heat of the Clare-Limerick rivalry on many occasions and the Newmarket-on-Fergus man says players will be fired up regardless of the competition. “Brian [Lohan] will be aware that Clare have won two Munster leagues recently but that he is going to be judged on championship, no matter what. “Limerick – and all the publicity they have received recently – will want to go out there and win it. It’s early doors and both teams will be trying …

Sunday’s showdown with Limerick in Rathkeale marked a return to the Clare jersey for a number of players who had missed out on last year’s championship campaign, including Keelan Sexton. The Kilmurry Ibrickane man played a vital role in Clare’s last day heroics in the National League campaign as his late goal against Tipperary in Thurles helped maintain the Banner’s status in Division Two. It would be his last act of the 2019 season, as he headed stateside for the summer meaning he missed out on Clare’s run which took them to the brink of the Super Eights. His impact was immediate as he notched a brace of goals in their opening round defeat but feels the result was secondary to main goal of blowing off the cobwebs. “You want to go out and win every game you play and the McGrath Cup is no different. It was a first outing for the team this year and we had a …

Eoghan Moloney Clare know that a share of the spoils with Limerick Desmond in Askeaton this Saturday evening will be enough to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition. This is Clare’s third and final group game having lost 2-1 to Limerick District on Halloween night and beaten Kerry 2-1 in Frank Healy Park in December. Manager Shane Keegan has said his side will be gunning for all three points as if Clare get the win, they will top the group and secure a home draw from the quarter-finals. “If we lose, we’re out. If we draw, we’re through, and if we win, we top the group and have a home quarter-final draw. It’s really that simple, literally anything can happen. We knew from the start of the group that it could go in any direction and I said to the lads at training that we could top the group or come last. The fear after the first game was, …

Derrick Lynch reflects on ten years of sporting success for Clare at both county and club level. As the decade draws to close, it is worth remembering just how much sporting success came to Clare over the last ten years. The highlight was undoubtedly that unforgettable night under the lights in Croke Park when Pat Donnellan lifted Liam McCarthy amid a sea of gold streamers as Avicci’s ‘Wake Me Up’ blared across Jones Road. The scenes in the Fairgreen for the homecoming will live long in the memory too when Davy Fitzgerald told the recession to “go to hell”. It is incredible to think that from 2010 to 2016, there was only one year where inter-county hurling silverware did not materialise for Clare. 2010 and 2011 brought Munster minor hurling glory, with 2012, 2013 and 2014 copper-fastening the Banner’s standing as the kingpins of the U-21 grade. 2015 would prove a barren year before Tony Kelly’s dramatic late double saw …

After Derrick Lynch outlined his selections last week, Eoghan Moloney gives his opinion on the best and worst sporting moments as the year and decade draws to a close. Sports person of the decade I had many a back and forth about this. I asked Clare people, non-Clare people, anyone that would listen, their opinion on this one. And not many will agree with my answer. This man isn’t famous for his exploits in Cusack Park. While he is from the same parish as Clare’s captain, Patrick O’Connor, he has no real affiliation to the two most popular sports in Clare. My third and second are Gary Brennan and Tony Kelly. And when you list their exploits, you could make a case for either, but the reason this man is number one is because the majority of human beings wouldn’t last a New York minute in his shoes. My Clare Sports Person of the Decade is Derek O’Connor. JP McManus …