Sports

No definitive date has been agreed for the commencement of the Clare U-21 football club championships. A special meeting was held last week with the clubs involved and the majority voiced their opposition to starting the championship this weekend, which was the provisional date start date set out in the 2019 Master Fixtures. This led to a county board meeting being called in order to vote on changing the Master Fixtures and all bar one of the votes on the evening were in favour of deferring the start date to the first available date. Meanwhile the draws were made last Monday evening for this year’s U-21 football championship. The only preliminary round tie in the U-21A championship sees Ennistymon taking on Kilmurry Ibrickane with the winners going on to face Kilrush/Killimer in the quarter-finals. The other three quarter-final ties are St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield v St Breckan’s, Eire Óg v Cooraclare and Naomh Eoin/O’Curry’s/Kilkee going up against Kilmihil/Shannon Gaels. The U-21B …

Another edition of the Champion Sports Chat podcast with a busy schedule to get through. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/654785891?secret_token=s-4kkZR” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Cusack Cup Final: St Joseph’s Miltown 1-4 Clondegad 0-6 There are a few clichés that could sum up this game. A game of two halves, not exactly one for the purists, and a tale of goals winning matches could all come close to summing it up. In reality, it was all about the side that made the most of their scoring chances and in that respect Miltown were full value for their narrow win. On a day when torrential rain swept across the field for the majority of the contest, it meant handling conditions were far from ideal and scoring chances were at a premium. It also meant that the side who kept their goals intact would take a big step toward victory, and two brilliant stops by Miltown net-minder Sean O’Brien were match winning moments in this contest. County team-mates Gary Brennan and Gordon Kelly had a brilliant battle right throughout the game while Cillian Brennan was tasked with …

THIS week hurling has been recognised by the State as one of the key elements of Ireland’s Living Cultural Heritage. The move comes after the sport was inscribed recently on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This was largely down to the work by a team spearheaded by two Clare men, Daniel McCarthy and Dr Padraic Quinn. Mr McCarthy, from Lissycasey, was the manager of the GAA’s Heritage Framework Policy which identified the merits of seeking UNESCO designation for hurling, and he worked alongside Sixmilebridge man and Clare GAA team doctor, Dr Padraic Quinn. Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market & Data Protection Pat Breen said, “Today the sport has been included in the list of Ireland’s Living Cultural Heritage along with Winterage in the Burren, Clare’s Holy Wells and Irish Traditional Music. This official recognition will serve to protect and promote these practice for generations to come.” “None of this …

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 …