Sports

Clare winners were not as plentiful  at the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium  last weekend, with just four successes from two meetings.Pat Hogan from Templemaley near Ennis  was on the ball on Saturday night, with his Aulton Ron winning one of the A1-graded races on the card. The Seamus Fahy-trained Bit View Kenny in trap two was sent off the even-money favourite for the 525 yards race but he got off to a bad start and  never showed. However, Auton Ron  had a lively break from trap four to lead at the opening bend and the son of Droopys Scolari-Loclar Cia remained on as the pace setter for the rest of the trip to win impressively by close on five lengths  in a fast 28.93, from Cumann Knievel. Three parts of a length back for third spot was Tiermana Star, owned by Noel Moroney, Mullagh.The last race on the card, an A2-graded 550, went to Gort owner-trainer Philip Mullaney. The son …

A Clare juvenile handball medal presentation will take place this Saturday at 7pm in the Shebeen, Doora. ResultsB singles finals.U-12B singles: Michael Hynes (Tuamgraney) beat Stephen Hayes (Tuamgraney).U-12B plate: Oisín Egan, (Clooney) defeated Cillian Enright (Clooney).U-13 singles: Cian Keogh, (Clooney) defeated John Kearney (Shannon). U-14B singles: Sean Perril (Tuamgraney) defeated Ciaran Hickey (Tuamgraney).U-14 plate: Sean McInerney (O’Callaghan’s Mills) defeated Michael Cotter (O’Callaghan’s Mills).U-15B singles: David Sheedy defeated Sean Phelan.U-15B singles plate: Michael Culligan defeated Evan Wiley.U-16B singles: Willie Fitzgerald (Tuamgraney) defeated Cian Crimmins (Clarecastle).U-16B plate: Sean Doyle (Broadford) defeated Eanna Barry, (Clooney).U-17B singles: Colin Haugh (Clooney) defeated Michael Barrett (Tuamgraney).U-17B singles plate: Joseph Vaughan (Tulla) defeated Ruairi Nash (Clooney).Doubles finalsU-12 final: JP O’Shea, Lee Devitt, (Shannon) defeated Oisín Egan and Ulick O’Sullivan.U-12 plate: Conor Shanagfher and  Stephen Donnellan (Shannon)  defeated Cillian Enright and Paul Hogan.U-13 final: Cathal Doyle and Oran Treacy (Tuamgraney) defeated Oisín Slattery and Cillian Downes (Tuamgraney).U-14 final: Ben McLoughlin and James Downing (O’Callaghan’s Mills) beat Brendan Dolan …

WHEN Cratloe’s five county U-21 panellists talk among themselves, the verbal digs fly as freely as a speeding sliotar on hard ground. Yet, when they pull a jersey over their heads, be it for club or county, they back each other until they have expended their last drop. Perhaps that’s what allows them to liberally trade barbed comments; they know that when they really need somebody at their back, at least one of the other four will be there.Cathal McInerney, Conor McGrath and Conor Ryan will, barring a draw, play their last U-21 hurling game for Clare on Saturday evening, while Podge Collins and Enda Boyce are underage again in 2013. Maybe the thought of spending yet another year in Podge’s company is why ‘Boycey’ got his retaliation in first.“I’d say Podge,” the LIT renewable energy student replies when asked which of his four clubmates he tries to avoid. “He never stops talking,” he laughs, looking around to make sure …

Kilkenny and Clare are the two best teams in U-21 hurling at this time and their meeting in Saturday’s All-Ireland final should be a thrilling contest.Opinions are divided as to which team will carry the favourites’ tag with Kilkenny just about getting the nod, following their impressive and comprehensive win over holders and competition favourites, Galway, in the semi-final.The Noresiders have, on paper at least, had a more difficult route to the final, whereas Clare, apart from the Munster final, have had an easy passage to the decider.Given that Clare and Waterford had produced some excellent games at minor level in the past three years, the meeting of these teams in the provincial U-21 semi-final was expected to produce an exciting game.It didn’t materialise, as Clare scored a runaway victory to go through to play Tipperary. In front of a big home following, they had to rely on a last-minute goal from substitute Niall Arthur to claim only their second …

  Lissycasey  2-9 Liscannor  1-5 In winning the Garry Cup title (Division 2 football league) for the second time, Lissycasey bridged a seven-year gap at sun-splashed Cooraclare on Saturday evening. The club last won the title in 2005. Already assured of Division 1 (Cusack Cup) football next season, both sides went into Saturday evening’s game chasing impressive performances ahead of important fixtures this coming week. Lissycasey battle for their senior status this Sunday when they face St Senan’s Kilkee while, on Wednesday next, Liscannor will take on Cratloe for a place in the last eight of the senior championship.Lissycasey were dealt an early blow when they lost Alan Nagle to injury after only six minutes. He was replaced by the experienced Cathal Hill, who went on to deliver another impressive performance.Six minutes had elapsed before the opening score, which came from Lissycasey’s David Considine. The same player quickly added a like score from a free. Lissycasey should have extended their …

The rules of the Clare Schoolboys Soccer League are not being applied equally across the board, according to the league secretary, Ciarán O’Dea.The league official made his comments this week after his club, West Clare United, were omitted from the draw for the U-12 Cup semi-finals, despite having won their way to the last four of the competition.The decision to omit West Clare United was made following a claim that the club has failed to pay two fines.“I have requested that an appeal be heard by the committee of the CSSL. I haven’t received an answer. I will be considering my position after the next CSSL meeting and the decision of that meeting in relation to this issue,” Mr O’Dea told The Clare Champion.According to Clare Schoolboys League chairman, Tommy Molloy “appeals can only be dealt with by the SFAI”. He went on to say that a committee meeting is scheduled for next Monday night.“As a result of what I …

ST JOSEPH’S Doora-Barefield and former All-Ireland-winning Kerry goalkeeper Declan O’Keeffe has told The Clare Champion that revamping Clare football’s underage player development structures should take precedence over everything else, as far as football in the county is concerned.  He says promising young players should be micro-managed between the ages of 15 and 20 in order to properly prepare them for the challenges of playing adult football at county level. This would involve a former county player or a strength and conditioning expert keeping in regular touch with a small group of promising footballers and ensuring they are undergoing the strength and conditioning work, as well as living the lifestyle necessary to play inter-county football. “We need to get in at U-14 and U-15 level and work on developing a winning attitude,” he said, before elaborating on how the micro-management system would work. “Young players must be put on the right programme. A lot of these programmes are dynamic stretching programmes, …

Kilmurry-Ibrickane 3-7 Burren Gaels 1-7Kilmurry-Ibrickane claimed the Bob Flanagan Memorial Cup at Kilmihil on Tuesday evening when they were crowned Armada Hotel Junior A champions, just 48 hours after overcoming Kilrush in the semi-final at the same venue.The winners went about their business in determined fashion. They won the throw-in, quickly released the ball to the full-forward line, where Loretta Hanrahan and Chloe Moloney combined for the latter to kick the opening score, a point within seconds of the start. Young Moloney rattled the net in the third minute after a surging run.  Just a few minutes later she fielded well and off-loaded to the impressive Ciara McCarthy, who scored Kilmurry’s second goal. With only seven minutes played, they had laid down a marker, were seven points ahead and in total control, as they owned the ball.  It was all so different to when the sides met in the Division 3 league final last June in Ennistymon, where the North …