Sports

  Kilmihil  3-12 Kilmurry-Ibrickane  1-5 ALTHOUGH the first half was competitive, Kilmihil established complete control thereafter and easily secured their place in the 2012 intermediate county football final. A return of 2-5 from Paul Reidy was pivotal to Kilmihil’s win against a Kilmurry team that didn’t pose any serious attacking threat. Reidy’s seventh-minute goal, set up by a Martin O’Leary pass, helped Kilmihil into a 1-3 to 0-3 half-time lead. That goal put the winners 1-2 to 0-0 up as Reidy from a free and O’Leary had already pointed. As comprehensive as Kilmihil’s 13-point winning margin was, they will not reflect kindly on kicking just a single point in the remaining 23 minutes after Reidy’s first goal. Timmy Ryan scored it, two minutes before half-time. In the interim, John McNamara from a free, Mark Moloney following a quick Odran O’Dwyer 45’ and Seamus Lynch scored for Kilmurry. Kilmihil kicked seven first-half wides and also missed some scoreable frees with O’Leary …

  O’Curry’s  0-14 Kilfenora  0-7 RELEGATED in 2010, O’Curry’s are now just one hour shy of regaining senior club status. While the teams were level (0-6 each) at half-time in Saturday’s intermediate semi-final in Doonbeg, O’Curry’s completely dominated the second half, outscoring Kilfenora 0-8 to 0-1. A glance at their scoring return reveals eight O’Curry’s men scored from play, although they also managed to kick 16 wides. Another area of concern for the winners, who play Kilmihil in the final, was their spurning of some scoreable frees that Ger Quinlan, Eoin Troy and Jack Scanlan will have to convert if presented with similar chances in their next game. On the plus side, several of their younger player excelled with Scanlan especially impressive at full-forward, where his mobility and varied runs befuddled the Kilfenora full-back line. Tom Downes and Eoin Brew also played well, which suggests O’Curry’s have plenty of quality players coming through. A feature of the first half was …

  Smith O’Brien’s  2-12 Whitegate  1-11 after extra time WHITEGATE will compete in the Intermediate Championship in 2013 following their loss to neighbours Smith O’Brien’s in this relegation play-off at Bodyke on Saturday evening. Smith O’Brien’s were underdogs and at the full-time whistle approached, it looked as if this view would be proven correct.With the game in the 60th minute Whitegate held a one-goal lead, 1-9 to 0-9 when Keith Stritch took a pass from Anthony O’Sullivan and fired to the net to level the game.Both sides had expressed a wish that extra time be played if required and at the end of the extra period, the Killaloe side were four points clear and had their senior status secure for the coming season.Whitegate played with the aid of the breeze in the opening half and at the break had a goal to spare, 1-6 to 0-6. The goal came just before the half-time whistle when Patrick Burke scored following a …

Miltown will have the honour of hosting the 30th Clare Senior Ladies Championship final on Sunday next between Banner Ladies, the holders, and Cooraclare takes place in Hennessy Memorial Park at 4pm. Cooraclare won their last of nine titles in 2007 when they defeated Miltown. This year, the Cooraclare/Cree girls are managed by Cooraclare men’s goalkeeper Declan Keane, Dan Sheedy and the vastly experienced Noel Lillis. Full-forward Eithne Morrissey, twice an All-Star, scored 2-2 and set up Anne Marie Callinan for their opening goal in Cooraclare’s semi-final win over West Clare Gaels. Mairéad Griffin is a seasoned campaigner in goals while Bernie Kelly has seen it all in the Cooraclare defence. Bernie, along with Anne Marie Callinan, has been a regular on the Clare county panel in recent years. Ellie O’Gorman from Kilmihil is assisting the Blues this year, as is Aideen Lineen. Last October, Ellie won the Munster skills competition. She is a minor, like Róisín Looney and Aoife …

Clarecastle and St Nicholas Parteen will contest the Junior B Championship final on Sunday. The game will be played in Miltown at 2pm as a curtain-raiser to the senior final.Both clubs are relative newcomers to ladies’ football. Clarecastle revived their club last year while Parteen took to the ladies’ football playing field for the first time ever.Just three clubs competed in the Junior B Championship but games were on a home-and-away basis, giving a minimum of four matches in the group stages.Clarecastle are unbeaten with double victories over both Parteen and Meelick and based on that and the fact that they contested the Division 3 league shield final, they will wear the favourite’s tag.Parteen lost their opening three matches but defeated Meelick in Round 4. This was the first time since their formation that they recorded a win. A play-off was then needed against Meelick for the right to play Clarecastle in Sunday’s final. Again, the Parteen ladies came out …

English raider Snow Queen landed her seventh Group 1 success of a glittering career when running out an impressive winner of last Saturday’s Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes at a sun-kissed Leopardstown.Trained by John Dunlop and ridden by Frankie Dettorri, Snow Queen (15-8) went into Saturday’s race in top form having made a successful comeback from injury at Deauville last month.As expected, Ballydoyle runner Daddy Long Legs took the six-runner field along at what was a very hot pace, so much so that the runners were stretched out in Indian file from an early stage.Heading towards the home turn, 13-8 favourite Nathaniel took over from the front-running Daddy Long Legs, with William Buick’s mount throwing down the gauntlet to his rivals in a catch-me-if-you-can manner.All the while, Dettori was stoking up Snow Queen for a run and, having poked her nose ahead of Nathaniel just inside the furlong pole, she surged clear to beat that rival by a length.St Nicholas …

Clooney-Quin 0-9 Inagh-Kilnamona 0-8In a tightly contested affair, which saw the sides level on a number of occasions, Clooney-Quin ran out winners by the minimum of margins in Clarecastle on Saturday evening in this Senior Camogie Championship game. Clooney-Quin, having won the toss, made the decision to play against the wind in the opening half. Inagh-Kilnamona led at the break 0-6 to 0-4, their scores having come from Helen Hehir, two from play and two from frees, while Fiona Lafferty, playing at centre-back, contributed two. Clooney-Quin were denied a goal just before half-time when Catherine O’Loughlin in the Inagh-Kilnamona goal made a great save. Clooney-Quin levelled matters in the second half and though the sides were level on a couple of occasions, it was Clooney-Quin who were in front by the minimum at the final whistle.Clooney-Quin: Sheelagh Daffy; Imelda Colleran, Aisling Hannon, Nicole O’Riordan; Jessica O’Neill, Orlaith Duggan, Jenny Costelloe; Christine Colleran, Claire Ryan; Marie Halpin, Deirdre Murphy, Siobhan Lee; …

Éire Óg 7-7 Ruan 3-5 A five-goal blitz from Eire Óg’s Shauna Keane ensured her team saw off the challenge of Ruan on a scoreline of 7-7 to 3-5 in the final round of the Junior Camogie championship on Friday evening at the Éire Óg grounds. Two Claire McMahon points opened the scoring for the home side followed by the first of Keane’s goals. Alice Casey’s point put the visitors on the scoreboard, with Tasha Hynes goaling in the next minute to leave a single point between the sides. Éire Óg stretched their lead with goals from Keane and Aoife Sheehan along with a pointed 45’ from McMahon following an outstanding save from Ruan’s Niamh Lyons. Ruan rallied and were rewarded with a Rebecca Crowe point and a pointed free from Casey. However, two goals and a point from the in-form Shauna Keane stretched her side’s lead. Ruan’s Brenda O’Donoghue had the last score of the half following an excellent …