Sports

A YOUNG team of Clare athletes pitted themselves against the best in the country at the Woodies DIY National League Final in Tullamore last weekend. The Clare athletes competed against representatives from Donore Harriers, Ríocht, Bandon, Kilkenny City Harriers, SLOTAC, Slí Chulainn and Sligo.Fergal Conlon, Tulla AC, showed true guile and class when finishing second in the 3,000m walk in 16.16 to get Clare off to a fantastic start. Cormac Lynch, Marian AC, enhanced his growing reputation when finishing third in the 100m in a time of 11:14 and he had a fourth-place finish in the 200m in 22:80.William Flynn, Shannon AC, demonstrated his great talent by finishing second in the 400m in 51:82 and fifth in the 400m hurdles in 59:79. Micheál Keane, Ennis Track, battled all the way in the 800m to finish fifth in 2.02:98.Brian McGinley rounded off a superb individual season by finishing fourth in the 1,500m in 4.11:87 with Fergal Smithwick, Marian AC, running a …

CUSHLA Murphy Hehir won all three races in the masters O-55 at the Athletics Association of Ireland Masters Track and Field Championships in Tullamore last weekend.Her first gold medal came in the 200m with a fine run in 35:37. She followed that an hour later in the 800m, winning with a time of 2.53:73 and another Clare athlete, Carmel McDomhnaill, from Tulla and West Limerick AC, finished third.Cushla’s final race was the 400m and, once again, she won gold in 78:28.Marian Burke, St Mary’s, competing in the O-40s 1,500m over three and half laps, was always in control and came away with the gold medal with a time of 5.44:11.In the masters ladies’ O-45 1,500m, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare athlete Michelle O’Mahoney recorded a great win in 5.24:65 and later on that afternoon, in the O-45 masters 3,000m, she came away with a bronze medal in 11.28:61.In the masters men’s section, David Courtney captured a bronze medal in the O-45 javelin …

Three Clare-owned greyhounds dogs have qualified for the finals of the Ocean Crash Stakes at the Limerick Greyhound Racing Stadium this weekend.Portdrine Bobby, owned by Liam Carroll, Cratloe is through to the final of the Ocean Crash A3 525 final after winning his semi-final heat last Saturday night. The black son of Hades Rocket- Jumeirah Jess was smartly away from trap four to take the lead early on and stay in front for the rest of the trip. He survived the late challenge by the trap one runner, Renagown Lass, to win by a length and a half. His clock was 29.37.The Kilmallock owned Soviet Blue (Droopys Vieri-Soviet Cheyenne) won the other semi-final heat by a head from Alisons Star in a fast 28.79, the best clock of the night.Trap draw for Saturday night’s final: 1. Renagowan Lass; 2. Golden Ring; 3. Portdrine Bobby; 4. Stoney Rebel; 5. Soviet Blue; 6. Alisons Star.Through to the final of the Ocean Crash …

Clare and Gort owners dominated the eight race card in the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium on Saturday night, coming away with seven wins between them.The highlight of the big strike rate was the Killaloe-owned Sailing marking his hundredth outing with a great win in the final race of the night. Coming from the kennels of Michael Downes, trainer, the son of Droopys Kewell-Barntick Sally was in good company in the A1-graded 550 yards race for which reserve runner, Orbsen Causeway in trap five was sent off ther 5/4 favourite. As the race got underway, it was another reserve runner, Glensaul Star in trap two who set the pace, leading over the first two bends followed by Sailing. As they made their way down the back, Sailing switched inside to make more headway and take the lead at the second last bend. The outcome of the race was more or less settled at this stage with the great Killalloe-owned black sailing …

THERE was a big turnout for the president’s (Michael Vaughan) prize at Ennis at the weekend when the winner was Peter Daly with 42 points. He had three to spare over Michael Carmody with Michael Barry, also on 39 points, in third spot. They were followed by Martin O’Neill, Richard O’Connell and Gerry Gilligan, all with 38 points. The gross was won by Jarlath O’Halloran with 32 points from Noel Pyne on 29 points. Michael Connolly won the past president’s prize with 30 points, while the category winners were Colum Devine with 36 points, Patrick Whelan with 36 points and Matt Flynn with 35 points. Donal Vaughan won the guest’s prize.In the ladies’ section, the winner was Imelda Colleran with 35 points from Pamela Murphy with 34 points, Kathleen Frehill with 33 points, Claire Kenneally with 32 points and Mary Walshe with 32 points. Sarah Cunningham won the gross, while the nines were won by Cora Kerins with 20 points …

Dublin 4-14   Clare 2-17   THERE will be much debate for some time to come over two refereeing decisions in the final moments of Sunday’s All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship semi-final but the reality is that Clare should have been sufficiently ahead at the time so those decisions shouldn’t have had any bearing on the outcome. Opinions are divided as to whether or not Bobby Duggan’s effort from a 50m free on the sideline went between the uprights in the 60th minute but many argue that Jamie Shanahan should have been awarded a free seconds later when he won possession from the puck-out. The referee saw it differently and penalised the Sixmilebridge man and the winning goal came following the resultant free, a minute into injury time. A two-point lead at half-time wasn’t an accurate reflection of Clare’s dominance in the opening half of the game. They had led by six after 15 minutes but some slack defending proved costly and …

OUTGOING Clare senior football manager Micheál McDermott has confirmed to The Clare Champion that he will not be seeking to retain his position for a fourth year.

Clare 1-11   Meath 1-10 CLARE advanced to the quarter-finals of the TG4 Ladies’ Senior Football Championship for only the second time in their history thanks to a late point from Naomi Carroll in Birr last Saturday.