Sports

THERE was little time for rest for Clare boxers over the Christmas and it was business as usual with tournaments and championships pending for Ennis and Kilfenora clubs.

The Clooney-Quin U-14 handball tournament was held last Saturday and Sunday, consisting of an A and B division as well as a girls’ section and involved 48 of the top handball players from Clarecastle, Broadford, Newmarket, O’Callaghan’s Mills, Tuamgraney, Tulla and Shannon clubs, as well as host club Clooney-Quin.

SHANNON Club captains for 2012, Lynn Kelly and Aidan Mannix drove in to office last week watched by a bit turnout of members.

THE Munster Senior, Junior and Masters Men’s and Ladies’ indoor Championships were held at Nenagh Indoor Arena at the weekend and Clare athletes gave outstanding performances, taking home 16 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze medals. Marian AC won the Munster Junior 4 x 200m relay.

Racing resumed after the Christmas break at the Galway and Limerick Greyhound racing stadiums last weekend and the honour of having the first winners of the new year fell to Paddy Kennedy of Shrule and Declan Silles, Ardfert.

Jimmy ‘Pudden’ Cullinan was a star hurler for Newmarket-on-Fergus and Clare during the 1960s and ’70s and the horse named in his honour, Puddencullinan, was one of four winners for champion jockey, Derek O’Connor at last Sunday’s Muskerry Foxhounds point-to-point meeting at Aughabullogue, County Cork.

The excellent all-weather pitch at the University of Limerick was the venue on Monday for a challenge game between Clare senior hurlers and NUI, Galway. In a game played over four periods of 20 minutes, Clare emerged convincing winners  4-22 to 0-12.After the first two periods, Clare introduced a complete new team and they dominated the third quarter, outscoring their opponents on a 1-9 to 0-0 scoreline, which played a big part in the comprehensive winning margin. In all, Clare used 31 players in Monday’s outing.On a bitterly cold afternoon, the opening minutes were played in heavy rain and this was a contributory factor in the low scoring first period, at the end of which Clare led 0-5 to 0-4.A goal from Aaron Cunningham saw Clare open a five point margin by the halfway mark when the score was 1-9 to 0-7.Patrick O’Connor goaled in the third quarter when Clare had the assistance of the wind and at the end …