Sports

THE Woodies DIY Athletics Association of Ireland Inter-Counties’ Cross Country Championships plus the juvenile even ages from U-12 to U-18 were held in Sligo Racecourse, where Clare athletes produced outstanding performances. Alex O’Neill (St Cronan’s) finished fifth in the girls’ U-12 2,000m and led Clare to gold medals.Aidan McCarthy (St Cronan’s) finished fifth in the boys’ U-12 2,000m with Clare taking the inter-county silver medals.Niamh Markham (Ennis Track) finished seventh in the girls’ U-18 5,000m and led Clare and Ennis Track to silver medals.Orla O’Mahoney, a former Marian athlete from Ennis and running in the Clare colours finish eighth overall in the senior ladies’ 8,000m. In the senior men’s 10,000m, Sean Hehir  (Kilkishen and Rathfarnham AC, Dublin) was outstanding in very heavy underfoot conditions and finished seventh overall for the second year in-a-row. Rory Chesser (Ennis Track) made the journey from London and finished 21st with Michael Shannon (Kilnaboy) producing a very gutsy performance to finish 25th followed by Dermot …

Dr Crokes 0-12   Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-9   FOR 40 minutes of their 15th Munster club game since 1967, Kilmurry Ibrickane played the best football they’ve produced in living memory. They showed scant respect for the Kerry champions in Páirc Dr Crócaig, kicked a succession of sublime points, defended with vigour and took the game to Dr Crokes. Everything was rosy in the Kilmurry garden until 13 minutes into the second half.It was then that Dr Croke’s centre-forward Daithí Casey, who had kicked three points, was issued with a second yellow card following a tangle with Stephen Moloney. The game looked up for Dr Crokes and Kilmurry’s huge following sensed their club was on the cusp of a stunning win.  At that stage, Kilmurry led 0-9 to 0-7, with Colm Cooper yet to score for Dr Crokes. Yet it was from that moment on, Kilmurry imploded and Dr Crokes upped their game, outscoring the Clare champions 0-5 to 0-0 in the …

ONE Crusheen family could pick up five Munster medals on Sunday.Half of the defence facing Na Piarsaigh will be made up of Dillon brothers, Cronan, Cathal and Cian, while another two brothers, Shaun and Briain, are also on the panel.At 34, Cronan is the eldest of the five and is at full-back now, having spent most of his career in the half-back line. Throughout a long career with the club he didn’t expect to reach a Munster final. On a personal level, he says it took him a while to get used to playing in the full-back line. “Times change and maybe I’m getting a bit slower. In fairness to Cian there aren’t many centre-backs as good as him around, so I ended up at full back. It’s a position I found hard to get used to at first, when you’re in the half-back line and the ball goes behind you don’t worry about it as much but now it’s …

IN the lead up to the provincial senior club hurling semi-finals two weeks ago, opinions were divided as to whether it would be Crusheen or Carrigtwohill who would come through to play hot favourites, Ballygunner. Few outside of Na Piarsaigh gave the Limerick side the nod to win their first game in the provincial championship. Ballygunner had all the makings of holding up their end of the prediction, as halfway through that game, they held a six-point advantage and pushed the lead to seven points in the second half.From then on it was a different story as Na Piarsaigh, inspired by teenager and current minor Shane Dowling, dictated matters to win by six. Forcing a rethink, many are now tipping the Limerick City outfit to bring home the Munster title on Sunday.There is much interest in the final as both teams are appearing at this stage of the championship for the first time. The Clare-Limerick rivalry is another reason why …

  JOHN and Regina O’Connell have been fighting almost every night lately. Thankfully, the Barefield husband and wife haven’t been brawling with each other. Instead, they have been religiously heading to Ennis Boxing Club in Chapel Lane, preparing for Friday’s Clare Conquest fight night in the Queen’s Hotel. John will fight Tony O’Dwyer in the night’s opening bout at 8.05pm, while his wife will take on Aisling O’Loughlin from Corofin later in the card, which will consist of 17 fights.“It was years ago. I was about 12, I’d say,” John replied, when asked if he’d ever boxed before. “I had no notion of going at the beginning but Regina and a couple of the lads went, so I decided I’d go as well. The craic has been mighty since. You meet some great friends,” he added.When John the ‘Mean Machine’ takes to the ring, he’ll have to manage without ‘Raging’ Regina’s moral or vocal support. She’ll have enough to do, …

CLARE intermediate camogie champions, Inagh take on London club, Tara in the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Club Championship final on Sunday. The game is scheduled for Ashbourne at 2.30pm. It will be history in the making for both sides as they contest an All-Ireland club final for the first time.Both sides have enjoyed a successful year. The London side bagged both the London senior league and championship titles. They overcame Ruairi Óg of Cushendall, Antrim 2-9 to 0-11 in the Ulster final and at home in the semi-final, saw off Myshal, Carlow, 2-6 to 0-6 on Saturday.The exiles have a strong panel from which to pick and captain Denise Gilligan, who leads the attack, will be a formidable opponent to mark. Gilligan bagged 1-6 against Myshall and 2-6 in the quarter-final.Inagh lost out on the league title in Clare in cruel fashion, when Truagh-Clonlara’s Michelle Caulfield goaled from a 45’ in the dying seconds of the game to snatch victory from …

ENNIS lady navigator Gráinne McEnery with Kerry driver Mike Quinn (Ford Escort) secured the 2011 Top Part West Coast Rally Championship by finishing second overall at the recent Banna Resort Kerry Mini Stages Rally.Gráinne, who works as service manager with O’Sullivan and Hansbury Motors in Ennis, is the first Clare competitor to win the championship since its inception in 1993.The championship is run over six rounds, starting with the Birr and District Motor Club Stages Rally, followed by the Circuit Of Kerry, Limerick’s Circuit of Munster, Galway’s Summer Rally, the Clare Stages Rally and concludes with the Kerry Mini Stages in Banna.Gráinne developed an interest in rallying from a young age as her dad, Joe, a keen rally spectator and her brother, Charlie, a championship-winning navigator, would bring her to various events around the country.She competed in her first rally as a navigator in 2006, the Clare Single Stage with driver John Reddington, where they finished 11th overall.In 2008, Gráinne …

IRISH champions Lee Sherlock, Brian McDonagh and Keelan Sexton had a break from hostilities last weekend as they piled on the training sessions in preparation for their home tournament in the next fortnight.Meanwhile, colleagues Conor Doyle, Jamie Keane, Wayne Danaher, Mike McDonagh, John McCormack and Sally Carrig, all travelled to Tralee for tournament action last Saturday. The Tralee show, which was held in the Abbeygate Hotel, scene of some great battles for Clare boxers in the past, had a capacity crowd on hand to cheer the boxers in some exciting bouts.It was a good evening for all six Ennis boxers with five victories amidst some stirring performances and a near flawless showing from middleweight Wayne Danaher, who seems to improve with every outing. Danaher, with his characteristic upright stance, showed glimpses of his potential power against Conor Fallon from Kilnamanagh whom he beat on the unanimous decision of the judges. He controlled the contest at long range and was always …