Sports

Clonlara and Kilmaley, the only two unbeaten sides, will be in opposition on Sunday evening. Clonlara have topped Group 1 with three wins and a draw while Kilmaley were runners-up in Group 4 with two wins and two draws to their credit.The absence of Domhnaill O’Donovan and Darach Honan due to injury is, without question, a huge blow to the South East Clare side but they have reached this stage of the competition without both players.O’Donovan has been out of action since May due to a back complaint while Honan hasn’t played since the summer due to a groin strain. There appears to be little chance that either will see action this year, although there are reports that O’Donovan is back doing some running.Current county minors Colm Galvin, Cathal O’Connell and Shane O’Brien are expected to be in the Clonlara line-up. All three have impressed in the side’s progress to this stage of the championship.O’Connell will join his brothers Nicky …

Titleholders Crusheen have shown mixed form this season but they have reached this stage of the championship without suffering a defeat. They emerged as the top team in what many considered to be the group of death. They delivered the results when required and this was particularly evident in round three, when they came up against Newmarket. A strong finish from the champions left Newmarket needing other results to go their way if they were to qualify, but this didn’t happen.Broadford are surprise quarter-finalists and the key result for them was their fourth-round victory over St Joseph’s. They have shown mixed form over the past couple of seasons and after disappointing in 2010, they have bounced back this season.They had a bye in the opening round and were unlucky to lose their first outing against Clonlara in round two. Since then, they have been on a winning run and have improved with each outing. They will need to show further …

Tony Carmody would probably have preferred if the pairings had provided anything other than a Sixmilebridge v Inagh-Kilnamona meeting.Having taken the decision to join Sixmilebridge at the beginning of this year, he now finds himself preparing to line out against his native club. The former Clare star returned to training at the weekend after being out of action for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury that he sustained when leading Clare to the All-Ireland intermediate title in Thurles a few weeks earlier. It’s expected he will be fit to take his place in the half-forward line on Saturday evening.Caimin Morey is also back in contention for a place in the line-up, having returned from the US, where he spent the summer months. Rory Shanahan is another who was in the US for the summer and he is also back in contention.The expectation is that Eamonn Glynn will be in the starting line-up for the Inagh-Kilnamona outfit for this …

Newmarket on Fergus 3-7 Sixmilebridge 3-6 Niki Kaiser was the heroine for Newmarket-on-Fergus on Friday night, when injury time goal, in the 61st minute, snatched victory from Sixmilebridge who had led from the 15th minute. The much-anticipated pairing of these neighbouring clubs lived up to its expectations with much at stake. Sixmilebridge had to register a win to push this group to a play-off, whereas a draw would have sufficed for Newmarket. Newmarket started stronger and when Ruth Kaiser sent a long-range shot into the square from midfield in the seventh minute, younger sister, Niki, was on hand to gather the rebound from the ensuing scramble and finish to the net. Áine O’Brien had the opportunity to push the Blues further in front three minutes later, but saw her free swept off course by the strong breeze favouring Sixmilebridge. Niamh McInerney accurately picked out Ciara Whelan with her puck out and Whelan passed to Naomi Carroll who cut through the …

Éire Óg         2-2 Sixmilebridge         0-3 Éire Óg overcame the odds to claim a place in the U-16A final with a deserved 2-2 to 0-3 win over Sixmilebridge. Excellent defending from both sides meant that it was ten minutes before Sixmilebridge registered the opening score of the match with a well-taken point from play. They tacked on two more points over the next eight minutes to give them a three-point lead. However, Éire Óg’s Caroline Walsh wiped out the ‘Bridge’s hard earned advantage when she hand-passed the ball to the net to leave the sides all square at the break. The Ennis girls hit the ground running from the second half throw in. Lisa Greene goaled in the second minute, giving her side a great boost. A pointed free from Orla Devitt gave Éire Óg a four-point lead. The Éire Óg half-back and full-back lines dealt with everything the ‘Bridge threw at them. Caroline Walsh sealed victory …

Woodstock were crowned All-Ireland Pierce Purcell champions on Friday when they defeated Corrstown by 3.5 to 1.5 in the final at Castlerock in Antrim.In the semi-final on the previous day they had overcome the Connacht champions, Athenry.In the final, Frank Doherty and Mike Kelly lost 8 and 6 but three comprehensive wins after this led to the pairing of Declan Coote and Jimmie Kelly being called in. Jason Considine and Brian Mulcahy had a 4 and 3 win, Tom Hehir and Martin Dormer were 8 and 7 victors while Shane Fitzgerald and Michael O’Brien recorded a 6 and 5 success.The team was feted at a function in the clubhouse on Saturday night following their return home.This was Woodstock’s second time winning the Purcell, having being successful in 2003 when Jimmie Kelly, Liam McInerney, Michael O’Brien, Mike Kelly and Frank Doherty were team members. Assistant manager Robbie Dormer was a member of the 2003 team.In the Wednesday open singles, Ross Darmody …

The 2011 Ennis Tennis Championships concluded on Sunday with a series of great finals. The highlight of the tournament was the performance of Ennis man and graduate of the club’s junior section, Robbie Carkill, who captured a clean sweep in the three A grade titles.The club’s historians estimate that it is 20 years since Carkill’s feat was last achieved. It was the first time that he won the Singles A title and in doing so he displayed a rich range of shots and assertive tactics. On the way, he overcame the holder and three-time champion, Joachim Pintao. The gents’ singles A tournament is the club’s blue riband event and Sunday’s final was the 67th occasion that the PJ Cahill Cup was presented. In the gents’ doubles, Robbie was partnered by fellow Ennis man, Dave Clohessy. In the mixed competition he teamed up with Angela O’Sullivan. It was also her first time to win at A level. In the ladies A …

Lifford A                         1 Shannon Olympic A     2 (after extra time) Shannon Olympic accounted for Lifford A in the Munster Junior Cup at Cassidy Park on Sunday.  The winners created some good scoring chances in normal time but failed to avail of any of these until just before the final whistle when Ritchie Hanley struck for the equaliser.Lifford had taken the lead through Darren O’Neill and looked like progressing to the next round when this goal still divided the teams as the game went into injury time.The winning goal came from Jay Regan just before the end of the first period of extra time.While there was disappointment for Lifford on Sunday, there was joy three days earlier when the Ennis side scored a 6-0 win over Mountshannon Celtic, a result that earned them a place in the League Cup final against Avenue United.Lifford’s goalscorers in that tie, also at Cassidy Park, were Darren O’Neill and Scott Hennessy (two …