Sports

Kilkenny may be barred from selecting players from senior clubs but it hasn’t prevented them from dominating the All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship in recent years.That won’t have been lost on the Clare management team headed by Kevin Kennedy as they complete preparations for this Saturday’s final with the Noresiders, who are seeking to retain the crown and capture their third title in four years. Last season’s win means the Leinster champions had to field a completely new team this year, as those who helped to beat Cork last year are not eligible.That said, Kilkenny won the crown in 2008 and while those players had to drop out for the 2009 campaign, many of them have come back into this year’s squad. They have had just one outing en route and this saw them beat their great rivals Wexford in the Leinster decider.Ulster don’t have any representatives in the intermediate grade so Kilkenny went straight from their Leinster final win to …

Broadford 1-14 St Joseph’s 0-9 When St Joseph’s raced into a four-point lead in the first quarter of this senior championship tie at Cusack Park on Saturday evening, it looked like the Doora-Barefield outfit would drive on to victory, a result that would push them closer to a quarter-final date.That was still the view at the end of what was a very poor opening half at which stage the St Joseph’s men led by three points, 0-6 to 0-3.From here on, however, Broadford directed operations and the East Clare men grew in confidence as the second half progressed and emerged as deserving winners.Ten minutes into the new half, they had outscored their more fancied opponents, 0-5 to 0-1 to take a one-point lead and while St Joseph’s levelled through their top scorer, Ivor Whyte, it was Broadford who dominated the exchanges from here to the finish.They had gone four points clear when substitute Alan McMahon had the simple task of …

Cratloe 0-8 Inagh-Kilnamona 0-7 In a game dominated by defences, Cratloe snatched victory and progressed to the quarter-finals when they beat Inagh-Kilnamona by a point at Cusack Park on Sunday evening.The win was crucial for Cratloe as a defeat would have put them out of the title race. Inagh-Kilnamona now face Tubber in a winner-take-all contest in the final round.In a game in which the teams were level on five occasions, a draw looked the likely outcome for much of the game. Both sides were guilty of some very bad misses during the match with each running up 12 wides over the hour. Inagh-Kilnamona had a chance at the death to tie up the scores for the sixth time but Ger Arthur’s 50m free from near the touchline on the Northern stand side of the pitch went inches wide and after the puckout, the final whistle sounded. Despite the fact that this was a low-scoring affair, there was some very …

Senior Hurling Championship Kilmaley 1-19   Clooney-Quin 0-10 THERE were a number of key moments in this senior championship tie at Cusack Park on Saturday evening when Kilmaley boosted their chances of getting to the play-offs and, in the process, ended Clooney-Quin’s championship ambitions for 2011.

Clonlara 2-25   Smith O’Brien’s 0-14 CLONLARA maintained their unbeaten run and advanced to the quarter-final of the championship with this comfortable victory over Smith O’Brien’s at Cusack Park on Sunday. Over the course of the hour, the winners picked off some impressive scores and they had victory secured long before Seanie McMahon sounded the final whistle.Indeed, Clonlara were well in control by the end of the opening half, by which time they had a 13-point lead. They got off to a dream start with John Conlon finding the net after just 20 seconds when he was put clear by minor star Cathal O’Connell.This score set the tone and the winners went on to dominate in most areas, picking off some impressive points. They were 1-3 in front before Mark O’Halloran opened the Killaloe side’s account in the 13th minute.It was 1-5 to 0-1 at the end of the opening quarter and after Smith O’Brien’s hit a brace, the winners hit …

Crusheen 0-16   Ballyea 1-8 CHAMPIONS Crusheen became the first team to seal a quarter-final place in the 2011 race for the Canon Hamilton Trophy when they accounted for Ballyea in Round 4 of the senior hurling championship at Cusack Park on Friday evening.They will have a bye in Round 5 when the battle for the runner-up spot should provide plenty of excitement.At the end of play on Friday, Crusheen were deserving winners but they were made fight all the way for this latest success by a Ballyea side is a little unlucky not to have any points on the table after three outings.Friday’s game was five minutes old before Paddy Meaney opened the scoring with a point for the winners and Shaun Dillon quickly followed with another before Niall Keane opened Ballyea’s account in the 10th minute.Four in-a-row followed for the winners who were 0-6 to 0-1 in front after 22 minutes. They could have been further ahead at this …

Sixmilebridge 1-14   O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-8 Although never managing to re-produce the form they had shown five days earlier when easily accounting for Tulla, Sixmilebridge deservingly defeated O’Callaghans Mills at Cusack Park on Sunday to seal a quarter final place in this season’s senior championship race.That the Mills will rue some very poor finishing – they had fourteen wides in all – is without question but when Sixmilebridge stepped up a gear in the second half, they proved too strong for their neighbours. It was evident from an early stage that a goal would prove crucial and this came to the winners at the start of the final quarter and put them in the driving seat.The Mills went into this tie knowing that victory was essential to keep their title hopes alive. Defences dominated in a low scoring first half at the end of which the sides were level at 0-4 each. The Mills had played with the aid of the …

The national Community Games finals concluded at Athlone IT at the weekend and there was again great success for Clare competitors, returning with a haul of 36, six gold medals, five silver, eight bronze and 17 fourth place awards.