Sports

CLARE’S outstanding record at the national Community Games Finals was extended last weekend when competitors won gold in pitch and putt, judo and swimming, as well as silver in judo.Clare had 98 competitors at last weekend’s finals and they brought home a total of 78 awards, nine gold, three silver, 15 bronze and 51 fourth-place medals. All five competitors in judo returned with medals.The standard in the swimming was extremely high but most of the Clare competitors qualified for the semi-finals. Two, Eoin Rouine and Rory McEvoy, won gold.In cycling, all four competitors took to the track in very wet conditions and three of them qualified for finals. Last year’s gold medallist, Lauren McConway, won a silver on this occasion, while Quin-Clooney clubmate, Cathal Browne won a fourth-place award.In the variety final on Saturday evening, Sixmilebridge-Kilmurry won a fourth-place award, while in gymnastics, Peter Stack from Clarecastle-Ballyea won a bronze medal, his first national award in seven years competing at …

THE schoolboys’ soccer season continues this weekend with action in the U-13 and U-15 leagues on Saturday. On Monday, the U-12 girls’ cup quarter-final will see Lifford take on Bridge United at Cassidy Park and there will be extra time and penalties, if required, in this one. There will be U-16 boys’ league games on Tuesday while, on Thursday next, U-11 league ties will dominate and there will also be action in the U-14 league. Hugh Kelly tournamentTHE semi-finals of the inaugural Hugh Kelly tournament will be played this Saturday and Sunday at the County Grounds in Doora.On Saturday, the winners of the quarter-final between Burren United and Bridge United will take on Shannon Olympic at 6pm, while, on Sunday morning at 11am, Coole FC or Avenue United will take on last year’s premier league winners, Newmarket Celtic.There will be extra time and penalties, if required in all of the games this week. New seasonTHE new season will get underway …

BALLYEA maintained their unbeaten run in the Minor A Hurling Championship when they proved too strong for Sixmilebridge in the third round in Ballyea on Friday evening.The home side had the better of exchanges in the first half with their defence and midfield performing well. Points from Lee Brady, Martin O’Leary, Tadgh Lynch and 1-4 from Tony Kelly, the goal coming from a well-struck 20m free 10 minutes before the interval put Ballyea in a commanding position at the break leading by 1-9 to 0-4.The winners continued to hold the upper hand in the third quarter with further points from Niall Deasy and Tony Kelly but the visitors did score a goal in the 48th minute to bring them back into contention and reduce the deficit to five points.Ballyea pulled away again when Tony Kelly soloed 20m to blast the sliotar to the ’Bridge net with seven minutes to play. The East Clare side tried hard to get back into …

THE Clare Sports Partnership and Clare Athletics Association held the final of their summer series last Saturday morning in Lees Road. There was a fine turnout from all over the county with almost 100 competitors going to the start. Kenneth Rodgers (St John’s) led the field out at a very fast pace going through the 1km mark in 3.03. Michael Shannon (Kilnaboy) was right in his shoulder at the 2km mark on the Lahinch Road with Martin Grealish (Ennis Track), Julius Cesar F Castro and Willie Devitt (both Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare), working hard to get back in contact with the leaders.Kenneth Rodgers had to produce a big finish to win with a time of 15.27 from the hard-working Michael Shannon (15.31) and Mairtin Grealish. In the O-35 Brian Spring (Ennis Track) won from Jason Moloney (Ennis Track) with Michael McBride (Ennis Track) winning the O-40s ahead of Seamus McNamara (O’Callaghan’s Mills). The O-45s went to Mike Cunningham (Bilboa), the O-50s …

AFTER winning the Irish U-16 championships at both 100m and 200m, Clare girl Róisín Harrison ran the 200m at the Scottish U-16 championships in Scotstoun Stadium (Glasgow) on July 31. She won the Scottish Championships, beating the girl who was subsequently selected to run for Scotland against her at the Celtic Games in Antrim last Sunday. The Celtic Games was Róisín’s international debut and was made even more special when she was named as the girls’ U-16 team captain.Róisín won her 200m and was part of the mixed U-16 4x100m relay team that came third.Athletics Ireland won the girls’ U-16, U-18 and overall trophy. When combined with the boys’ results, Scotland won the match trophy.That is the end of Róisín’s season, which has been a huge success. She remained unbeaten in her age group in both the 100m and 200m, represented Ireland at the Celtic Games and made it onto the senior ranking list for the 200m.

THE challenge for the 2011 Ladbrokes.com Irish Derby has now been whittled down to 48 contenders including Kieren Fallon’s Uncle Eoin.for the first time in the competition, all remaining challengers will be in action on the same night when the third round gets underway in Shelbourne Park next Saturday.Not for the first time in the 2011 Derby, the Dolores Ruth runners were very much in control when second-round heats were decided last weekend and as a result, her Razldazl George has been installed as the 5/1 favourite with Razldazl Jayfkay next in the betting at 6/1.Uncle Eoin, owned by Clare-born jockey Kieren Fallon and trainer James Robinsoin, Athy, is still very much in contention despite the exertions of winning the Champion Stakes recently. He may not have so far repeated the form, which earned him the Champion Stakes title but his performance in winning heat 11 on Saturday night puts him back into the mix and Ladbrokes make him a …

THE concluding A3 race over 525 yards was the top-graded event in Galway on Thursday night and it went to the Athenry-owned Caisleán Brian, a 3/1 chance in trap three.Martin Griffin’s Nebraska West in five and the 4/5 favourite, So They Say, in trap five, were best away and at the opening bend, they were joined by Serious Dream. As they made their way down the back, Serious Dream raced into a one-length lead from So They Say but at this stage, Caisleán Brian was making great progress on the wide outside. At the third bend, the Athenry-owned black became the new front runner and went on to win by four-and-a-quarter lengths in 29.29 from So They Say and Cloonee Star.The Clare-owned Knockcallan Girl and Aulton Hawk were going well in the  the concluding stages of the first race of the night, an A9-graded 525. The Tuam-owned reserve runner, Combo Queen in trap six, the eventual winner, and Knockcallan Girl …

Galway 1-23 Clare 1-18 (AET) THE 61st minute of the All-Ireland minor hurling championship semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday will live for a long time in the memory of Banner County hurling followers.Three points ahead as the match drifted into injury time, a second successive All-Ireland final appearance beckoned. Then disaster struck, not once but twice, for the Clare side. In their final attack, Galway managed to breach the Clare defence and Gort’s Gerard O’Donoghue, son of Clare man Gerry from Tubber, managed to find the net for the levelling score.From the puck-out, Clare won a 75m free near the sideline on the Cusack Stand side of the pitch. Team captain, Tony Kelly saw his effort rebound off the upright and the referee then sounded the final whistle.When Clare scored their goal 10 minutes from the end, it looked like it might prove to be the vital score in a well-contested tie. Galway responded with a brace of points …