Home » Sports (page 68)

Sports

FOOTBALL: Clare minor footballers off to a flyer

Munster Minor Football Championship Round 1 Clare 4-18 Waterford 0-4 CLARE couldn’t have asked for a more ideal or indeed comfortable start to their Munster campaign after bypassing Waterford in style in Wolfe Tones GAA in Shannon on Thursday evening, writes Eoin Brennan. The shot count alone of 45 to 10 in the hosts’ favour told the tale of a sorely one-sided contest that was lit up by inside duo Cathal Talty and Conor Fennell who between them accounted for 4-10 of the home side’s handsome tally. Fennell, a survivor from the minor class of 2021, raided for 3-2 including a brace of first half rebound goals in the space of three minutes that finally lifted Clare to new heights. Up to that point, Clare’s utter dominance wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard as four missed goal opportunities were matched by as many wides to only lead by 0-3 to 0-0 by the 20 minute mark. Fennell had kicked two of …

Read More »

Tiger Woods to play at JP McManus Pro-Am in Adare this July

Tiger Woods will be playing golf in the Mid-West this summer with confirmation he is to participate in the 2022 JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor. The fifteen-time Major champion will join a world class field including Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Leona Maguire, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau at the charity event which takes place over two days on July 4 and 5. Woods, who has 82 PGA Tour wins and has led the Official World Golf Rankings for a record total of 683 weeks in his career, will also be golfing in the company of celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg and Niall Horan among many others. Coming off the back of an unforgettable return to competitive golf at last weekend’s Masters, this will be Woods’ fourth appearance at the fund-raising event which supports charitable organisations throughout the Mid-West of Ireland. Tournament host, JP McManus, expressed his delight at the news: “Tiger has been a great friend …

Read More »

HURLING: Curse of Biddy Late strikes Clare again

Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 2 Cork 1-19 Clare 1-17 It was more Biddy Late than Early as Clare’s luckless Under 20 campaign ended in the cruelest possible manner for the second time in seven days in O’Garney Park Sixmilebridge on Wednesday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. Within touching distance of victory against Limerick only to be agonisingly floored by Cathal O’Neill’s dramatic injury-time 1-1 blitz, amazingly Clare would be struck down by an almost identical smash-and-grab operation as Cork fired the last four points to also steal a one point win. Having led for one hour and 45 minutes of their two hour campaign against last year’s Munster finalists Limerick and Cork, Clare somehow ended up with only gut-wrenching heartbreak. Granted, it’s a result business but someone somewhere must be pulverising a Clare voodoo doll as it’s almost unthinkable that this would happen a second time. After all, aside from a three minute spell following Diarmuid Healy’s spectacular volleyed …

Read More »

HURLING: Tipp top after double sucker-punch

Munster Minor Hurling Championship Round 2 Tipperary 2-13 Clare 0-13 WITH the game firmly in the balance, it was Tipperary that snatched the whip hand with a devastating brace of third quarter goals to power into the last four of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship on the hallowed home soil of FBD Semple Stadium on Tuesday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. In a typical seesaw derby which was level on four occasions in a first half that duly ended in a 0-8 to 0-8 stalemate, a goal was always going to be a huge score, not to mention two majors in the space of three minutes that turned the tie firmly on its head. Having arguably failed to demonstrate their superiority on the scoreboard in the opening period, Clare appeared to have made amends when hitting the ground running on the resumption with points through Piaras Ó Sé and Oisin Whelan at 0-10 to 0-8. However, a deft flick from a …

Read More »

Great prizes for auction in aid of Ukraine at Clare point to point

ALONGSIDE the excellent racing action at Quakerstown Point to Point on Easter Sunday, a charity auction will have top class prizes up for grabs in support of a great cause. The Co. Clare Hunt meeting on Sunday, April 17, will host the auction in aid of the Irish Red Cross: Ukraine Crisis Appeal to help the organisation further its vital work on the ground in the besieged country. The Co. Clare Hunt is well known for its efforts in raising money for some very worthy causes over the years having most notably raised over €20,000 with the running of the Pat Smullen Legends Race in aid of Cancer Trials Ireland in 2020. Also in the last five years, the Hunt has raised €15,000 in 2019 for Breast Cancer Ireland, and almost €30,000 for Clare Suicide Bereavement Group. Funds raised this year will help the Irish Red Cross continue its work in Ukraine where it is repairing vital infrastructure, supporting health …

Read More »

FOOTBALL: Clare Tipp the derby scales with commanding win

Munster Under 20 Football Championship Quarter-Final Clare 3-15 Tipperary 2-5 It’s 26 years since Clare last beat Tipperary at this grade but one would be forgiven for thinking the derby relationship was quite the opposite as the Banner eased into the Munster Under 20 Football Semi-Finals in Hennessy Memorial Park in Miltown Malbay on Monday evening, reports Eoin Brennan. To say it was one-sided was an understatement as Clare could afford to kick 12 wides and still soar 17 points clear by the hour mark. The powerful spine of joint-captains Fionn Kelleher and Eoin Rouine, Cooraclare duo Brian McNamara and Micheál Garry along with Brendy Rouine and the roving Sean McNamara excelled but one could easily add Shane Griffin, Eoin Walsh, Odhran Cunningham and indeed the rest of the collective such was their utter superiority throughout. Granted, the challenge will get infinitely harder next Monday when Kerry roll into town but simply on the merits of this opener alone, it …

Read More »

Twin objectives as Clare minor hurlers go into battle

Eoin Brennan previews Clare’s opener in the Munster Minor Hurling Championship against Tipperary in Semple Stadium Thurles tomorrow WITH the championship already underway, the Clare minor hurlers are immediately embroiled in a group decider when making their competitive bow against Tipperary in Semple Stadium on Tuesday evening. With the Banner having a bye while the Premier County edged a compelling opening battle with Waterford on away soil this week, Clare will have to hit the ground running on Tuesday evening to get up to championship speed. However, with former county senior captain Brian O’Connell at the helm along with former senior managers Cyril Lyons and Donal Moloney, Clare aren’t short of experience or leadership from the sidelines as they prepare to enter the championship fray. Even if O’Connell admits that most of that experience isn’t “I’m a complete novice at it but I’ve been involved with this team since Under 15’s,” admits Wolfe Tones clubman O’Connell. “I’m living in Oranmore …

Read More »

Injured Clare jockey faces race against time for Punchestown

The vagaries of race-riding were never more clearly illustrated than at Naas recently, where in-form local jockey, Mark McDonagh, picked up a nasty injury in a freak accident. McDonagh went through an unbelievable spell in recent times where his glorious haul included a Cheltenham Festival winner, but he now faces a race against time to be back in the saddle for the start of the high-profile Punchestown Festival on Tuesday, April 26. He told The Clare Champion, “Unfortunately, it looks like I’ve broken my shoulder blade (scapula). It was just a freak accident when my horse (Barnwick) was brought down on the flat in the bumper. “A horse slipped-up in front of us and there was no blame attached to anyone involved. It was just one of those things. A fall on the flat is actually worse than a tumble over jumps. “At least over hurdles or fences you have that second or two to brace yourself for the impact, …

Read More »