Sports

Ennistymon 1-12   Wolfe Tones 2-5 Reigning champions Ennistymon overcame a shaky first-half display to eventually dispose of Wolfe Tones and advance to the U-21A football semi-final. Wolfe Tones led 1-5 to 0-3 at half-time with Daniel Gallery scoring the first of his two goals.Ennistymon made a couple of changes and those alterations helped them to establish control in the second half. Substitute Brian Houlihan struck for the winners’ goal while Cathal Malone, Ciarán Devitt, Joey Rouine and Seán O’Driscoll were amongst the Ennistymon players to get on the score sheet. Daniel Gallery struck for his second goal for Wolfe Tones, who were out-powered by Ennistymon in the second half. Clare minor hurler Aaron Cunningham didn’t line out with Wolfe Tones, while his county colleagues Tony Kelly and Gearóid O’Connell didn’t play for Clondegad in their narrow defeat to Cratloe in that quarter-final. Ennistymon will now play Miltown in the U-21 semi-final. Ennistymon: Noel Sexton; Michael O’Dwyer, Enda Ralph, Oisin Vaughan; …

Crusheen 3-6   Fergus Rovers 1-4 Crusheen continued their upward curve when they had an impressive win over Fergus Rovers in the Senior B Ladies’ Football Championship in Lissycasey last Friday. Fergus Rovers opened the scoring with a point from Áine Kelly and a goal from Ciara O’Malley. Crusheen responded with two points from frees scored by Emma Kearney and Michelle O’Donnell. Áine Kelly scored another free for Rovers and Kearney converted a similar score for Crusheen. This left Rovers 1- 2 to 0-3 ahead at half-time. Due to two players sustaining serious injuries early in the second half, the game was stopped for 30 minutes. When play resumed, O’Donnell added another point from a free for Crusheen before Elaine O’Mahony rattled the Rovers’ net with a goal from a penalty. Rovers battled hard but Crusheen proved two strong. Kearney added a further 1-1 to her tally while Áine Kelly scored a point for Rovers, O’Mahony responded with another goal for …

West Clare Gaels 2-5   Liscannor 0-10 West Clare Gaels and Liscannor served up a fine game of football at Quilty on Saturday in round two of the senior championship. Liscannor will be disappointed not to have come away with at least a point, which they fully deserved. Missed scoring chances, a good save from Megan McGrath, a handy goal at the other end and astute defending by the champions’ defenders were some of the highlights of the match.The sides were level three times during the opening half. Niamh Larndner and Brid Troy had kicked a point each for the reigning champions while Aisling Torpey from a free and Marie Considine did likewise for last year’s senior B champions. The impressive Aine Burke, who kicked four points over the hour, put Liscannor ahead from a free but their lead was short lived. Twenty minutes into the game, Leanne Lynch’s shot from distance stole inside Emma Slattery’s upright for West Clare Gaels’ …

All roads lead to the University of Limerick this Saturday for the Munster Community Games team finals. Clare will have 25 teams participating, as well as some individuals in the judo competition.The winners will go on to represent Clare and Munster at the national finals in Athlone next month.Cooraclare-Cree have three teams in the basketball finals while Ennistymon-Lahinch-Liscannor will have two teams in this discipline.Ennis St John’s will be represented by five teams including all three soccer teams. Sixmilebridge-Kilmurry will also have five teams with Doora-Barefield having three teams, Clarecastle-Ballyea and Kilkishen-O’Callaghan’s Mills-Oatfield two each while Inch-Connolly-Kilmaley, Kilmihil and Quin-Clooney will each have one team. Clare’s judo competitors this weekend will come from Ennis and Doora-Barefield. The following have qualified.Basketball U-11: Cooraclare Cree, Shane Lillis, Paidí Hehir, Colm Browne, Padraic O’Donoghue, Dean Cunningham, Sarah Looney, Aisling Morrissey, Alannah Mullins, Caolfhionn Morrisey, Shauna Morrissey.Basketball girls’ U-13: Cooraclare-Cree, Aislinn Hehir, Aoibheann Hassett O’Sullivan, Aoife Downes, Caoimhe Downes, Deirdre Ryan, Eimear Griffin, Grace …

The Limerick City and County Sports Partnership held its first 5k Summer Series at Caherdavin on Thursday, when there was a fine turnout of Clare athletes.Loretto Duggan, (St Mary’s) won the ladies’ 5k after a great contest with Teresa Tuohy, (Bilboa AC Limerick). At the half-way point Duggan had a few metres of a lead and went on to record a fine win with a time of 19.56. Siobhán Nestor, the leading junior lady, finished in the top six with a time of 22.06.The next race will take place this Thursday from the Southill Area Centre. A week later, on Thursday, July 14, Analog Devices Raheen Business Park will be the start-up point for a 6k run starting at 7pm.ResultsJunior ladies1 Siobhán Nestor (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare)  (22.06)Senior ladies1 Loretto Duggan (St Mary’s) (19.56)2 Teresa Tuohy (Bilboa) (20.21)3 Noelle Fitzgerald (West Limerick) (20.52)4 Lorna O Neill (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare)  (21.08)5 Suzanne Moloney (Ind) (21.43)6 Siobhán Nestor (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare)  (22.06)Senior men1 …

Better placed than usual down the back to make his trade mark lightning finish, the Ennis-owned What a Tornado won the 2011 Kerry Agribusiness Irish St Leger final in dramatic style at the Limerick Greyhound Racing Stadium last Saturday night.Before a huge crowd, the Paul Henessy-trained black gave another stunning performance to take the classic and the winner’s cheque of €25,000. It was beginner’s luck as far as Michael Hogan is concerned. A joint owner of the new champion, he is originally from Dalcassian Park, Ennis and is now living in Kildysart Road. He is a relatively new face to the doggie scene. He owns What a Tornado with Peter Mulligan, the Dublin native based in Ennis, for a good many years and a man who has managed a few betting shops in his 25 years in the business.The Michael O’ Donovan-trained Judicial Academy, third in last year’s Leger final, was the hot favourite in the lead up to the …

AN all National Hunt card at Limerick on Sunday attracted a good crowd to the Greenmount Park facility with jockey Andrew McNamara and trainer Edward O’Grady combining to land the featured Adare Festival Weekend Hurdle, courtesy of hot favourite Jumbo Rio.Owned by professional punter Paddy Wilmott, the layers were taking no chances with the Captain Rio six-year-old, who went off at the very short odds of 1/4.McNamara rode a confident race throughout in the €20,000 two-miler, producing his mount after the final flight to overtake Jessica Harrington’s Takeyourcapoff on the run-in for a snug two and a half-length victory.Winning trainer, Edward O’Grady remarked, “He was entitled to win this race as he looked to have superior form. We’ll probably aim him at the Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary in two weeks time.”It proved a profitable afternoon for Wilmott at what is his local track, as his familiar red colours were also in the winner’s enclosure following the two-mile, one-furlong Beginners’ Chase, …

Despite having some strong words for Galway supporters, Mattie Murphy still has absolute faith in the maroon and white, writes Peter O’Connell