Sports

KILMIHIL’S Ailish Considine was recently named IT Tralee Lady Footballer of the Year 2010/2011. She was presented with her award from the ITT Sports Council at the annual sports ball. Ailish is currently a second-year student of health and leisure at the Institute of Technology, Tralee.She was also presented with a trophy for the Best Score of the Year by the ITT Ladies’ Football Club. The score was the goal she scored against Maynooth in the semi-final of the Geraldine Giles Cup. That goal levelled the scores and IT Tralee were victorious in extra time.

A NIGHT at the dogs at the Limerick Greyhound Stadium in aid of Clare Crusaders has been organised by Ennis woman, Geraldine Sharkey.The event, taking place on Friday, May 13, promises a night of family fun with Geraldine encouraging people to come out and support the local charity.Geraldine herself will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in September along with 15 other Clare Crusaders fundraisers in support of the Barefield-based clinic helping children with special needs.According to Geraldine, “Some people might think that Friday the 13th is unlucky for some but I’m hoping it will be lucky for me and plenty of people will come along on the night and support Clare Crusaders. With the recession and a lot of people finding it difficult to spare money, it’s hard to ask people to give money to charity. So I decided that if I organised an event where people could get value for money, along with helping to raise money for this wonderful …

The eleventh annual Clare Sports Star Award winners were honoured at a function in the Auburn Lodge Hotel on Sunday night, with the awards presented by Mossy Woulfe, chairman of the Munster Athletics Association. The winners are:Girls U-8: Meabh O’Malley, Kilmurry Ibrickane/North ClareClare Track and Field Championships 1st 80m; Clare Cross Country 1st U-8, 10th U-9.Boys U-8: Soltan Akinwale, Ennis Track Clare Track and Field Championships 1st 60m, 80, 150m, 200m and ball throw; Clare Cross Country 1st U-8, 4th U-9. Girls U-9: Aoibhinn Donnelly, MarianClare Track and Field Championships 1st 80m, 200m; Clare Cross Country 1st U-10 4th U-9; Munster Cross Country 16th U-9, 35th U-10.Boys U-9: Ben Whelehan, Kilmurry Ibrickane North ClareClare Track and Field Championships 1st long jump, 2nd 80m, 200m; Clare Cross Country 1st; U-9 Munster Cross Country 3rd; U-9 4th; U-10 Munster Indoors 1st 300m, 3rd 60m.Girls U-10: Ellie Rochford, St Cronan’s Clare Track and Field Championships 1st 60m, 200m, 300m, long jump; Clare Cross …

The opening shots in the race for the Canon Hamilton Trophy and Intermediate Hurling Championship will be fired this weekend, with three first-round games in each competition.The first rounds are spread over two weekends and the games being played this weekend involve members of the Clare senior football panel, who will be involved with the county side against All-Ireland champions, Cork, in the opening round of the provincial title race two weeks later.The remaining five senior and three intermediate games will be played on Saturday and Sunday week.Cratloe, St Joseph’s and Ballyea all have players on the county senior football squad so their games against Tubber, Clonlara and Newmarket will go ahead this Sunday.It’s the same at intermediate level with Éire Óg, Meelick and Corofin playing their opening-round games against Ogonnelloe, Feakle and Ennistymon.Cratloe, last year’s beaten finalists, and Tubber have provided some of the better games in the domestic competition in recent years. These games have also provided plenty …

Clooney-Quin 0-13  Crusheen 0-12 CLOONEY-Quin earned the bragging rights when they pipped their neighbours in the Clare Champion Cup Division 1 tie at Crusheen on Monday.They went into the game without a number of key players due to injury including Conor Harrison, Derek Ryan, Brian Shalley, Joe O’Loughlin and Donnacda Murphy. They were further hit during the course of the game losing Sean and Paudie Ward and Cillian Duggan to injury in the opening half.Crusheen were also forced to make changes to their starting line-up due to injury with Pat Vaughan ruled out, while Alan Brigdale was unavailable. Early in the game, they lost full-back Cronan Dillon to injury, which is a concern ahead of their opening championship tie next week.The sides were evenly matched throughout, which is reflected in the fact that the teams were level on nine occasions.Clooney-Quin were 0-5 to 0-4 ahead after a very poor opening half in which both sides were guilty of missed chances.They …

O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-15  Ballyea 0-15 BALLYEA and O’Callaghan’s Mills played out a hard-fought draw in this well-contested tie in Kilkishen on Monday.The home side got off to a great start, scoring five points without reply but the visitors gradually got into the game with Gearóid O’Connell prominent at midfield and he was also doing well from placed balls hitting 0-5 in the first half with two from play. Paul Flanagan scored two points and Niall Deasy chipped in with a point.The Mills held a 0-10 to 0-8 lead at the interval with their scores coming from Gary Neville (4), Adrian Flaherty (3), Niall Donovan, Fergus Donovan and Alan Duggan. The second half continued to be a very close-fought tie but Ballyea will be disappointed with their finishing, while the home side were making better use of the chances that came their way. Gearóid O’Connell continued to play very well for Ballyea in the middle of the field and added on …

Doonbeg 3-9  St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield 0-9 Scoring an equal amount in each half, albeit in a contrasting manner, Doonbeg scored a three-goal win over St Joseph’s in Gurteen last Saturday. The winners scored all their points in the opening half and all their goals in the second. They led 0-9 to 0-2 at half-time with David Tubridy (3), Brian and Colm Dillon, Kevin Nugent and Shane Ryan scoring, while first-half substitute Conor Downes also kicked two points. Cathal Duggan, who scored six of Barefield’s nine points, scored both of their first-half points. The home club played better in the second half and pulled the deficit back to four points, 0-9 to 0-5, with points from Duggan, Colm Mullen and Cathal O’Sullivan. However, David Tubridy struck for two goals, with Kevin Nugent adding a third to secure another win for Doonbeg. They currently stand on eight points from five games while St Joseph’s lost for the second successive game. Tubridy continued …

Crusheen 2-9  Tulla 1-0 CRUSHEEN are through to the league semi-final after defeating a physical Tulla team, with scores coming from Ann Marie McMahon from placed balls and Mary Rosengrave. Crusheen were stronger throughout the field with good displays from the O’Grady sisters, Carol O’Donnell and Marian Meaney. Tulla fought hard with the Torpey sisters doing well but Crusheen were too strong on the day. In the second half, Tulla came close on a number of occasions but just couldn’t get the scores that might have let them back into contention.Crusheen: Caroline Brigdale, Teresa Rosengrave, Ann Fitzgibbon, Carol O’Donnell, Ann Marie McMahon, Clare O’Grady, Ann Griffin, Tina Meaney, Jacinta O Grady, Mary Rosengrave, Fiona O Brien, Marian Meaney, Aoife Loughnane.Tulla: Rachel McNamara, Gráinne Corry, Aisling McNamara, Lorna Power, Katie McInerney, Siobhán Lynch, Áine Dinan, Gráinne McNamara, Sherena McGrath, Sinead McNamara, Angela Lynch (1-0), Siobhán Torpey, Sorcha Costelloe.Subs: Caroline Stack for Gráinne McNamara, Niamh Torpey for Sinéad McNamara, Amy McNamara for …