Sports

The weekend’s action couldn’t ask for a better ignition with neighbours Wolfe Tones and Newmarket-on-Fergus commencing a 35 match adult league weekend schedule that includes a repeat of last year’s county final and the commencement of a 26 team Division 5. Clare Cup Division 1A Round 3 Crusheen v Sixmilebridge at Crusheen, Saturday 1.30pm Requiring a strong reaction to their relegation scare, Crusheen have hit the ground running in 2022 but face their biggest test to date on Saturday against a ‘Bridge side that have had the Indian sign over them in recent times. Indeed, Sixmilebridge are bidding for their fifth consecutive victory over Crusheen in as many seasons but more than that, crave the points to further establish their new-look structure under new manager Sean Stack. Feakle v Clooney-Quin at Feakle, Saturday 2pm No point going over old ground again about that now infamous 2017 championship clash and its remarkable diverging subsequent paths. Better to reflect on last year’s …

THERE was huge frustration among Clare hurling fans this week, as people seeking to purchase tickets for Munster championship games faced significant difficulties. With Covid restrictions now relaxed pre-championship anticipation is at its highest in a few years and with thousands of people all going online simultaneously, Ticketmaster was hit with technical issues meaning fans couldn’t make their purchases for a period of time. Tickets were also available from Centra and SuperValu stores and some of these outlets also saw huge demand and long queues for tickets. Clare’s first two games are against Tipperary and Cork, both in Thurles, and with Semple Stadium being as large as it is, there was little concern about any potential sell out there. Clare’s final game is against Waterford and it had been notified in advance that these tickets would only be available from county boards at a later date. The really problematic fixture, however, is Clare versus Limerick, which is due to be …

Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 1 Limerick 3-7 Clare 0-15 A dream start descended into a nightmare at the death as Clare were agonisingly pipped at the post by Limerick in the opening round of the Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship in the TUS Gaelic Grounds, writes Eoin Brennan. Leading for the the last 45 minutes, Clare appeared to have weathered the storm on the field and in the skies to keep a frustrated Limerick at arm’s length. However, with only seconds remaining of the four minutes of injury-time, a foul on Colin Coughlan saw Cathal O’Neill step up to rifle a 25 metre free through a crowded goalmouth to the net before the senior pair also combined from the restart for O’Neill to subsequently add the winning point. It was a cruel twist in the tale for a Clare side that had displayed the greater hunger and application for the majority. Crucially however, they failed to convert any …

This was the Éire Óg senior football championship medal presentation parsed down to just ten words on Saturday night as a bumper crowd of over 250 people attended the club’s celebration of the 2021 Jack Daly Cup success, their first in the blue riband of Clare football since 2006. The Galway Tenors whipped the crowd with a rousing rendition of Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’, just as the guest of honour on the night Marty Morrissey did. And there was more, as the master of ceremonies in former inter-county referee Rory Hickey, who swapped his whistle for a microphone, was at his exuberant best as the Townies toasted their championship success long into the night and early morning on the Gort Road. “This is what we play for, get involved in management and support the club for,” the Townies’ manager Paul Madden told The Clare Champion. “We love the club and want to be successful. We managed that in 2021 …

Championship season has rolled around quickly, with the U-20 hurlers first into the breach for Clare on Wednesday in a new-look structure. Having been the last bastion of traditional knock-out fare since it inception almost 60 years ago (albeit predominantly U-21), a new group format has pitted the Banner in with last year’s finalists Cork and Limerick, with the Rebels actually aiming for a provincial and All-Ireland three-in-a-row not achieved since Clare in 2014. More significantly, the Banner’s group rivals are also the last two Munster minor winners, with Limerick claiming provincial honours in 2019 & ’20 while Cork brushed aside all challengers last season to canter to All-ireland silverware. “The standard is very high in this age group and Cork and Limerick are probably in the top three in the country,” admits Terence Fahy who manages the Clare U-20’s alongside Whitegate club-mate and two-time All Star Brendan Bugler as well as his St Joseph’s Tulla Harty Cup winning mentor …

Tickets for the early rounds of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship and the Munster Senior Football Championship Quarter-Finals go on sale this morning April 5 at 11am. They can be purchased online here at or in SuperValu and Centra stores. Clare hurlers’ opening fixture is against Tipperary in Semple Stadium on April 24. Tickets are also available for the Banner’s subsequent games against Cork in Semple Stadium and Limerick in Cusack Park on May 1 and May 15 respectively. Tickets for the game against Waterford will be distributed via the participating County Boards only. There will be no public sale of these tickets available. Note that Concession Tickets (Students and OAPs) will be available to purchase online only via Ticketmaster. The discount will be given at the point of purchase, there will be no rebate at the venues. Ticket Prices – Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round-Robin games: Stands – €25 for adults, €20 for students / OAPs, €5 for juveniles; …

Gort Community School held its deferred 25 years of GAA celebration event recently. Ivan Smyth spoke to Clare senior hurler Patrick O’Connor about his fond memories in the school and his hopes for the county side. GORT Community School recently celebrated the many excellent hurlers and camogie players that have come through the doors of the school, since it opened on September 4, 1995, the day after Clare beat Offaly to be crowned All Ireland champions. The Transition Year students hosted the event with numerous awards handed out. Also on the night the 25th Anniversary All-Star Hurling and Camogie Teams compromising of past students from the school was announced. The hurling team saw two Clare men make the cut. Tubber’s Ronan Taaffe was named in goal while Patrick O’Connor was selected at wing back. Aidan Harte, who was part of the St. Joseph’s Tulla management team, was also named on the team. Other notable names included Galway hurlers Shane Cooney, …

Ennis RFC’s U-16s go in search of just their second ever Pan Munster title at this grade when they face Waterford side Waterpark RFC this Sunday in Musgrave Park (kick off 12.45pm). Their route to this final has not been a straightforward one. After coming through Phase One of the Pan Munster Championship in good nick, Ennis suffered a 30-15 defeat to Kinsale in the opening round of Phase Two. They then fell to a disappointing North Munster League semi final defeat to Bruff. With their season in danger of petering out before it had blossomed, U16 Head Coach John Queally sought the advice of U18 men’s managers Padraig Brennan and David Murphy, U18 ladies coach John Cullen and Richard Murphy who has worked with a plethora of teams within the club. “I got advice from a few coaches as it can be hard when you are on the sideline to assess certain things happening in the game. They had …