Sports

FIRST-round heats of the Coláiste Iognaid A4 Tri-Distance and the Coláiste Iognaid A7 525 dominated the card at the Galway Greyhound Racing Stadium last Friday night.A total of eight Clare owners qualfied for the second-round heats of both events this weekend. The locally owned Donoughmore Lass won the opening-round heat of the Coláiste Iognaid A4 Tri-Distance with a clock of 29.63.Heat two went to Manus Returns, trained by Donie Duggan for Brian McInerney, Manus, Clarecastle. The Nenagh-owned Grantstown Rose was the early leader from Manus Returns, the 4/6 favourite in trap two and had gone into a six-length lead approaching the third bend. However, between the last two bends, Manus Returns closed in fast and the fawn son of Hondo Black Smooth Jean took over to win by half a length in 29.47.Heat three came up with another Clare winner, Wood Crash doing the business for Carl Maguire, Kilrush and Adrian Ennis. The fawn son of Crash-Ashcarne Blonde was fast …

THE draw has been made made for the Bogberry Spring matchplay men’s competition at Lahinch and rounds one and two must be completed by May 2. Details of the pairings are posted on the notice board. Shane Duggan (9) and Frank Keane (11) were the winners of the men’s fourball Stableford competition at Lahinch with 45 points from Ronan Ryder (16) and Tommy Lenehan (10) with 43 points.In the ladies’ singles v par competition on Monday, Rachel Maher (20) was the winner with two up from Gráinne D’Alton (5), who had a similar score. Gráinne Hennessy (15) with a level round was in third spot, while the gross was won by Valerie Hassett (6) with four down.WoodstockMAURA Umlawski was the winner of the ladies’ 18-hole Stableford competition at Woodstock last week with 32 points from Bernie Power on 31 points. Sunday’s 18-hole Stableford competition was won by Teresa Sherlock with 36 points from Maura Umlawski on 35 points.There will be …

LAST Sunday’s Tipperary Foxhounds Point-to-Point at Lisronagh proved a happy hunting ground for Banner representatives with Sixmilebridge trainer Joe Quinn and Quin handler Malachy Hassett both visiting the winner’s enclosure. Quinn was first to hit the target when his promising sort, My Dark Inishowen (5/2F) landed the five-year-old geldings’ maiden. Niall Kelleher did the steering aboard this son of Milan, who had hinted at better things to come when second on his only previous start at Askeaton, but the pair may have had luck on their side as Bach To Whitingbay was five lengths clear when falling at the final fence. His exit left the way clear for My Dark Inishowen, who kept on well on the run-in to beat Jack Bennett’s Yellow Dog by five lengths. Quinn, who trains the winner for Derry owner Patrick Doherty, said, “This is a very good horse. This tight track didn’t really suit him and the ground might have been a bit lively …

Roscommon  0-16  Clare  1-10 Failure to convert a number of prime scoring opportunities cost Clare dearly at Cusack Park on Sunday and ensures they will play in Division 4 for at least another season.

IN addition to the teams of the hurling and football championships for 2010, The Clare Champion will also present awards to community activists and to other sports personalities at their upcoming gala awards night at the Clare Inn Hotel on Friday, April 15.The teams of the 2010 senior hurling and football championships, as announced last week, will be joined by the other award winners from the worlds of soccer, athletics, handball, ladies football, camogie, golf and boxing, as well as those being honoured for their work as community activists.The presentation ceremony will conclude with the naming of the overall personality of the year. CommunityTess Barry, Shannon Shannon’s Tess Barry has been involved in a number of community organisations for decades.She is well known for her work in the Tidy Towns and is still very active in trying to make Shannon a more attractive place. Tess was a founder member of the Shannon Senior Citizen’s Club and is still involved with …

As Galway Black Dragon Kickboxers fought for world and European titles in the Black Box theatre, the city and county’s fire crews fought the flames at the Riverside Commercial Park, where the club is based.The Black Dragons, including athletes from Gort, were holding a special event to celebrate 15 years in Galway when news of the fire filtered through to the audience, fighters and club founder. Pete Foley is resilient however, proud of his fighters and optimistic about the future.  “With all the commotion going on last weekend about the big fire in the Riverside Commercial Park in which the Galway Black Dragon Kickboxing Gym was burned to the ground, the core element of the club, the people who made it great and who will do so again, were involved in their biggest and most prestigious night of kickboxing,” he said.“The fire, which made headlines on all the newspapers, the radio stations and the TV channels, overshadowed the achievements of …

Cheltenham 2011 will always hold a special place in the heart of Tubber jockey Derek O’Connor, who ended his festival hoodoo in great style when riding two winners at last week’s Prestbury Park bonanza. The seven times point-to-point champion – widely regarded as the finest amateur jockey this country has ever produced – filled a big void in his otherwise excellent CV when steering Gordon Elliott’s Chicago Grey to victory in the National Hunt Chase in Wednesday’s opening race, before really gilding the lily with a 33/1 success aboard Zemsky in Friday’s Christie’s Foxhunter Chase. O’Connor travelled to Cheltenham aware that Chicago Grey held an excellent chance and this was clearly evident as the grey son of Luso came in for strong support, which saw him go off 5/1 favourite for this four-mile contest. Not the most straightforward of rides, Chicago Grey was settled into a lovely rhythm by O’Connor, who scraped the paint off the rails as he hunted …

Winning a silver medal at the recent world championships in Wellington in New Zealand was Stephen Ryan’s greatest individual success to date in tae kwan do. He picked up the medal in the senior male patterns 4th to 6th dan category.A native of Clooney and the head instructor at the Quin Taekwando Club, Stephen has been involved in the sport for the past 20 years.A 5th dan black belt and a member of the teaching staff at St Joseph’s in Tulla, he was given a heroes welcome when he returned to Shannon Airport.In addition to his silver medal individual success, he also came home with a bronze medal that he won in the team sparring competitionThe world championships are held every two years. In 2009, the event was held in Argentina where Stephen won two bronze medals.“There were a number of Clare competitors at the Argentina championships. Louise McCagh won three medals at that event. In New Zealand she competed …