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Ennis senior captain drives-in to office

SIXTY-four members played in a modified fourball competition to coincide with the drive-in to office of Pat McGuire, the new captain of the Ennis Men’s Senior Social Group. The newly elected captain held his drive-in in front of a big attendance of members.Conor Murphy and Brian Warner teamed up to win the competition with 47 points from Jim Scully and John White on 45 points. Third with 43 points were Luke Coote and George Dilger, one ahead of fourth-placed Pádraig Ryan and Paul Higgins who, in turn, were one ahead of Johnny Cullinan and Peadar Cosgrove.Sixth, also with 41 points, were Bernie Hoey and Pat Cusack from Sean O’Gorman and Michael Kenny. Four pairings returned 40 points and they were John McLaughlin and Larry Parks, Noel Pyne and John Cullinan, Tim McAllister and Sean Fitzpatrick and Dick Herbert and Ollie Kennelly.East ClareTOM Larkin (20) was the winner of the men’s 14-hole singles competition at East Clare last week with 33 …

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O’Neill and O’Donoghue shine

Clare athletes performed well at the rescheduled Athletics Association of Ireland National Novice Cross Country Championships plus the juvenile uneven ages from U-11 to U-19, which were held at Charleville Estate, Tullamore, on Sunday in ideal weather conditions for good, fast running. The tone was set for Clare athletes in the first race of the day, the girls’ U-11 1,500m, where Alex O’Neill of St Cronan’s powered her way over the line to claim the title and lead Clare to silver medals.The second medal winner was Irish international athlete Amy O’Donoghue (Meelick), who won the girls’ U-17 title, with Jean Clancy, (St John’s) fourth and they helped Clare to silver medals, with Ennis Track, winning inter-club bronze medals.Aidan McCarthy (St Cronan’s) won a silver medal in the boys’ U-11. ResultsGirls’ U-11 1,500m1 Alex O’Neill (St Cronan’s); 4 Fidelma Marrinan (St John’s); 26 Emma McMahon (St Mary’s); 31 Caoimhe Carmody (Marian); 32 Emer Keane (Kilmurry Ibrickane/North Clare); 35 Caoimhie Hogan (Kilmurry …

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Flannan’s fly into Harty Cup semi-final

St Flannan’s   4-13 St Colman’s   2-10 `THE records will show that St Flannan’s College scored a comfortable win over their great rivals, St Colman’s Fermoy, in the quarter-final of the 2011 Dr Harty Cup, Munster colleges senior A hurling championship but the reality is much different.A point ahead with six minutes remaining, the Ennis side added 2-2 in the remaining time, which gave them a flattering nine-point margin over the Cork side in a cracking tie played at Charleville on Wednesday afternoon.In the semi-final, scheduled for the weekend of February 5/6, the Ennis college will play either title holders Árd Scoil Rís or Thurles CBS, whose quarter-final clash goes ahead next Wednesday at Tipperary.St Flannan’s carried the favourites’ tag into this week’s quarter-final but followers of the Ennis side were somewhat concerned in the lead-up to the game. Games between St Flannan’s and St Colman’s have been close over the years as both schools manage to bring the best out …

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Clohessy points the way to opening win

IMPROVING considerably in the second half, Clare secured a place in the McGrath Cup quarter-final largely thanks to a seven-point return from Alan Clohessy. Time spent in the gym has bulked up most of the Clare team and their physique dwarfed that of UCC.In the opening minutes, Clare didn’t look very sharp football-wise and relied on goal-line clearances from Niall White and Martin McMahon to keep the ball from entering their net. Fifteen minutes from half-time, Joe Hayes kept out UCC’s Seamus Hannafin, who had linked with Stephen O’Brien, thus denying the Cork students a clear goal-scoring opportunity.Such was UCC’s vibrancy in the early minutes they led 0-3 to 0-0 eight minutes in. Daithí Casey scored all three points from frees and indeed scored nine points in total from dead balls. Clare will definitely have to sharpen up on their tackling if they are to seriously challenge for promotion from Division 4 of the NFL.David O’Brien and Rory Donnelly scored …

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Sutton honoured by Clare referees

  ENNIS man Padraic Sutton’s achievement in becoming one of only four FIFA-graded Irish referees was recognised by the Clare Soccer Referees Association on Monday evening.At the function, attended by members of the Clare Junior and Schoolboys League, John Murray, chairman of the Clare referees’ branch, made a presentation to Sutton, the first Clare referee to achieve a FIFA badge. The function was also attended by the referees’ assessor for Clare, Paddy Collins.The fact that there are only four in Ireland with this qualification and just six in England highlights the achievement of the Limerick-based garda sergeant.“The badge qualifies me to officiate at any level in world football and later this month I will be going to Cyprus with all the new referees, where we will meet up with the elite referees before taking part in a final fitness test,” Sutton told The Clare Champion.He played football with both Cloughleigh Celtic and Turnpike Rovers, with whom he was selected as …

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Lightning-fast stoppage for new champ

It took Ennis Kickboxing Club’s Niall O’Donnell barely a minute to clinch the Irish Kickboxing Federation’s light middleweight title at a fight night in the West County Hotel in Ennis just before Christmas.With a significant height and reach advantage, the Clare fighter looked sharper and more powerful than Belfast’s Neil Smith before the bout began and it took him little time to cash in on his physical advantages. Instead of making his trademark fast-paced, aggressive start, O’Donnell came out at a slightly slower pace than normal before unleashing a big front kick at Smith’s body to close the distance between the two fighters, following up with left-right combination.As soon as his first punches landed and it became clear that the Belfast fighter was unprepared for O’Donnell’s power, the Ennis kickboxer was like a shark that has caught the whiff of blood in the water. Moving forward with faster and faster combinations of lefts, rights and uppercuts, he hounded the Belfast …

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Madigan ready and able for secretary’s role

Newly appointed Clare Bórd na nÓg Peil secretary Níomh Madigan is unlikely to be fazed by the magnitude of her task. Originally from Terenure, Níomh served as vice-chairperson and secretary of Ballyboden St Enda’s GAA club for almost six years. She was also secretary of the ladies’ club in Ballyboden and registrar of the Leinster Ladies Football Council. “When I was there three years ago, there were 77 teams at all groups. That was the last count when I was secretary,” Níomh says of her time with Ballyboden St Enda’s. Ironically, Níomh played more hockey than camogie when she was active on the field. Since then though, she has concentrated on the administrative side. “I played camogie and hockey but camogie only at school level up to Leaving Cert,” she explained, adding that her club was Glenanne Hockey Club. Níomh’s husband, Thomas Madigan, is from Kilrush and the couple moved there in recent years. “We’ve been coming up and down …

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Reynolds takes the chair but five posts not filled

A WELL attended reconvened annual general meeting of Bord na nÓg Iomaint, held at the Auburn Lodge hotel last Thursday, elected a new chairman but failed to fill five posts on the executive for 2011.Clarecastle’s Martin Reynolds was the unanimous choice as chairman and he succeeds Sean O’Halloran.The only other officer to be elected was public relations officer, Tom Sheehan from Sixmilebridge, who was returned for a second term.On his election, Reynolds told the gathering that it was “a tremendous honour to be elected as board chairman”.Outgoing treasurer, Gerry Lynch, recently elected as assistant treasurer of the county board, agreed and described the outgoing chairman and secretary as “two tremendous workers” and said “Clare underage hurling will forever be indebted to them. Sean O’Halloran’s work for this board cannot be overstated,” he said.He paid tribute to the outgoing officers.Feakle’s Mike Daly was nominated for both vice-chairman and secretary. He withdrew from both but proposed outgoing chairman, Sean O’Halloran for the …

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