Sports

ALTHOUGH they didn’t lug the Irish Press Cup down the N7 with them, the Clare minors did succeed in injecting their county’s hurling fraternity with renewed optimism and reassurance that Clare’s hurling future will be fuelled by the honourable presence of the beaten All-Ireland finalists in the coming years.A bit greedy perhaps but if there happens to be another, younger clutch of hurlers in Clare, who can wield the hurley and will wear the county jersey with the same honesty and skill level as the 2010 minors, the county senior team will soon regularly familiarise itself with the road to Croke Park.Throw the 2009 All-Ireland U-21 hurlers into the blend and there is the making of a doughty, highly skilled Clare senior team in maybe three or four years time.Before peering too far beyond the current calendar year though, it would be remiss not to dwell on Clare’s display last Sunday and indeed all year.What immediately resonated was the certainty …

CLARE Junior Surf Lifesavers played a big role in the European Junior Lifesaving Championships last week with seven of the 10-strong Irish team hailing from the Banner. The boys were the big medal winners but the girls put in a tremendous effort and acquitted themselves well.Held in Antwerp, Belgium, competitors were tested in simulated rescue scenarios, directly related to elements of lifeguarding on the beach, open water and in a pool.They team was Bernard Cahill, Dylan Barrett, Conor Rooney, Declan Bredin, Eoin Trihy, Siobhán McGrath, Caoimhe Gowran, Luíse O’Donovan, Gemma Haughey and Aimee Walsh. Clare’s Oisín McGrath was the team coach with Colm Fitzgerald the assistant coach. The Irish team manager was Sarah English.The Irish team was in first place in the beach events and second overall for beach and open water.   ResultsBoard paddle race: Bernard Cahill (gold); Dylan Barrett (ninth) and Declan Bredin (10th) in A final; Siobhán McGrath (eighth) in A final; Caoimhe Gowran (B final).Run swim …

ENNIS Boxing Club will open its doors for the 49th consecutive season on Monday night next.The club, which was formed in 1961 but competed in its first championship season in 1962, has a wonderful history of championship successes, quality champions and spectacular tournaments which frequently packed their ‘home’ at Chapel Lane in Ennis.Many hundreds of youngsters from 10 years upwards cherished the quality of training and character-forming instructions, which they encountered throughout the generations. Boxing in Clare is still very strong and clubs like West Clare and Kilfenora continue to thrive, while word emanating from Kilrush would seem to signal a resurgence of a once powerful boxing force in the town. Kilrush in the ’ 50s and the ’60s had many champions of international renown but lost its premises and leaders in the ’ 70s and the tradition and fighting passion once synonymous with Kilrush dissipated completely.Female boxing has now become a big attraction in clubs throughout Ireland since Katie …

Corofin 2-6 Truagh-Clonlara 0-4 Corofin put the disappointment of the last two years to bed when they claimed their first Fr Murray Cup on Saturday. The girls from Corofin got off to a great start when Claire Commane converted a long-range free. The ball looked to be sailing over the bar when it dipped at the last minute into the corner, over Niamh Power’s head. This gave Corofin the launching pad for victory and they never let it slip. Truagh’s Sarah Sherlock got her side’s first score when she landed a 45. Claire Commane responded for Corofin and pointed from play after 17 minutes. Then Niamh Power had to pull of the first of many saves before Brenda O’Donoghue pointed for Corofin. Helen Guinnane responded for Truagh a minute later. Truagh then had their period of dominance but hit three wides in the space of four minutes, which proved costly. Corofin were more economical with scoring chances and when Aoife …

The draws for the concluding stages of the senior hurling championship (A and B) and the pairings for the relegation play-offs will be made this weekend after the remaining games in Round 5 have been played. Quarter-final games will take place on Saturday and Sunday week.Six of the qualifiers in the race for the Canon Hamilton Trophy are already known and this weekend’s games will confirm the remaining two as well as finalising placings within the groups.There are still three teams chasing the two quarter final positions from Group 1. Clarecastle, Clooney-Quin and Kilmaley are the ones in contention with Kilmaley’s fate dependant on the result of the meeting of Clarecastle and Clooney-Quin this Saturday.Sixmilebridge and Cratloe have qualified from Group 2 but final positions have to be determined. Sixmilebridge currently hold top spot and they will have to be beaten well if they are to be moved from there.Newmarket are top of group three with O’Callaghan’s Mills in second …

Doonbeg 0-7 Shannon Gaels 0-6 Three points up at half-time and unlucky not to have been a few more ahead, Shannon Gaels looked to be on their way to the county senior football semi-final half an hour into this game with Doonbeg at Kilmihil on Saturday evening.However, they failed to maintain their first-half form into the second half against a much-improved Doonbeg and when the final whistle sounded, they were a point in arrears, having failed to raise a flag in this period.While credit must go to the Magpies for the manner in which they improved, Shannon Gaels will wonder where it all went wrong. They did have some opportunities in the second period but an apparent lack of confidence and a lack of experience proved costly.Some half-time switches by Doonbeg helped their side to get a grip on proceedings. These included the move of Frank O’Dea to midfield and the placing of team captain Colm Dillon at centre-forward. Both …

St Joseph’s 1-6Liscannor 0-9 When St Joseph’s went a goal clear seven minutes from the end of this quarter-final tie at Kilmihil on Saturday, everything pointed to a surprise.Liscannor, however, were not prepared to give in and they hit back with three points to tie up the game for the fifth and final time. On the run of play, a share of the spoils was a fair result on a day when both sides finished with 14 men.St Joseph’s went into the game without regulars Kevin Dilleen, the team captain, and Ivor White, who were ruled out due to injury but White did come into the game in the second half.Liscannor were also forced into a late change, with Dara Blake left out of the starting line-up due to injury but he was called into the action six minutes before half-time. They were already without Denis Murphy and John Kerin, both of whom are recovering from knee surgery.The sending off …

Cooraclare 1-10 Éire Óg 1-10 Cooraclare were grateful to referee Michael Rock’s interpretation of injury time as much as John Looney’s last-gasp point as they salvaged their championship season with a dramatic late, late leveller at Lissycasey on Saturday afternoon.Rock played six minutes of additional time and in the final piece of action in what was an exciting contest, Looney landed a pressure point to throw Cooraclare a championship lifeline.Wayward with earlier attempts from frees, Looney’s perfectly floated free-kick from 40m, awarded following an ill-timed lunge by Darren O’Neill, found the target. Cooraclare had cut it very fine indeed and while a draw was probably a fair result, Éire Óg will bemoan their inability to see time out after Shane Daniel’s close-in free, on the call of normal time, looked to have sealed the deal.Playing a two-man full-forward line having deployed Hughie Donnelly as a third midfielder, Cooraclare dominated the opening quarter, mainly due to their ability to hoover up …