Sports

Intermediate Hurling Championship Clarecastle 1-15Killanena 1-12CLARECASTLE made sure of top spot in their group when they overcame the challenge of Killanena in this tie played at Cusack Park last Thursday.

Sixmilebridge 3-22 Tulla-Bodyke 1-5Sixmilebridge had all the damage done in the first half of this encounter when they were playing with the wind. They had totalled 3-12 for the half against Tulla/Bodyke’s single point, which came from an Anne Marie Fitzgerald free. Sixmilebridge’s scores of the half came from Naomi Carroll (2-7, 0-1f), Chloe Morey (0-4) and Orla Fitzgerald (1-0).

Ennis were crowned Munster JB Carr seniors golf champions on Monday evening after a narrow win over an East Cork side.

The Munster Juvenile B Track and Field Championships for U-9 to U-16 plus the pentathlon for U-12 to U-19 were held in hot conditions at the Templemore track in Tipperary at the weekend.

MORE than 1,800 people participated in the Sky Ride Etape Hibernia event which took place in Clare at the weekend. The sold-out race was Ireland’s first ever closed-road mass participation cycling event and attracted competitors from all over Ireland and the UK, as well as from throughout Europe and USA.  Participants cycled 82 miles of traffic-free roads from the Gort Road in Ennis through Corofin, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, Liscannor, Spanish Point and back to Ennis’ Market.Thousands of spectators turned out in excellent weather conditions to cheer on the participants who included cycling legend Seán Kelly, British Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan.“This represents a milestone day for mass participation events in Ireland considering this is the country’s first closed road non-professional cycle event. Along with our partners, we now look forward to establishing Sky Ride Etape Hibernia as a major fixture on the Irish sporting calendar over the next five years delivering a significant boost to …

FOR a frenetic spell during the mid 1980s, Barry McGuigan captivated the country. The Clones Cyclone held an inescapable grip on the emotions of the sporting nation, which spiralled numerically, as McGuigan closed in on a world featherweight title.Next Wednesday evening, Glór in Ennis will host An Evening with Barry McGuigan, a year on from Muhammad Ali’s visit to the Turnpike.“It’s an incredible story,” Barry said of Ali’s Ennis link. “He’s a legend and someone that I immensely look up to. I’m thrilled that they have asked me to come along to the first year celebration of that visit. I’m thrilled to bits about that and I’ll do whatever they want me to do in relation to communicating with the audience,” he told The Clare Champion.There shouldn’t be a dearth of questions to lob at the former WBA featherweight champion, who says that even if he is asked the same questions at these type of events, he can vary his …

Galway 2-12 Clare 2-8 A POWERFUL performance in the opening 20 minutes saw Galway lay the foundations for victory in this All-Ireland minor A camogie final replay at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Sunday.Ten points behind at this stage, Clare were fighting an uphill battle from here on and while they closed the margin in the second half, there is no denying the merit of Galway’s victory.The winners were much the sharper outfit and dominated the opening exchanges. They were first to the ball throughout the pitch and but for the outstanding play of Clare full-back Maire McGrath, the winners could have had a greater score at the halfway point, when they were 1-8 to 0-4 in front. They set the tone from the throw-in and were in front after just 13 seconds when Clodagh McGrath pointed. Three Rebecca Hennelly pointed frees followed before Naomi Carroll opened Clare’s account in the 13th minute.The hockey international’s score failed to get her …

THE Irish Greyhound Board is commencing a public tender process for the sale of the historic Markets Field Stadium in Limerick.The stadium was home to some of the finest greyhound racing in Ireland and Europe from 1932 until its closure in July of this year. Racing in the city will move to the new Limerick Stadium on the site of the old racecourse at Greenpark, in October. The Markets Field site was first used for sport by the Irish Cycling Association in 1886. Twenty years later, it played host to Munster against the All Blacks in rugby. It was home to Garryowen Rugby Club for many years, to Limerick FC and it also hosted county hurling finals and other sporting and entertainment events.The 5.35-acre site within the city boundary is zoned for a mixture of open space and industrial use. There have been a number of expressions of interest in the property.“Now that we are about to commence a new …