Sports

  Christ the King 27  Scoil Mhuire 25 SCOIL Mhuire Ennistymon travelled to UL Sports Arena last Tuesday to take part in the All-Ireland C first-year girls basketball final. Scoil Mhuire’s opposition was Christ the King from Cork City. The North Clare team travelled with a large group of pupils and parents for support. The school was hoping to bridge the 13-year gap since they experienced all-Ireland glory, winning a volleyball title in 1997. Scoil Mhuire started the first quarter strongly, scoring 10 points to Christ the King’s only basket. However, the Cork girls sprung to life in the second quarter and added 14 points to their tally. Scoil Mhuire added five to their score, leaving the half-time score 16 -15 and the Cork side with a one-point advantage. At the end of the third quarter, Scoil Mhuire had taken the lead again with three points to spare, 21-18. In the final quarter, Cork got off to a good start, …

THE International Ischia Island trophy, an international lifesaving competition, took place last week. On a little island off the coast of Naples, the competition involved four international teams, Ireland, with Clare’s Oisín McGrath and Colm Fitzgerald in their line up, Holland, Romania and Italy. The combined efforts of McGrath and Fitzgerald placed Ireland third in the overall team category with individual first and second placings in the board paddle, ski race and ocean man events.Saturday began with the ski race heats. Oisín McGrath won his heat with Colm Fitzgerald coming fifth. Unfortunately for Fitzgerald only four competitors went through to the final from each of the heats. The final took place in the afternoon after a great display of water rescue by the Italian water police, including their jet-skis and rescue helicopter. Oisín McGrath took a very close second place to a Romanian competitor in the ski final.The board paddle was a straight final of 18 competitors. McGrath was first, …

Clare 0 Wexford 6 FOR the Clare players, management and their supporters in the crowd of 800 people, this was pure torture. There is no point in pretending that Clare weren’t completely outclassed and subsequently hammered in their attempts to win a second Oscar Traynor Cup in Doora last Sunday.It must have seemed that surely the most agonising 90 minutes in the Clare players’ careers would never end. Once they went 2-0 down six minutes into the second half, they were gone and all they craved was the full-time whistle. Virtually every Clare man hung his head as Wexford sprayed the ball around the county grounds and into the space afforded to them by the home team. From the off, Wexford dominated and without two good saves from John Healy inside the opening 15 minutes, Clare could have been a lot more than 1-0 down at half-time. In fact, the post saved Clare twice in the opening minutes. The closest …

Bridge Utd 2 Tulla Utd 1 BRIDGE United won their first-ever Clare Youths Cup title on Saturday overcoming a strong Tulla side in a tie which saw all the goals arriving in the final 10 minutes of play. Defences had been on top for most of the game with Darren Murphy outstanding for the Bridge.Darragh Fitzgerald excelled in midfield and displayed all the skills and composure that have propelled him to the junior side this year. Kieran Quinlan was very unlucky to have a goal ruled out for offside on 20 minutes and following a Jamie O’Gorman pass, Andy O’Sullivan saw his effort expertly saved by impressive Tulla keeper, Shane CollinsBridge goalkeeper Mike Fitzpatrick was equally impressive and dealt with everything that came his way. The deadlock was broken on 84 minutes when Jamie O’Gorman crossed and found Andy Sullivan free. His effort smashed off the crossbar substitute Kieran Lake was on hand to slot home.As the game entered injury …

St Josephs 1-2 Sixmilebridge 0-2 ST JOSEPH’S captured the U-14A Camogie Cup at the weekend when they defeated a fancied Sixmilebridge side in the final at Scariff. The result gave the Doora-Barefield girls their first success at this level.The wind was a deciding factor and St Joseph’s, having won the toss, played with the wind and dominated all over the field, with their first score coming from captain Doireann Hennessey in the seventh minute. Ashling McMahon’s 45 four minutes later landed in the top corner, to the delight of the St Joseph’s supporters in the stand. Their next 45 however was wide of the mark but Rebecca Devine made no mistake two minutes later when she pointed from play. Sixmilebridge were denied a goal in the 26th minute by St Joseph’s goalie Aoife O’Connor, leaving the half-time score St Joseph’s 1-2 Sixmilebridge 0-0.Sixmilebridge tried to get back into contention in the second half but lady luck was not smiling on …

ST FLANNAN’S junior camogie team completed a tremendous season on Monday when they captured the Clare Colleges title at the expense of St Caimin’s, Shannon.The game was played in Shannon and Flannan’s emerged victorious on a final scoreline of 6-11 to 3-4, adding the Clare title to the Munster and All-Ireland crowns already won.Rebecca Culligan, Sara O’Keeffe, Orla Devitt and Sinéad O’Keeffe did well in the winner’s attack while Christina Glynn, Edel Hehir Louise De Loughrey, Rachel Mulcàir and Clare McMahon did well.

Éire Óg  3-13 Doonbeg  0-6 LADIES football in Éire Óg received a huge boost following the town side’s comprehensive win over Doonbeg in the U-16D final on Sunday.A first-half tally of 1-4 from captain Katie Malone, 1-3 from Aisling Darcy and 0-1 from Orla Devitt, along with great defensive play from the back line saw Éire Óg go in at the break leading 2-8 to no score.Mindful of the fact that Doonbeg would have the advantage of a strong wind in the second half and with memories of their previous encounter, when Doonbeg overcame a large deficit to beat them, the Éire Óg girls hit the ground running from the throw-in. Orla Devitt kicked off the scoring with a great point. Doonbeg replied with a point of their own. The game ebbed and flowed, with Aisling Darcy notching up a further 1-2, Katie Malone pointing two frees and Doonbeg scoring five more points.  The game was not as one-sided as …