Clare clubs represented at All-Ireland 7’s

BANNER Ladies’ Football Club hit the road this weekend when both the seniors and the U-14s participate in All-Ireland seven-a-side competitions in Dublin.
Both teams will part company at the Red Cow as the seniors, who are the current All-Ireland Intermediate Champions, head north for Naomh Mearnóg/St Sylvester’s in Portmarnock and the U-14s head south to the Kilmacud Crokes grounds in Stillorgan to join teams from all over the country.
Banner have taken the laurels in the Kilmacud Crokes’ U-14 All-Ireland seven-a-side competitions only once, in 2006, when they also claimed the Football Féile Division 1 title, which they had previously won in 2005 and 2001 at Division 2 level. The seniors have just attained their third county championship in four consecutive appearances and are pencilled in to meet Cappawhite in the Munster Senior B Club semi-final on October 1. The Banner beat Cappawhite in last year’s All-Ireland seven-a-side intermediate final, adding another element of spice to the Munster club match. Banner Ladies will compete at senior grade this year and will meet Bryansford (Down), St Ultan’s (Meath), Clann Gael Fontenoy (Dublin) and Caherlistrane from Galway. The Doonbeg junior A county champions also travel to the same event this weekend.
Doonbeg will participate in the Junior 7s where they are grouped with Aghada (Cork), Clontarf (Dublin), Beagh (Galway) and Carryduff (Down).
On Sunday, the All-Ireland finals will take place at Croke Park and will be broadcast live on TG4. At 12 noon, New York and Wicklow contest the junior final, Cavan and Westmeath will be in action in the intermediate final at 12 noon, while at 4pm, Cork play Monaghan in the showpiece of the year. Cork, who hammered Clare in the Munster semi-final, had a one-point win over the holders Dublin in the quarter-final.

Munster Club
Shannon Gaels are preparing for the Munster intermediate club semi-final in which they play Bride Rovers of Cork on Saturday week. On the same day Banner Ladies will play Cappawhite from Tipperary in the senior semi-final.