County titles for O’Rourke and O’Neill

The Clare Community Games Cross-country U-10 4x250m relays and U-13 1,200m were held at the Lees Road Sports Complex on Saturday.
A total of 33 boys and 27 girls took part in competitions co-ordinated by Margaret McCarthy. The national finals will take place in Athlone on the weekend of May 27-29.
The girls U-10 relay title went to Cooraclare-Cree with Clarecastle-Ballyea second, Miltown Malbay third and Ennis St John’s fourth.
The boys’ title was won by Ennis St John’s with silver going to Quin-Clooney, bronze to Ennistymon-Liscannor and the fourth placed certs to Doora Barefield.
Alex O’Neill Quin-Clooney won the girls U-13 cross-country with Miltown Malbay taking the team title. Jamie Patrick O’Rourke Ennistymon-Liscannor won the boys U-13 title with Miltown Malbay taking the team title.
In the girls U-13 1,200m, there were over 20 competitors and there were five places up for contest to represent Clare at the national finals in Athlone in May.
Three athletes made an early break and Alex O’Neill, Quin-Clooney made a very decisive break with 300m to go. She held that all the way to the finish with Caoimhe Hogan, Ennistymon-Liscannor running a fine race to take second spot followed home by Áine and Emer Keane, both Miltown Malbay, and Emily Cahill, Kilmaley-Connolly-Inch.
The team title went to Miltown Malbay with Áine and Emer Keane, Amy Sexton and Hannah Shannon for a total of 38 points followed by Cooraclare-Cree on 57.
In the boys U-13 1,200m 30 competitors went to the starting line and Patrick O’Rourke, Ennistymon-Liscannor and Luke Carmody, Doora Barefield made all the early running. With 600m remaining, Patrick O’Rourke produced a storming finish to take the title from the East Clare cross-country champion Luke Carmody with Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Miltown Malbay third followed in fourth by Cian Shannon, Miltown Malbay and fifth Sean Rouine, Ennistymon-Liscannor.
The team title went to Miltown Malbay with Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Cian Shannon, Ben Whelehan and Oisin Looney for a total of 34 points followed by Ennistymon-Liscannor with Cooraclare-Cree third and Kilrush fourth.

Results
Girls U-13 (1200m)
1. Alex O’Neill, Quin -Clooney; 2. Caoimhie Hogan, Ennistymon-Liscannor; 3. Aine Keane, Miltown Malbay; 4. Emer Keane, Miltown Malbay; 5. Emily Cahill, Kilmaley-Connolly-Inch; teams: 1. Miltown Malbay = 28pts; 2. Inch-Connolly-Kilmaley = 38pts.
U-13 boys (1200m)
1. Patrick O’Rourke, Ennistymon-Liscannor; 2. Luke Carmody, Doora Barefield; 3. Caoilfhionn O’Dea, Miltown Malbay; 4. Cian Shannon, Miltown Malbay; 5. Sean Rouine, Ennistymon-Liscannor; teams: 1. Miltown Malbay = 34pts; 2. Ennistymon = 37pts; 3. Cooraclare-Cree = 75pts; 4. Kilrush = 97pts.
Girls U-10 Relay 4x250m
1. Cooraclare-Cree (Niamh Conlon, Shauna O’Gorman, Niamh Burke, Sinead Lillis); 2. Clarecastle-Ballyea (Emma O’Donoghue, Emma O’Brien, Saigh McDermott, Moya Sheehan); 3. Miltown Malbay (Sarah Looney, Nadine Pender, Meadbh O’Malley, Siofra O’Dea); 4. Ennis St John’s (Niamh Cassidy, Aveen Hahessy, Amidat Karimu, Ciara Meehan).
Boys U-10 relay 4x250m
1. Ennis St John’s (Jack O’Connor, Hugh Connolly, Shane Meehan, Sultan Akinwale); 2. Quin-Clooney (Shane Harrison, Pierce Griffin, John Conneally, Noah McConway); 3. Ennistymon-Liscannor (Liam Cotter, Niall Hogan, Diarmuid Fahy, Brendan Rouine); 4. Doora Barefield (Matthew Power, Cian Lahiffe, Jack Power, Darragh Nagle).

Tight finish in U-13 basketball
The girls U-13 basketball competition was played in Ennistymon on Sunday last, co-ordinated by Stephen Leigh.
There was a high standard of play and some of the matches were decided by the smallest of margins.
Host side, Ennistymon-Lahinch-Liscannor emerged as the winners, beating Cooraclare-Cree in the final by just one point. They will now represent Clare in the Munster finals on Saturday March 31 in University of Limerick.

Results
1. Ennistymon-Lahinch-Liscannor: Eibhlis O’Looney, Caoimhe Hogan, Aoibhin Fahy, Catriona Bucholts, Claire Callinan, Maria Fitzgerald, Karen Hillery, Sadhbh O’Meara and Áine Howley.
2. Cooraclare-Cree: Alannah Mullins, Amberlee Toumanguelov, Caoilfhionn Morrissey, Eabha Kelly Killeen, Eimear Griffen, Megan Downes, Róisín Keating, Sarah Looney, Shauna Morrissey and Róisín O’Connell.
3. Clarecastle-Ballyea: Alice Keane, Ellen Lynch, Clodagh O’Meara, Sinead  Hennigan, Ciara O’Brien, Emily Barry, Cathy Casey, Aoife Duggan, Lauren Costelloe and Aileen McInerney.
4. Cratloe: Niamh O’Leary, Aoife O’Brien, Ava Cunningham, Niamh Murphy, Jody O’Holloran, Caoimhe McNamara, Aoife Murphy, Tierna O’Shea, Ava Gardener and Sarah McMahon.

Munster draws
The draws for the Munster finals on March 31 were announced this week.
Badminton: Clare v Cork (semi-final)
Chess: U-12 Clare v Waterford; U-16 Clare v Cork.
Draughts: U-10 Clare v Tipperary or Kerry; U-12 Clare v Kerry; U-14 Limerick v Clare
Handball: boys U-13 Tipperary v Clare winners to play Kerry; girls U-13—Limerick v Clare; Boys U-13, Cork v Clare; Girls U-15 Clare v Limerick or Cork.
Soccer: indoor boys U-13 Clare v Cork or Limerick; girls U-13 Kerry v Clare; indoor boys U-15 Clare v Limerick or Cork; girls U-15 Limerick v Clare or Kerry.
Table tennis: boys U-13 Clare v Tipperary; girls U-13 Clare v Limerick; boys U-15 Cork v Clare.

Talent
Sixmilebridge-Kilmurry Community Games held their area talent finals last Wednesday.
The events included solo and group music, solo and group singing, solo and group disco-modern dance and recitation and all first and second placings go on to participate in the county finals on Sunday, March 25, in Sixmilebridge GAA hall

Important dates
Sunday, March 18: Badminton at Cratloe 2pm.
Friday, March 23: Mini rugby at St Flannan’s College at 4.30pm.
Culture Corner at Sixmilebridge at 6pm.
Choir at Sixmilebridge at 7pm.
Sunday, March 25: Talent competitions at Sixmilebridge at 9am.
Friday, March 30: Quiz at St Flannan’s college at 7.30pm.
Saturday, March 31: Munster finals at UL.
Sunday, April 1: Tag rugby at St Flannan’s College U-11 at 11am and U-14 at 1pm.
Friday May 27-Sunday May 29: National finals at Athlone (weekend one).