Aherne dominates her way to Irish title

Niamh Aherne from the Kilfenora club captured the Girl 4 63kg title in the National Girls Boxing Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin last Saturday night when she comprehensively outclassed Connacht champion Ciara Sheedy from the Swinford club in Mayo.
It was a sweet victory for the 15-year-old who hails from Gort and threw in her lot with the North Clare club at the beginning of the season. There was double joy for the Aherne family when Niamh’s younger sister, Molly, took the 48kg Girl 1 (11-year-old) title by walkover.
Niamh, who had beaten Clodagh Greene from South Meath in the semi-finals held all the aces in her final with Sheedy and she dominated the three rounds from the centre of the ring.
Her left jab was unerring and two cracking right handers midway through the second round put the fight beyond the reaches of the Swinford girl, who tried her utmost to come on terms in the last round but was soundly beaten by Aherne’s speed and power.
Niamh’s clubmate and sometime sparmate, Shannon NcCormack, seeking a second Irish title, had to settle for silver after a great battle with another Mayo girl, Ciara Ginty from Geesala. Shannon held all the aces in her semi-final battle with Claire McDonagh from Castlebar and was quietly fancied to take another title for the Kilfenora club but hit an off night against the mercurial Ginty, whom she had sparred with on many occasions and lost out on a 12-5 computer scoreline.
Louise Regan captured the 91kg Girl 4 title by walkover to complete the Kilfenora hat-trick in the championships.
Sally Carrig from the Ennis club was also defending the title, which she won last year  but was beaten 8-6 by Ulster champion Austeja Aquieta from the Finn Valley club in Donegal in an absorbing final where fortunes fluctuated throughout.
Sally found herself 4-2 down at the end of the first but rallied in the second to attain parity, only to lose a point in the final seconds for a 5-6 deficit.
Despite landing three great right-hands in the third and final round she was unable to bridge the gap. Sally’s dad, Sean, who was her corner man, was pleased with her overall performance in the championships and feels she will have learned much from the title defence, unsuccessful though it was.
Sean was a double Irish youth champion in his halcyon days back in the ’80s and together with Tommy Lyons is doing wonderful work with the Ennis boxers. Both men were in Dublin, for the duration of the girls championships and were much sought after in the stadium for their refereeing and judging expertise.
The National Youths Championships are scheduled for Friday week, May 18 and 19 with the finals a week later. These are for boxers (men and women) in the 17 and 18 year age group and Clare boxers involved are Wayne Danagher and Antoinette Keane (both Ennis) and Kayleigh McCormack (Kilfenora).
There is just one outstanding fixture on the domestic front before the doors of the local community centre close for the season, which begins in September and concludes in May, leaving all the boxers to recharge their bodies and spirits through June, July and August. This event will be the Ennis UDC-sponsored ‘twinning event’ with Down and Mourne Council, which is scheduled for the weekend of May 25-27.
The Northern group will bring a team of boxers who will be hosted by Ennis Boxing club  and will box a tournament in the community centre on the Saturday evening to honour the occasion.