Sport

Podge inspired Cratloe do the double

(Peter O’Connell) Cratloe 2-12 Éire óg 0-11 NOT alone did Cratloe retain their Clare senior football championship title in front of 7,100 people in Cusack Park on Sunday, they became the first club to complete the double on the field since 1914. Sublime first half finishes from Conor McGrath and man of the match Podge Collins were the key scores. McGrath’s goal was set up by a quickly taken Collins free and with Éire óg switched off, McGrath finished calmly to the Colin Smyth’s net. Exactly half way through the first half Podge Collins jinked beyond the Ennis mens full back line and finished an exquisite goal. That put the double champions 2-4 to 0-2 ahead and in control. Earlier Collins had put over the games opening point, while Liam Markham and Cathal McInerney, from a free, added to their tally in the opening minutes. Come half time a brace of excellent Davy O’Halloran points helped Éire óg to claw their …

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McCarthy points the way for Inagh-Kilnamona

By Seamus Hayes A haul of eleven points from teenager Jason McCarthy steered Inagh-Kilnamona to the Clare junior A hurling championship title when they proved too strong for Clonlara at sun splashed Clarecastle on Saturday afternoon. A goal from full forward Dermot Gannon, eleven minutes into the game gave the winners a six point lead (1-5 to 0-2) after a quarter of an hour. P_laying with the assistance of the breeze, Clonlara fought back and when the half time whistle sounded they were just three in arrears, 0-6 to 1-6. The South East Clare side scored the first two points of the second half to move to within a point of the winners but that was as good as it got and Inasgh-Kilnamona hit back with seven unanwered points to lead by eight inside the final quarter. Clonlara made a number of changes in an effort to get back into contention but Inagh-Kilnamona had the better balanced outfit and they …

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Double chasing Cratloe to bridge century-long gap

Cratloe  and Éire Óg are certain that they are good enough to turn it on, come the 3.30pm throw-in on county senior football  final afternoon. Neither will spend much time this week worrying about their opponents. It’s hard to blame them. All each manager has to do is take a cursory glance around his respective dressing room. Each is full of vibrant, young footballers, who, if afforded a bit of space, can do damage. Neither will adopt an overtly defensive strategy beyond playing a goalkeeper and six defenders. Éire Óg manager James Hanrahan has said that playing defensively is not in his or the club’s DNA. That said, it is possible to play a subtlety defensive game, without packing Cusack Park with defenders behind your own 45’. Éire Óg will surely play at least one defensive midfielder and work towards ensuring that their half-backs stay in position, no matter how deep their opponents might forage. If the Éire Óg half-back line …

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A point decision for Cratloe will do Jerome

Little did Irish international boxer Jerome De Loughrey think when he moved to Cratloe 22 years ago that he would now be playing such a prominent part in the successes of the GAA club. A native of Kennedy Park in Limerick City, boxing and soccer were his sports back then. “Boxing was my game and I also played soccer,” the 13-time capped Irish boxer told The Clare Champion. “When I moved to live here, I started a soccer team. There was no juvenile football in the parish at the time and the lads asked me to enter a football team. I said I knew nothing about it. Nearly everyone that played soccer also played football. One of the first wins was in the U-16 C football and Sean Collins was part of that team. Colm (Collins) joined soon after that and football developed from there,” according to Jerome, who is a selector with the senior side. He has the added …

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Cusack Park for €2.5m refurb?

Seven years after a proposed move to a greenfield site came unstuck, Clare GAA is set to lodge plans for an estimated €2.5m refurbishment of its spiritual home, Cusack Park. At the end of 2007, Clare GAA clubs voted by 61 votes to eight to sell Cusack Park to the Aisling Chiosóg consortium, led by Bernard McNamara, Noel Connellan and Sean Lyne, and move to Doora. The sale price for Cusack Park was €84.4 million, a fee that would fund a new state-of-the-art stadium, with expanded capacity, a couple of miles away on the Quin Road. The plan for Cusack Park was to develop it into a major town centre retail development, at a cost of some €350 million. However, the plans hit a major stumbling block when members of Ennis Town Council rejected re-zoning Cusack Park for a commercial development. It is also believed that Green Party-led recommendations at the time, regarding building on flood plains, would have militated …

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Shannonside derby…on the double

Any meeting of neighbours Clare and Limerick in league or championship is a huge attraction and following the draw for the Munster senior hurling and football championships for 2015, GAA fans in both counties can look forward to two such meetings next summer. All-Ireland champions in 2013, Clare’s failure to retain the title was a huge disappointment. Manager Davy Fitzgerald recently announced changes to his management team for the coming season, when Clare will have to overcome three of the province’s big guns if he is to lead Clare to a first Munster senior title since 1998. In the quarter-final, Clare will face Limerick, with the winners going on to play All-Ireland finalists, Tipperary. The winners of that will then meet either defending champions, Cork or Waterford in the final. Limerick reached the All-Ireland semi-final in 2014 and were considered unlucky  not to have accounted for eventual winner, Kilkenny Meanwhile, Clare and Limerick will also be in opposition in the opening round of the …

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Clare’s magnificent seven U-21s

Seven Clare players have been named on the U-21 hurling team of the year, among them Sedna Morey, Colm Galvin and 2013 player of the year, Tony Kelly, who were on last year’s side. Tipperary’s Jason Forde has also been selected again. Five Wexford players are on the team that lost in an exciting All-Ireland to Clare, while two Tipperary men and one Galway man complete the 15. The win made history for Clare GAA, as it bought a third U-21 hurling  title in-a-row to the county. Midfielder Colm Galvin, a nominee for player of the year, is the only man to be named in the same position as he was in the 2013 Bord Gáis Energy team. Teammate, Aaron Cunningham and Wexford’s Conor McDonald are the other two in the running for this accolade. Seadna Morey is selected on the full-back line this year having been chosen at wing-back last year. Tony Kelly, gets the nod at centre forward, …

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Cratloe edge closer to historic double

By Seamus Hayes Cratloe 0-14 Crusheen 0-6 Cratloe’s dream to be the senior hurling and football champions of Clare in 2014 is very much alive. A comfortable win over Crusheen in the hurling decider this afternoon means that they are just one win away from achieving what Ennis Dals did way back in 1914. Victory over Eire Og in the football final next Sunday will not only see them retain the Jack Daly cup which they won for the first time last year, it will confirm their place as the kingpins of senior hurling and football in Clare While the hurling final won ‘t be remembered as one of the better finals, there can be no disputing the merit of Cratloe’s victory, In winning the Canon Hamilton trophy for the second time (they won their inaugural title in 2009), they justified favouritism on a day when they led from the start. Two points ahead inside the opening minute, they dominated …

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Vaughan’s red card rescinded

Crusheen’s chances of winning the Clare senior hurling title have received a massive boost with the news that one of their key players, Pat Vaughan, is available for the game. The former Clare captain was dismissed on a straight red card by match olfficial Ambrose Heagney, a minute before the end of the first half, in their semi-final with Clonlara. Dismissal on a straight red card carries an automatic one match ban at the same grade and in the same competition. Vaughan and Crusheen requested a hearing and on Monday night they put their case to the county hearings committee. On Tuesday morning they were informed that the red card had been rescinded. “We are pleased with the decision as we believe that it wasn’t a red card in the first place”, Crusheen manager, John Carmody said on Tuesday. Vaughan has played a central role in the club’s progress to this final and he was also a key figure when …

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Eleven Clare players nominated for team of the year

Eleven Clare hurlers have been nominated for this year’s U-21 Team of the Year Awards, which will be broadcast live from Croke Park on Saturday, October 11 on TG4. In addition, two players from the Clare team that won three-in-a-row All-Ireland titles, are also nominated for the Player of the Year Award. Colm Galvin has been nominated for the award for the second successive year, while he is joined by Aaron Cunningham and Wexford star Conor McDonald on the three man list. A Player of the Year from the ‘B’ championship will also be announced as part of the live broadcast. Five players who were named on the inaugural Team of the Year in 2013 are again in line to be honoured. Clare trio, Seadhna Morey, Colm Galvin and Tony Kelly, who won both the senior and young player of the year award for 2013, are looking to add this honour to the All-Ireland medals they won following their win …

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Cratloe and Éire Óg to contest senior football final

Champions Cratloe and Éire Óg will contest the final of the Clare senior football championship following their semi-final victories over Cooraclare and Kilmurry-Ibrickane respectively. Their final clash will be a repeat of the opening round which Cratloe won by three points, 2-12 to 1-12. Coincidentally, both sides had winning margins of four points at the weekend. On Saturday in Kilmihil, Eire Og were always in control in their clash with Kilmurry-Ibrickane and emerged 0-14 to 1-7 winners, with the West Clare side’s goal coming in injury time. Kilmurry-Ibrickane finished that game with thirteen men after Shane Hickey and Evan Talty were sent off while, earlier, Odran O’Dwyer picked up a black card which ended his involvement in the game. The early exchanges of Sunday’s semi-final at Cusack Park was evenly fought but, gradually, Cratloe got the upperhand and emerged with a 0-12 to 0-8 win. This result keeps the South Clare side’s dream of winning both the senior hurling and …

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Kennedy points the way for Kilmaley

By Seamus Hayes Kilmaley 1-13 Feakle-Killanena 0-13 Kilmaley are the minor A hurling champions for the third time in six years, thanks to a merited one goal victory over Feakle-Killanena at Cusack Park on Saturday afternoon. Appearing in the final for the third year in a row, they bounced back from last year’s loss to win back the title they last held in 2012. The game’s only goal proved to be a crucial score and it came five minutes before the break when the elusive Sean O’Loughlin found the net The winners went into the game with a full squad available and this meant that Sean Kennedy who missed the semi-final was back in the side. He emerged as the game’s top scorer with 0-11 to his credit, ten coming from placed balls. This was one of a number of key performances for the winners. At the other end of the pitch, goalkeeper Conan Fitzgerald was outstanding, producing three particularly …

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McGrath’s hat trick too much for Magpies

By Seamus Hayes Cratloe 4-15 Clarecastle 1-19 A contribution of 3-4 from All star Conor McGrath helped Cratloe to seal a place in the final of the Clare senior hurling championship when they overcame the challenge presented by Clarecastle at sun splashed Cusack Park on Sunday evening. McGrath struck for the first of his goals in the fifth minute and he repeated the feat two minutes from the break to help his team to a six point half time advantage, 2-11 to 1-8. Clarecastle had the better of the third quarter exchanges and closed the gap to two points entering the final quarter. Cratloe struck for their third goal twelve minutes from the end and McGrath was the provided on this occasion picking out Podge Collins with a tremendous pass and the centre forward made no mistake. Two minutes later Clarecastle’s Jamie Coughlan was picking the ball out of the net again after McGrath punished some slack defending to fire …

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Crusheen shock Clonlara

By Seamus Hayes Crusheen 0-10 Clonlara 0-8 Championship favourites Clonlara were dumped out of the Clare senior hurling title race at Cusack Park on Saturday evening when fourteen man Crusheen deservingly took the spoils. In a dour struggle, the winners showed the greater hunger for victory and were full value for their win. They were dealt a massive blow just before half time when they had Pat Vaughan dismissed on a straight red card but throughout the second half, they were the ones that looked to have an extra man. Clonlara got the opening two points of the game after which they exchanged points three times before Crusheen levelled at 0-5 each. They swapped points in injury time to leave the half time score at 0-6 each after Clonlara had shot seven wides, five more that the winners. The third quarter produced just two points, both for Crusheen and they went three clear with ten minutes remaining. Despite Clonlara’s best …

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Cathal McInerney opts for football in 2015

CATHAL McInerney has opted to play inter-county football for Clare in 2015. The Cratloe dual player, who was man of the match in Clare’s 2012 All-Ireland U/21 final win over Kilkenny, started one senior hurling championship game for Clare in 2014 when he lined out against Wexford in Cusack Park. He was introduced as a second half substitute against Cork in the Munster championship in Thurles and as a brief blood substitute for John Conlon in Clare’s All-Ireland qualifier replay defeat in Wexford Park. He joins his Cratloe club mates Podge and Seán Collins in opting to play inter-county football next year. Clare will open their division 3 NFL campaign at home to Wexford on February 1. McInerney’s decision comes in a week when Clare senior hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald confirmed that coach Paul Kinnerk, strength and conditioning coach Joe O’Connor and selector Mike Deegan have stepped down from their respective roles. Kelvin Harold will fill the strength and conditioning …

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Recent Posts

‘Fix the one percents and you’ll reach the magical one hundred’ – Hogg

2023 All Ireland Junior winner Sinead Hogg is a mainstay at the heart of the Clon defence and after a monumental battle with Eimear Bourke and Cait Devane she is ready to push on and claim the biggest camogie prize in Munster. ” Today wasn’t easy and the body is sore. It was a serious battle and in fairness to both teams it was a war of attrition. We had to just try and stay in the game at different stages because their six forwards are unbelievable players and can hurt you in the blink of an eye. It’s great to have that half back line in front of you cutting out the supply which makes it a bit easier for us in the full back line though and I think we did quite well. We were fully focused on delivering not only a performance but delivering a result and thankfully we did both.” Sinead feels as a group they have …

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‘I feel like I’m in a dream’ – Morris

Former coach to the Clare Senior set up and in his fourth year training his beloved Truagh-Clonlara Ryan Morris feels like he’s dreaming but admits this was their ultimate objective. ” I feel like I’m in a dream that I don’t want to wake up from. To see how far we’ve come from winning an Intermediate title to claiming a first ever McMahon Cup, going back to back and now a Munster final. It’s magical, it truly is. Last year we enjoyed celebrating after the County championship and the buzz around the place was incredible. The whole day out against Sarsfields was also really special but in truth we let the day be our focus and not the game itself. It wasn’t until we sat down to plan for this year that we felt the pain of that defeat. We set in motion a plan to retain our crown and have another crack at Munster but to do so we …

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Controversy reigns as Tulla denied at death

Dr. Harty Cup Round 2 St Joseph’s Tulla 0-17 Cashel Community School 0-17 After an opening day defeat to Cork school Blackrock, the pressure was firmly on Tulla to deliver in Cappamore. Showing tremendous character against a quality Cashel side they managed to stay in the game throughout thanks to an outstanding defensive display by fullback Fionn O’Gara and a series of top drawer saves from Broadford’s Jack Lovett. It was the player affectionately known as ‘Fog’ though that towered above everyone else on the field and was quite simply majestic all afternoon. Decisive hooks, critical blocks and booming clearances were the order of the day from the Clooney-Quin player. When Cashel did manage to break through the Tulla rearguard, they met a wall of resistance in Lovett. On three occasions the netminder came to the rescue, firstly denying Briain O’Donoghue with a brave point blank save in the 15th minute, then thwarting corner-forward Ryan O’Sullivan just before the interval …

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21st celebrations as Éire Óg return to helm

Clare Senior Football Championship Final Éire Óg 1-10 Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-6 “The Townies are back and we’re not going anywhere’ was the passionate concluding words to captain Aaron Fitzgerald’s speech as Éire Óg bounced back to Jack Daly winning ways in Cusack Park, writes Eoin Brennan.  Having only lost one of their last 21 matches and that to Cratloe in last year’s semi-final after penalties, the Ennis side’s third senior crown in four years was fully merited as they rolled with the punches of a difficult day weather and opposition-wise before finishing in powerful fashion. The ‘Bricks, fueled by an intriguing mix of youth and vast title winning experience, certainly made Paul Madden’s side sweat after hitting the ground running with the first three points through Keenan Sexton (2) and Daryn Callinan. However, on a day in which they almost needed a perfect performance, crucially they coughed up possession at halfway for Mark McInerney to pick out Gavin Cooney for …

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Strong Ennis performance seals win over Cobh Pirates RFC

Senior Men’s Junior League 2: Ennis RFC 26 – 6 Cobh Pirates RFC The Ennis Senior men’s rugby team were victorious 26 – 6 over Cobh Pirates during the Junior League 2. Ennis started off with a strong scrum, followed by Dylan Kenny breaking through tackles to score a converted score under the posts. Ennis’ defence stood firm and soon Joey Keane managed a huge steal with the Cobh Pirates just short of the try line. At the end of the first-half, the opposition scored a penalty, bringing the half-time score to 7 – 3. At the start of the second-half, the Cobh Pirates scored another penalty. With the score at 7 – 6, Ennis increased their defence and attack, allowing Cian Guilfoyle to score Ennis’ second try. Brendan Keane scored their third try, converted by Kenny, after a dominant Ennis scrum. With the game almost over and the Cobh Pirates on the attack, Guilfoyle intercepted on the halfway line …

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Meehan and McEvoy shine as Banner overcome Wolfe Tones

Junior C camogie final Banner 1-9 Wolfe Tones 0-9 Novel could best describe this meeting on Saturday afternoon last between Wolfe Tones and Banner in the Junior C camogie final that drew a sizable attendance to Father McNamara park.  Wolfe Tones with an experienced group of players faced up to a youthful Banner side with many dual players. Both sides had freetakers of a standard far higher than Junior C as Ciara Meehan and Sarah McEvoy shared a dozen scores over the hour. Wolfe Tones netminder Anna Brennan retired injured after 15 minutes as the Shannon side started slowly and didn’t score until the 17th minute from McEvoy with Laura Meaney adding a second Tones scores a minute later. Two further scores from Wolfe Tones in the final minutes of the half left them on four points, one behind Banner at the interval. Ciara Meehan was excellent from placed balls and missed just one over the hour. Half-time Banner (0-5) …

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Whelan and Meaney score as Clondegad lower Banner

Junior B football final Clodegad 2-11 Banner 2-8 A season of underachieving in the view of both clubs in the Intermediate championship came to an adult end in Lissycasey on Sunday afternoon in the Junior B county final decider. As with most Junior finals it can be a hazardous task to allocate a favourites tag so all was up for grabs before what was a disappointing following from the two clubs. Scores were hard to come by the opening quarter with the two sides sharing a paltry five points as Clondegad led (0-3) to (0-2) before Ciaran Connelly struck for the first of four goals in the game. Within two minutes Banner had cut the lead of Clondegad to the minimum with their first goal as long time performer Fiachra Hayes who started in place of William Bello was their shooter. Clondegad full forward Oisin Griffin won a high ball and his breaking ball was doubled to the net by …

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Éire Óg Fawle as Kevin’s goal seals final place

Junior A football semi-final Michael Cusacks 1-9 Éire Óg 0-8 Renowned Michael Cusack’s defender Kevin Fawle is not recognised as a goalscorer but should ultimate success come the way of the men from the Burren and Belharbour they will look back at Fawle’s 50th minute goal as one of the decisive moments of the year. Éire Óg will have left Corofin with deep regrets posting perhaps their least effective showing of the season that was well below their quarter-final showing against Cooraclare as Michael Cusack’s were very fortunate to get extra time before dispatching the challenge of St Breckan’s second string. Éire Óg opened the scoring with goalkeeper Cian Howard kicking over their first score from a free and he added a second free after eight minutes. Domhnall McMahon operating at full forward with others pulled out kicked over Michael Cusack’s first score just before Jack McGann and McMahon once more were on the scoresheet after 13 minutes to take the …

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Flynn and Duggan goals keep St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield senior as the ‘Bridge drop down

Senior camogie relegation final St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-9 Sixmilebridge 1-10 There was heartbreak for Sixmilebridge and jubilation for St Joseph’s in equal measure in Clooney on Saturday afternoon. Relegation to Intermediate camogie for the Bridge who in a bygone era won multiple championships as St Joseph’ chasing their first maintained their status and once more are the only Clare club to possess four senior GAA, Camogie and LGFA sides. With the LGFA county final on the horizon for St Joseph’s they did not want a low note to be played in the run up with relegation from senior camogie and set out their stall early with (2-2) in the opening half with Ciara Duggan and Siobhan Flynn scoring (1-1 each). Chloe Morey hit back between the 14th and 18th minutes with (1-2) to keep Sixmilebridge in contact as Olivia Phelan had initiated the scoring for Sixmilebridge after four minutes. Determined tackling by both sets of defenders ensured a low scoring contest as …

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Tulla fall to Harty Cup opening round loss

Blackwater Community School, Lismore 2-16 St. Joseph’s Tulla 0-20 St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla suffered an agonising two-point reverse in their Harty Cup Group 3 campaign on Wednesday afternoon. The defat, at the hands of a pacy Blackwater Community School from Lismore, leaves them under pressure to advance to the knockout stages. For all that Tulla did well in this contest, a sloppy start proved detrimental to their chances in Kilmallock, falling eight points behind inside the opening quarter. It was a position that the students, coached by Terence Fahy, Aidan Harte and Tomás Kelly couldn’t recover from fully. Even when they were on top and looked like taking the lead, they were hit with a sucker punch of a goal that filled the Lismore confidence heading into the second half. Indeed, a stunning save from Billy Murphy in the Lismore goal denied them a potential game changing goal, with Darragh White having to settle for a point instead. The …

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New Clare ladies football manager

IN a statement this afternoon Clare LGFA announced the appointment of Listowel’s Graham Shine as the new Intermediate team manager for the coming season. The former Limerick and Kerry Ladies manager has been appointed for two years, with an option of a third, in charge of the county’s flagship side. Board Chairman Sean Lenihan advised that there were a number of applicants for the post from both within and outside the County and thanked the unsuccessful candidates for their interest in the position.  He outlined Shine’s extensive experience at Club and County level over many years and wished him and his backroom team well over the next couple of years starting soon with preparation for Clare’s return to Division 2 of the National Football League commencing in mid-January. A qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor, Shine was part of former Manager Wayne Freeman’s Backroom Team last year so he knows the panel of players involved here to date. He has …

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Banner five still alive in Munster Junior Football PPS Championships

Clare’s interest in the Munster Junior (Under 17) Post-Primary Schools Football Championships have been reduced to five after a busy week of derbies in all five grades. St Joseph’s Spanish Point (C), St John Bosco Community College, Kildysart (D) and Under 17E trio St Michael’s Community College Kilmihil and St Patrick’s Comprehensive School, Shannon and Ennis Community College who are due to face each other this morning (Thursday) in Wolfe Tones at 10.45am are the only schools left in the first provincial championship of the 2024/25 season. The Frewen Cup is destined to return to Kerry for another year after St Flannan’s College bowed out at the quarter-final stage to St Michael’s Listowel by 1-13 to 1-09 in The Bog Garden in Rathkeale on Wednesday afternoon. Trailing by 1-4 to 0-4 by the break, the Ennis College grabbed a lifeline on the restart when Kieran Doyle converted a penalty. With Dara Kennedy and TJ Moore dominating the engine room, Darragh …

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Crusheen present double trouble for Parteen-Meelick

Junior A Camogie Championship Cup Final Crusheen v Parteen-Meelick at Fr McNamara Park Ennis, Saturday at 4pm (Kevin Walsh, Wolfe Tones) Momentum is the clear driving force as heavyweights Crusheen and Parteen-Meelick finally meet in earnest to decide the Junior A Camogie Championship honours. I say finally as they were forced into a dress rehearsal final group decider a fortnight ago but as expected it was merely a shadow-boxing exercise especially on the red half of the divide as Parteen-Meelick eased to a 9-27 to 0-07 win. Don’t expect the same in Fr. McNamara Park on Saturday afternoon as Crusheen, off the back of their commanding Junior A Ladies Football Final triumph over Cúil Gaels last Sunday will be determined to achieve a historic double. Parteen-Meelick were pencilled in for a ladies football final too last Saturday but being a Junior B Shield Final, they opted to put their full focus on this prestigious decider. There’s no shortage of camogie …

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Clancy crushes Cúil dreams of silverware

Junior A Ladies’ Football Final Crusheen 3-10 – Cúil Gaels 0-14 Crusheen back at the start of the century under the management of the late Michael Cullinan possessed some of the best underage players in the county winning four Under 16A titles plus Minor, Junior A and Intermediate honours finally contested a senior final joined with Kilmihil. Time moved on, players left and lean times followed but once more Crusheen are back in the Intermediate championship for 2025 following a five-point success over Cúil Gaels in Lissycasey on Sunday evening. Cúil Gaels for their part had ample scoring chances over the course of the hour and really worried Crusheen but unfortunately from the estuary’s perspective they kicked a dozen wides as opposed to just five for the title winners. At least four of the Cúil Gael points skimmed the Crusheen crossbar much to the relief of Grace Gleeson. Yet, the matchwinner was at midfield for Crusheen, namely Anna Clancy with …

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Shannon Town shade cup spoils in low-key derby

(FAI Junior Cup) Shannon Town A 2 – Bunratty/Cratloe 1 Shannon Town inched the derby spoils to book their place in the next round of the FAI Junior Cup but it wasn’t the greatest of advertisements for an early morning kick-off in Lynch Park in Shannon on Sunday. Don’t get me wrong, all the ingredients were ripe for a memorable derby as a sizeable crowd was in attendance to witness a rare clash of these neighbours while there was the added layer of new Shannon Town manager Davy Hogan playing against his former Premier winning club. However, perhaps the players weren’t given sufficient notice of the 10:30am kick-off as the teams never really livened up until the final quarter. Amazingly, there wasn’t a shot of note throughout the entire opening period and essentially it was only with Charlie Morrison’s 68th minute penalty that this prudent tie finally opened up. It was a huge relief to hosts Shannon Town who, as …

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