ST JOSEPH’S Doora-Barefield and former All-Ireland-winning Kerry goalkeeper Declan O’Keeffe has told The Clare Champion that revamping Clare football’s underage player development structures should take precedence over everything else, as far as football in the county is concerned.  He says promising young players should be micro-managed between the ages of 15 and 20 in order to properly prepare them for the challenges of playing adult football at county level. This would involve a former county player or a strength and conditioning expert keeping in regular touch with a small group of promising footballers and ensuring they are undergoing the strength and conditioning work, as well as living the lifestyle necessary to play inter-county football. “We need to get in at U-14 and U-15 level and work on developing a winning attitude,” he said, before elaborating on how the micro-management system would work. “Young players must be put on the right programme. A lot of these programmes are dynamic stretching programmes, …

Kilmurry-Ibrickane 3-7 Burren Gaels 1-7Kilmurry-Ibrickane claimed the Bob Flanagan Memorial Cup at Kilmihil on Tuesday evening when they were crowned Armada Hotel Junior A champions, just 48 hours after overcoming Kilrush in the semi-final at the same venue.The winners went about their business in determined fashion. They won the throw-in, quickly released the ball to the full-forward line, where Loretta Hanrahan and Chloe Moloney combined for the latter to kick the opening score, a point within seconds of the start. Young Moloney rattled the net in the third minute after a surging run.  Just a few minutes later she fielded well and off-loaded to the impressive Ciara McCarthy, who scored Kilmurry’s second goal. With only seven minutes played, they had laid down a marker, were seven points ahead and in total control, as they owned the ball.  It was all so different to when the sides met in the Division 3 league final last June in Ennistymon, where the North …

  Kilmihil  3-12 Kilmurry-Ibrickane  1-5 ALTHOUGH the first half was competitive, Kilmihil established complete control thereafter and easily secured their place in the 2012 intermediate county football final. A return of 2-5 from Paul Reidy was pivotal to Kilmihil’s win against a Kilmurry team that didn’t pose any serious attacking threat. Reidy’s seventh-minute goal, set up by a Martin O’Leary pass, helped Kilmihil into a 1-3 to 0-3 half-time lead. That goal put the winners 1-2 to 0-0 up as Reidy from a free and O’Leary had already pointed. As comprehensive as Kilmihil’s 13-point winning margin was, they will not reflect kindly on kicking just a single point in the remaining 23 minutes after Reidy’s first goal. Timmy Ryan scored it, two minutes before half-time. In the interim, John McNamara from a free, Mark Moloney following a quick Odran O’Dwyer 45’ and Seamus Lynch scored for Kilmurry. Kilmihil kicked seven first-half wides and also missed some scoreable frees with O’Leary …

  O’Curry’s  0-14 Kilfenora  0-7 RELEGATED in 2010, O’Curry’s are now just one hour shy of regaining senior club status. While the teams were level (0-6 each) at half-time in Saturday’s intermediate semi-final in Doonbeg, O’Curry’s completely dominated the second half, outscoring Kilfenora 0-8 to 0-1. A glance at their scoring return reveals eight O’Curry’s men scored from play, although they also managed to kick 16 wides. Another area of concern for the winners, who play Kilmihil in the final, was their spurning of some scoreable frees that Ger Quinlan, Eoin Troy and Jack Scanlan will have to convert if presented with similar chances in their next game. On the plus side, several of their younger player excelled with Scanlan especially impressive at full-forward, where his mobility and varied runs befuddled the Kilfenora full-back line. Tom Downes and Eoin Brew also played well, which suggests O’Curry’s have plenty of quality players coming through. A feature of the first half was …

  Smith O’Brien’s  2-12 Whitegate  1-11 after extra time WHITEGATE will compete in the Intermediate Championship in 2013 following their loss to neighbours Smith O’Brien’s in this relegation play-off at Bodyke on Saturday evening. Smith O’Brien’s were underdogs and at the full-time whistle approached, it looked as if this view would be proven correct.With the game in the 60th minute Whitegate held a one-goal lead, 1-9 to 0-9 when Keith Stritch took a pass from Anthony O’Sullivan and fired to the net to level the game.Both sides had expressed a wish that extra time be played if required and at the end of the extra period, the Killaloe side were four points clear and had their senior status secure for the coming season.Whitegate played with the aid of the breeze in the opening half and at the break had a goal to spare, 1-6 to 0-6. The goal came just before the half-time whistle when Patrick Burke scored following a …

Miltown will have the honour of hosting the 30th Clare Senior Ladies Championship final on Sunday next between Banner Ladies, the holders, and Cooraclare takes place in Hennessy Memorial Park at 4pm. Cooraclare won their last of nine titles in 2007 when they defeated Miltown. This year, the Cooraclare/Cree girls are managed by Cooraclare men’s goalkeeper Declan Keane, Dan Sheedy and the vastly experienced Noel Lillis. Full-forward Eithne Morrissey, twice an All-Star, scored 2-2 and set up Anne Marie Callinan for their opening goal in Cooraclare’s semi-final win over West Clare Gaels. Mairéad Griffin is a seasoned campaigner in goals while Bernie Kelly has seen it all in the Cooraclare defence. Bernie, along with Anne Marie Callinan, has been a regular on the Clare county panel in recent years. Ellie O’Gorman from Kilmihil is assisting the Blues this year, as is Aideen Lineen. Last October, Ellie won the Munster skills competition. She is a minor, like Róisín Looney and Aoife …

Clarecastle and St Nicholas Parteen will contest the Junior B Championship final on Sunday. The game will be played in Miltown at 2pm as a curtain-raiser to the senior final.Both clubs are relative newcomers to ladies’ football. Clarecastle revived their club last year while Parteen took to the ladies’ football playing field for the first time ever.Just three clubs competed in the Junior B Championship but games were on a home-and-away basis, giving a minimum of four matches in the group stages.Clarecastle are unbeaten with double victories over both Parteen and Meelick and based on that and the fact that they contested the Division 3 league shield final, they will wear the favourite’s tag.Parteen lost their opening three matches but defeated Meelick in Round 4. This was the first time since their formation that they recorded a win. A play-off was then needed against Meelick for the right to play Clarecastle in Sunday’s final. Again, the Parteen ladies came out …

English raider Snow Queen landed her seventh Group 1 success of a glittering career when running out an impressive winner of last Saturday’s Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes at a sun-kissed Leopardstown.Trained by John Dunlop and ridden by Frankie Dettorri, Snow Queen (15-8) went into Saturday’s race in top form having made a successful comeback from injury at Deauville last month.As expected, Ballydoyle runner Daddy Long Legs took the six-runner field along at what was a very hot pace, so much so that the runners were stretched out in Indian file from an early stage.Heading towards the home turn, 13-8 favourite Nathaniel took over from the front-running Daddy Long Legs, with William Buick’s mount throwing down the gauntlet to his rivals in a catch-me-if-you-can manner.All the while, Dettori was stoking up Snow Queen for a run and, having poked her nose ahead of Nathaniel just inside the furlong pole, she surged clear to beat that rival by a length.St Nicholas …

Clooney-Quin 0-9 Inagh-Kilnamona 0-8In a tightly contested affair, which saw the sides level on a number of occasions, Clooney-Quin ran out winners by the minimum of margins in Clarecastle on Saturday evening in this Senior Camogie Championship game. Clooney-Quin, having won the toss, made the decision to play against the wind in the opening half. Inagh-Kilnamona led at the break 0-6 to 0-4, their scores having come from Helen Hehir, two from play and two from frees, while Fiona Lafferty, playing at centre-back, contributed two. Clooney-Quin were denied a goal just before half-time when Catherine O’Loughlin in the Inagh-Kilnamona goal made a great save. Clooney-Quin levelled matters in the second half and though the sides were level on a couple of occasions, it was Clooney-Quin who were in front by the minimum at the final whistle.Clooney-Quin: Sheelagh Daffy; Imelda Colleran, Aisling Hannon, Nicole O’Riordan; Jessica O’Neill, Orlaith Duggan, Jenny Costelloe; Christine Colleran, Claire Ryan; Marie Halpin, Deirdre Murphy, Siobhan Lee; …

Éire Óg 7-7 Ruan 3-5 A five-goal blitz from Eire Óg’s Shauna Keane ensured her team saw off the challenge of Ruan on a scoreline of 7-7 to 3-5 in the final round of the Junior Camogie championship on Friday evening at the Éire Óg grounds. Two Claire McMahon points opened the scoring for the home side followed by the first of Keane’s goals. Alice Casey’s point put the visitors on the scoreboard, with Tasha Hynes goaling in the next minute to leave a single point between the sides. Éire Óg stretched their lead with goals from Keane and Aoife Sheehan along with a pointed 45’ from McMahon following an outstanding save from Ruan’s Niamh Lyons. Ruan rallied and were rewarded with a Rebecca Crowe point and a pointed free from Casey. However, two goals and a point from the in-form Shauna Keane stretched her side’s lead. Ruan’s Brenda O’Donoghue had the last score of the half following an excellent …

Grappling guru and internationally respected Brazilian jiujitsu (BJJ) black belt Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu was in Ennis last week to share his experience at a series of seminars.‘Cyborg’ was visiting his protégé, John Eustace, the founder of Fightsports Clare, the BJJ club that trains out of Chapel Lane Community Centre.One of the fastest-growing sports in the world, BJJ is a style of grappling that focuses on leverage and technique rather than power and athleticism to apply a variety of joint locks or choke holds. It is also considered one of the cornerstones of mixed martial arts (MMA) with a large crossover between the two sports.Along with sharing some of his training secrets and techniques he has developed during his long and successful career in the top tier of competitive gi and no-gi grappling, Abreu also promoted a number of the Fightsports members. In what was a noteworthy occasion, Cyborg awarded six club members their blue belts. Craig Ryan, Emmet Lundy, Tommy …

  Inagh-Kilnamona 9-6 Éire Óg 1-2Éire Óg suffered a heavy defeat when they hosted a strong Inagh-Kilnamona side on Wednesday evening in the U-16 championship. The visitors had 2-2 on the scoreboard before Gráinne Nolan pointed a free for the home side. Two more goals followed for Inagh-Kilnamona before Nolan pointed another free and Aoife O’Neill put a cracking goal into the Inagh-Kilnamona net. The visitors finished out the first half with two more goals and a point to give them a 6-3 to 1-2 lead at the break. Having left themselves with a mountain to climb, Éire Óg battled on in the second half but, despite holding their opponents well, they failed to score. Inagh Kilnamona, on the other hand, notched up another 3-3 to ensure a resounding victory.Éire Óg: Fiona Kelly; Aoife Warren, Clare Chadda, Ciara Kennedy; Maria Redmond, Laura Browne, Sarah Redmond; Gráinne Nolan (0-2), Elana Bradley; Róisín Martin, Aoife O’Neill (1-0), Caroline Walsh; Karen Roche, Amy …

St Mary’s 22  Ennis  18 Ennis hosted St Mary’s in the Transfield Cup on Sunday and came out the wrong end of a 22-18 scoreline.The home side started well and took the game to last year’s Division 2 champions. With St Mary’s stuck in their 22, they tried to clear their lines but a wayward kick upfield was gathered by Damien Forde, who carried very well to set up a ruck. A swift passing movement followed and ended with Brandon Grant going over for an unconverted try in the corner. Ennis continued to dominate proceedings but with a rare foray into the Ennis half, St Mary’s were awarded a penalty, which was converted to make the score 5-3.Ennis responded and forced a penalty as the visitors struggled to stay onside. David Murphy converted to make it 8-3.With both teams settling into the match, the intensity increased and with that, there were more errors. When St Mary’s got into the Ennis …

There will be semi-final action in a number of Schoolboy Cup competitions during the coming week.This Saturday, the U-13 and U-15 semi-finals are down for decision.In the U-13 competition, St Pat’s will play Avenue United at Kimihil on Sunday morning at 11am while an hour later, Sixmilebridge will be the venue for the meeting of Bridge United and Moneypoint.At U-15 level, Ennis town will have St Pat’s as visitors to Ennis National School at 2.30pm, while Kilrush is the venue for the meeting of Moneypoint and Lifford at 11am.The U-12 Girls’ Cup semi-finals are listed for Monday evening. Connolly Celtic will entertain Shannon Town at Kilmaley School while Tulla United will have Lifford as visitors to the Cragg and both games will kick off at 6.30pm.In the Girls’ U-16 Cup semi-finals, also on Monday evening, Tulla will have Shannon Town as visitors to the Cragg while Bridge United will play Connolly Celtic or Lifford at Sixmilebridge.The U-12 and U-16 ­semi-finals …

THE most exciting Dunlop National Rally Championship in recent times reaches the penultimate stage on Sunday with the Ennis-based Auburn Lodge Clare Stages Rally.Three drivers, Thomas Fitzmaurice (Kerry), Brian O’Mahony (Cork) and Niall Maguire (Monaghan), all in S11 Subaru WRCs, are in contention for the Vard Memorial Trophy. This year’s series consists of eight rounds with the best six scores taken into consideration.Currently, Fitzmaurice heads the points standings on 90 points, 14 ahead of O’Mahony with Maguire eight points further back. With the dropped scores taken into consideration, the situation is much closer – Fitzmaurice and O’Mahony are equal on points, with Maguire eight points behind.Maguire is the top seed in Clare and needs to take maximum points to stay in the title race and set up a title decider for next month’s final round, the Donegal Harvest Rally. The Monaghan driver, who has won the series three times, was actually leading the last round until a sheared wheel stud …