THIS defeat will rankle with the Clare lady footballers until they play Cavan in their next league game on Sunday week. After half an hour of free flowing, attacking football Clare led 4-7 to 0-9 in Doonbeg. Their 10-point lead looked unassailable while Galway couldn’t unearth any legal method of combating the threat of the Considine sisters and Niamh Keane in the Clare attack. In first half injury time, however, Galway hit Clare for 1-1, sandwiched between Eimear Considine’s second point from play. Still, Clare were well ahead when they returned to their dressing room, 4-8 to 1-10, and in optimum position to pick up their second Division 2 league win. Unfortunately, their second half display was nowhere near as impressive. Galway upped their game and outscored the home county 2-10 to 1-3 in the second 30 minutes, with the winners’ support play particularly eye-catching. Yet for much of the first half Galway were over-run, with Clare lethal in attack. …

GAA county chairmen and secretaries will return to Croke Park on Saturday for the next round of debate in the payment to managers debate which has been a major topic of discussion in recent times.When the topic was raised at a recent meeting of Clare GAA, the majority view of the club representatives was to support a system of “structured payments with proper expenses”Many of the speakers pointed out that payment to managers is taking place but expressed fears that the next step would be payment to club managers and then players.In a discussion document recently the association’s director general, Padraic Duffy presented three options: (1) to continue the current policy whereby the association is aware that its rules are being broken but do nothing about it; (2) to implement fully the association’s existing policy, rules and guidelines on its amateur status or (3) to introduce a system of regulated payments to senior inter-county managers.Officials representing Kerry, Kilkenny and Galway …

A tough, bullying performance saw Ennis kickboxer Ethan ‘The Animal’ Kerin go 2-0 in full contact competition on Sunday when the Phoenix Kickboxing Club fighter beat Stephen Murphy in a heavyweight tilt at an event in the Menlo Hotel, Galway.Only his second time in the ring, Kerin showed poise, power and a phenomenal workrate to outmuscle and out-class his taller opponent using sweeps and turning kicks throughout the three two-minute rounds to devastating effect.Weighing in at 108kg, the Ennis fighter did not have long to blow out the cobwebs up against his tough opponent who fights out of the Black Dragon club in Gort. Standing 6’3” Murphy’s plan to use his long jab proved ineffective in the face of Kerin’s superior strength and movement. The Ennis fighter, cornered by trainers Adam Leyden and Seamus Geoghegan, never took a backward step and by the end of the second round it was clear he was well on top on the judges’ cards. …

Although Doonbeg’s David Tubridy scored 0-6 in Munster’s Railway Cup semi-final win over Leinster last Sunday, there isn’t much chance of it going to his head. Laois man Cahir Healy was Tubridy’s marker and the corner-back managed to sally up field and score Leinster’s only goal.  “I’ve heard a lot about that,” Tubridy laughed, talking to The Clare Champion this week. Gary Brennan played at midfield, alongside Seamus Scanlon, while Miltown’s Gordon Kelly was on the bench. Seven Division 4 players started for the winners, while the Clare, Limerick and Waterford full-forward line scored 1-10 of Munster’s 1-16 total. Gary Hurney and Ian Ryan joined Tubridy in the full-forward line. “It was like playing Division 1 football. The pace of the game was totally different to what I’m used to. It was a great experience. There was great ball coming in. When you’ve Paul Kerrigan and Paddy Kelly kicking you in the ball, they just know what to do. They’re …

Ten teams will compete for the 2012 O’Gorman Cup, set to get underway on Saturday, March 10.Ten teams will compete this year, been divided into two groups of five. Group one comprises holders Kilmurry-Ibrickane, hosts Doonbeg, Cooraclare, Shannon Gaels and Lissycasey.Coolmeen will make their debut in the competition and have been drawn in group two, along with Kilrush, St Joseph’s (Doora-Barefield), Miltown and O’Curry’s.In round one Lissycasey entertain Shannon Gaels, Cooraclare will have home advantage against Doonbeg, Coolmeen entertain Kilrush and St Joseph’s will have Miltown as visitors while Kilmurry-Ibrickane and O’Currys will have byes. Subsequent rounds are scheduled for March 24, April 14, April 28 and May 26.The competition will be for teams of 15 and any player that plays for Clare in the league will not be eligible to play in the O’Gorman Cup. The top two teams in each group will go through to the semi-finals. In the event finishing on equal points, two teams, the result …

There was mixed luck for Munster in the Martin Donnelly Inter-provincial Championship semi-finals last Sunday. Footballers Gary Brennan and David Tubridy were key players as Munster accounted for Leinster and qualify for a final date with Ulster on this Sunday at the athletic grounds in Armagh.Brennan played at midfield with Tubridy lining out in the full-forward line from where he kicked 0-6, three from play. Gordon Kelly is also a member of the panel. Meanwhile, newly appointed Clare hurling captain Pat Donnellan along with John Conlon were in the Munster hurling team that lost out to Leinster at Nowlan Park. Both received a late call up to the starting 15 and lined out at centre-back and corner-forward respectively. Conlon contributed 1-4 to his side’s tally. Cian Dillon was also a member of the Munster panel.  

The staging of the All-Ireland Youths Darts championship at the West County Hotel, Ennis, last weekend was “an outstanding success” according to Clare manager Kevin Corry.“We were disappointed that the Clare teams didn’t win but they were very unlucky and only missed out by a few points. In fact, our A team were in the same group as the eventual winners, Dublin, and the runners-up, Galway. We just lost narrowly to both,” he said this week.There were four groups, two of five and two of four. Clare A were in a four team group with Dublin, Galway and Tipperary B.“We were drawn against Dublin in the first game and we knew that this would be very tough. We just lost out on a 3-2 scoreline,” he explained. Team captain Dara Clancy and Stevie Considine were the Clare winners.In their next game against Galway, Clare lost 4-1 with Brendan Casey recording Clare’s point. They went on to record a 4-1 win …

Three Clare clubs were in Munster Junior Cup action on Sunday and when the day’s fare concluded, only one was still standing.In advance of the games, few would have predicted that East Clare club, Scariff would be the only ones to progress but they caused an upset when beating the more fancied Ennis.Three weeks ago, the sides had clashed in the league and on that occasion Ennis came out on top. They were expected to repeat that win on Sunday but Scariff clearly learned from the league game and deserved their win on this occasion.The home side dominated the first 25 minutes of this game but after all their pressure, they only held a 3-0 lead, thanks to a David Murphy penalty. Discipline was a problem for Scariff in the first half and this led to a number of penalty opportunities for the home side. Ennis took the lead in the fifth minute but missed further penalties in the eighth …

Thirteen second round games in the race for the Prago Clare Junior Soccer Cup dominated the domestic scene on Sunday and only one penalty shoot-out was required.Ahead of the weekend’s games, Lifford B were already into the last 16 following the withdrawal of Manus Celtic A from competition.Bridge United A have followed them into round three without kicking a ball after they received a walkover from Cooraclare Celtic, whose participation in competition for the remainder of the season must now be in question.Four of the weekend’s games needed extra time and in one of these, Bridge United B, beaten finalists for the past two seasons, came out on top over higher ranked opposition.The biggest surprise on Sunday was the defeat of premier outfit Burren United on their home patch in Lisdoonvarna by Hermitage B.Holders Avenue United and league leaders Newmarket Celtic A both recorded easy wins against Ruan United and Moher Celtic respectively, while Lifford A were comfortable winners over …

AVENUE’S great season at schoolboys level took a step further on Saturday when the U-12s advanced to the last 16 in the National Norton Cup.A 1-0 win over Granada from Dublin was fully merited when the sides clashed at the County Grounds in Doora.As a result of the victory, the Ennis side will now play the highly rated Maree-Oranmore from Galway, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.A very strong wind made conditions difficult for both sets of players on Saturday. The wind favoured the visitors in the opening half but it was the home side who made what proved to be the vital breakthrough when Conor McDaid scored with just under 15 minutes played.After good work by Ronan Lanigan, the ball was won by McDaid, who was fouled on the edge of the area. McDaid took the resulting free kick and shot low to the corner of the net.There was little between the sides for the remainder of …

ROUND three in the Mid-West Alliance took place at Dromoland at the weekend when Martin Ward won the gross with 69.The Ennis Golf Club professional recorded birdies on the seventh, ninth, 13th and 15th. After two cautious shots to within 112 yards on the picturesque par five finishing hole, Ward proceeded to hole out his well-struck pitching wedge for an eagle and a winning three under par 69 around the demanding but fair Dromoland Castle Course.In second place was Seamus McEnery from the host club with 71, followed by Timmy Rice (Limerick) and Paudie McGrath (P&M Golf Superstore), both with 73.In the nett category, Nicky Duggan (5), Dromoland was the winner with 71 from Declan O’Leary (6), Dromoland, with a similar score. Nearest the pin on the seventh was Jason O’Donnell (Shannon), while nearest the pin on the 13th was Mike Kemmy (Limerick).Both already won this category in previous weeks.The final round is on Sunday, March 4 and Tony Cleary, …

Fixtures for the 2012 season were ratified at a special meeting of Clare Camogie Board last Wednesday night. Following on from suggestions put forward at the club forum in October, the fixtures committee proposed changes that will see the senior championship finalists kept apart at the group stage, an earlier start for the minor championship, a June start for the U-16 championship as opposed to August, delaying the start of the U-14 championship to August and the introduction of an U-13 championship and an U-16 spring league. The fixtures committee put forward their proposals to a well-attended meeting and all proposals for the 2012 playing season were adopted. The U-16 league will be finalised at the March meeting, whilst the minor championship format will be ratified after congress at the end of March, due to a motion that may see a change to the age rule. Currently, players have to be over 14 to play at minor level. However, proposals …

IT won’t be the end of the world for whichever side doesn’t win this Saturday’s clash between Clare and Limerick, according to one of Limerick’s all-time greats, Eamonn Cregan.Speaking this week, the former Limerick star, who served as manager with both Clare and Limerick, said, “It will take time for these teams to develop into strong championship contenders. They are both young teams but it will take time.“It’s a very sore point in Limerick to have been put back down to 1B having won promotion. It’s typical bureaucracy but it’s over and done with now,” admitted the Claughaun man, who won an All-Ireland senior medal with Limerick in 1973.He agrees with Davy Fitzgerald that the Waterford Crystal competition has no signficance with regard to the league. “It’s used as preparation and to blood players. In our time, we used the league as preparation for the championship.”Limerick’s aim for the league must be to build on last year, he said. “We …

AN extraordinary general meeting of the Clare Schoolboys Soccer League on Monday night ratified a new set of rules for the league.The new draft came about after meetings between SFAI secretary Martin O’Hanlon and members of the league. O’Hanlon returned this week with the new draft, which the delegates ratified.The new rulebook includes a rule that states to serve on the league one must be a member of a club that participates in the schoolboy league. At present, some members of the executive are members of clubs that do not have a schoolboys section.It is understood that a motion will be before the annual general meeting of the league next Monday at the Auburn Lodge Hotel at 8pm seeking to change that rule to state that it will suffice to be a member of a club.Ronnie Pyne and Tommy Molloy are nominated for the post of chairman next week, while Tom Egan and Frankie Gormley are both nominated for the …

The National Senior and Junior Inter-Club Cross Country Championships will take place in Santry Demense this Sunday. There will be four races on the programme, starting at 1pm with the junior ladies’ 6,000m, followed by the junior men’s 8,000m, at 1.30pm, the senior ladies’ 8,000mat 2.15pm, with the final race of the afternoon the senior men’s 12,000m at 2.45pm. The senior ladies will see a big number of new names in action, with Mary Cullen (Sligo AC), the national indoor 1,500m champion taking on the European cross country champion Fionualla Britton (Sli Chulainn AC, Wicklow), Ciara Mageean (Belfast), along with Jolene Byrne (Donore Harriers), Rosemary Ryan (Bilboa), Marie McCambridge (Dundrum South Dublin), Niamh O’Sullivan (Riocht) and Orla O’Mahoney from Ennis, now running with Raheny Shamrocks, Dublin.The senior men’s race will be the highlight of the day, with all the top middle-distance athletes going to the starting line with Joe Sweeney (Dundrum South Dublin), the All-Ireland inter-counties champion, who finished fifth …