Sports

Senior Hurling Final - Eire Og v Ballyea

Sport

Kilmaley and Newmarket clash in another final

With both sides having a win each from their last two meetings, the clash of Newmarket and Kilmaley in this weekend’s league final is eagerly awaited.Newmarket took the spoils in the senior championship final, while in the round-robin stage of the league competition, Kilmaley came out on top by the minimum of margins. Newmarket had the upper hand at the half-way stage, ahead by four points, but consistent fouling allowed Kilmaley back into the game to take the lead. In the semi-final, Newmarket had a comprehensive win over Kilkishen, whilst Scarriff-Ogonnelloe put Kilmaley to the pin of their collars before Helen McMahon pointed with six minutes left to see them into a position to defend their league title. Newmarket will be looking to reclaim the league title and will be looking to the Kaiser and McMahon sisters, along with Deirdre Cassidy and Jennifer Kelly, to secure this, while Kilmaley will be hoping that Claire McMahon will be recovered from injury …

Clare to put on a good show in Cork

IN the summer of 1997, Clare senior sides were not a prospect other counties took lightly, as the hurlers took their second All-Ireland in three years and the footballers reached the Munster final after an unforgettable come-back against Cork.It was the pre-qualifier era and when the Banner trailed by six points, it looked like their championship was coming to an abrupt end. However, inspired by Kilkee’s Ger Keane who scored eight points, Clare took victory following Martin Daly’s last-gasp goal.A few weeks later, they took on Kerry in the Munster final and put in a respectable performance despite falling to the eventual All-Ireland champions. The dramatic semi-final victory over Cork was one of the highlights of Keane’s time in the saffron and blue, he says. “I suppose it would have been one of the games I scored most in, between play and frees. We were going well as a team and there was a very strong panel, there were a …

Sling shots at the ready but can Clare take down Goliath?

REGARDLESS of what way you analyse the Munster senior football championship clash between Clare and Cork, it is hard to escape the conclusion on paper it is a David versus Goliath affair.Reigning Munster, All-Ireland and League champions, Cork, are raging hot favourites to beat Clare in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.While Dave Loughman accepts the men from the Banner will be rank outsiders, he believes the visitors will be all fired up by Micheál McDermott and his backroom team to have a right cut at dethroning the Rebels.If all the Cork players aren’t mentally tuned in on the day and a few breaks go Clare’s way, the St Caimin’s Community College science and biology teacher believes this would increase the possibility of a surprise. He explains it may also be hard for all the Cork players to remain fully focused as some may have an eye on the Munster final, despite the best efforts of management.In spite of the daunting …

Cool running for Kilmaley man at Dundalk

LAST Friday night’s meeting at Dundalk proved a happy hunting ground for Kilmaley owner, Dr William O’Brien, as his Keep It Cool showed his liking for the all-weather surface when running out an emphatic winner of the concluding 12-furlong handicap. A 14/1 winner over course and distance under Billy Lee a fortnight earlier, Keep It Cool was ridden on this occasion by Fran Berry and, having been supported from 100/30 into 5/2, the Moyglare Stud-bred son of Spinning World ran on really well in the closing stages to account for runner-up Casbah Rock by a length and a quarter. The winner is trained in Kilmallock, Limerick by Pat O’Donnell, who explained, “Keep It Cool has been a great servant and seems to love it around here. His owner’s son, Richard, is a dentist in Abbeyfeale and he rides out this horse most mornings at home.” Looking ahead to where the seven-year-old may go next, O’Donnell added, “He won a handicap …

Form points to Avenue retaining cup title

THE involvement of Bridge United B in the Clare Junior Soccer Cup final last year was a surprise. It is not often that a B team gets to the final of a premier competition and while they ended up losing 0-3, their march to the final was a huge achievement.No doubt their involvement surprised many but few, if any, would have predicted they would be back in the final a year on. That is just what they achieved and this Saturday evening, they will come up against holders, Avenue United A, at the County Grounds, with kick-off at 6.45pm.Twelve months ago, Bridge United were chasing a league and cup double as they had won the second division league title shortly before the cup final. This year, their cup campaign has been disappointing and they go into the cup final having been relegated from the first division.As was the case last year, Avenue will carry the favourites’ tag. They were unlucky …

Shannon hosts Irish Close Championship

THIS weekend, Shannon will host the Irish Amateur Close Championship when the cream of Irish amateur golfers will be in action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.The Wednesday open singles saw Ross Walsh capture the honours with 42 points. Ross returned 22 points for his opening nine highlighted by an eagle at the second and a birdie at the fourth. A steady back nine of 20 points anchored him to victory, highlighted by a birdie at the 18th. Ross had one to spare from a duo of Michael O’Connor and Ed Hickey both on 41 points. The highlight of Mike’s round was his opening seven holes, which he covered in level par with back-to-back birdies at the first and second. Further birdies were to follow at the 10th and 13th. Mike just edged out Ed Hickey on the back nine. Ed was around in two under gross recording three birdies at the second, fifth and eighth and an eagle three at …

Manus Vieri wins top-grader

Pat McInerney from Manus won the top-graded race in Galway on Thursday night with his Manus Vieri.This was in the concluding A2-graded 525 bumper race for which the Donal Cooney-trained Varra Polly, owned by the Boys Club syndicate, went off the even-money favourite from trap two. On That Jarug set the pace from trap five to lead at the first bend from Dan Thenavigator in three and the Ennis-owned Mythical Tar in the inside lane. Chestnut Style, in trap six, made up ground going down the back to take up the running while Manus Vieri was also making progress. However, when they reached the home bend there was not much between the field. They were lined across the track and close to home Manus Vieri just got up to snatch it from On That Jarug. The son of Droopys Vieri-Baby Jean won by a neck in a time of 29.53. A half length back for third spot was Mythical Tar …

Goal-den victory

Clare 3-10 Fermanagh 1-12 Lucky to be tied 0-5 each at half time, Clare rattled in three second half goals in Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon, which helped to secure the NFL Division 3 title.The first of these goals, netted by Marie Considine, six minutes into the second half, was the score that set Clare up for victory. Eimear Considine, who flew by helicopter to Dublin after sitting an early exam at UL, found Niamh O’Dea with a cross-field ball. The Kilfenora girl ran at Fermanagh before laying off to Marie Considine, who scored with a low left foot shot. That score put Clare 1-6 to 0-6 ahead but, while they stayed in control from there on, Fermanagh didn’t stop trying to get back in the game. While Clare upped their performance considerably in the second half, their first half display was very patchy. Were it not for the paucity of their shooting, Fermanagh would definitely have been ahead at …

Goals give Newmarket the upperhand

Newmarket 4-15 Ballyea 0-11 GOALS win games and Newmarket highlighted this when they got their championship campaign off to a winning start with a comprehensive victory over Ballyea at Cusack Park on Sunday evening.They went into the game as favourites but, following their recent victory in the U-21B championship, Ballyea were expected to do well.When county minor Gearóid O’Connell won possession straight from the throw-in and raced through before forcing Kieran Devitt to save at the expense of a 65’, there was a hint that a surprise might be on the cards. County minor captain Tony Kelly converted the resultant 65’ but two minutes later, the underdogs were rocked when a defensive blunder was punished and Eoin Hayes found the net. Full-back Kevin Sheehan’s attempted handpass was intercepted and this led to the opportunity for Hayes.Ballyea’s captain, Tony Griffin, responded with a point but they were dealt another blow when Colin Ryan took a pass from David Barrett and he …

Earley inspires Tubber to merited win

THE final scoreline shows Tubber winning by the narrowest of margins but, in truth, favourites Cratloe were fortunate to be that close at Cusack Park on Sunday evening. Twelve months ago, Cratloe, then the defending champions, met Tubber in Round 4 of the championship at the same venue and the North Clare side emerged with a two-point victory. They showed the greater hunger for victory on that occasion and the same was the case on Sunday evening.A superb performance from Mark Earley at midfield was the highlight of Sunday’s game. He contributed 1-4 from play with all but a point of this tally coming in the opening half when the winners raced into a seven-point lead by the 20th minute.While Earley was outstanding on Sunday, there were others who contributed handsomely to this victory. Veteran Eamonn Taaffe finished as his side’s top scorer with 2-2 to his credit while the workrate of the team’s defence also deserves special mention.Conor McGrath …

Points shared for the second year in-a-row

A STRONG wind blowing directly down the pitch made matters very difficult for both sides at Shannon on Sunday.Neither team will be particularly happy with their play when aided by the galeforce wind but when those involved sit down this week to review the game, they will express satisfaction at the end result which saw the spoils shared.Underdogs St Joseph’s held the lead from the second minute when Ivor White scored the first point in this year’s championship race, until two minutes from time when Domhnaill O’Donovan fired over the equaliser.In between, there were some hard clashes, some missed chances on both sides and some great defensive play.The teams also shared the spoils when they met at the same venue and at the same stage in last year’s championship race.Two early pointed frees from White were followed by like scores from play from Niall DeLoughrey, Emmet Whelan and White as the Doora-Barefield men raced five points clear by the end …

CBS lose out in All-Ireland bid

Despite some impressive performances, Ennistymon CBS failed in their bid to make it through to the All-Ireland finals in the first-year basketball competition.In last Sunday’s play-offs at the community centre in Ennistymon they lost out to the group winners, Intermediate School from Killorglin, who will now contest the finals.In the opening game on Sunday morning, the home side lost narrowly to St Muirdeach’s from Ballina.They followed this with a good win over De La Salle from Waterford but Killorglin proved too strong and emerged winners.Liam Devitt was the North Clare side’s top scorer while Sean Garrihy, Eoin Leyden and Conor O’Loughlin were others to do well for the North Clare school.This Saturday, the school’s second-year girls’ team will travel to Causeway in Kerry for the play-offs hoping to make it through to the national finals, which are scheduled for the following Wednesday. On Saturday, they will play Causeway, Portlaoise and Donegal Town in the second year girls’ B play-offs. Qualification …

County team costs at €291,051

Clare GAA treasurer Bernard Keane repeated his concerns over finance when he addressed the May meeting of the county board on Tuesday night.He told the meeting that so far this year €291,051.03 had been spent on county teams with €162,051.63 on hurling and €128,099.40 on football teams. Catering has cost €82,856, travel has cost €123,643, medical €40,536.94, buses and overnights €15,977 and sports gear €10,510.“This is always a particularly difficult time of the year as all teams are in training, whereas our income doesn’t really start until later when the championships are in full swing. “Failure to get out of Division 2 in hurling and Division 4 in football was a huge blow. It cost us money to stage home games this year. If we were in the higher divisions, we would have attracted bigger crowds. My big concern is that our income won’t match our expenditure when it comes to the end of the year, he told the delegates.“It’s …

Cooney rails against outside managers

GAA President Christy Cooney is sticking to his belief that club and county teams should have local people in charge. The Cork man, who is now in the third year of his presidency, was in Miltown Malbay last Sunday for the official opening of St Joseph’s 1,200-seater stand. He told The Clare Champion that funds raised by clubs should not be spent on employing outside managers or coaches. “I look at it in a very simple way. Club members are out fundraising to keep the club going and I would hate to see a situation where that funding, which is there for the development of the club, is used to pay an outside manager. That’s not what our association is about. An example of that is the voluntary movement that exists in this club,” he said, pointing to the stand development in Miltown. Cooney is adamant that GAA identity is linked to having club members in charge of their flagship …

Favourites Éire Óg well in control

Éire Óg 1-18 Ogonnelloe 0-5 Éire Óg scored a comprehensive win over Ogonnelloe in the opening round of the intermediate championship at Dr Daly Park in Tulla on Sunday.The Ennis side played against the wind in the first half and were on the road to victory at half-time when they held a three-point lead, 0-7 to 0-4. They held the upperhand throughout the second half but had to wait until just before the full-time whistle for their goal, which came from substitute John Lawlor.Danny Russell with eight and Davy O’Halloran, with four, were the Ennis side’s main point scorers on the day. Veteran John McKenna scored three points for the East Clare side and Kieran Forde got the other two.A couple of weeks ago the sides met in the league and the Ennis outfit were also comprehensive winners on that occasion. Éire Óg: Kevin Brennan; Cathal Whelan, Marc O’Donnell, Kevin Halley; Tadhg McNamara, Fergus Flynn, Kevin Moynihan; Mark Fitzgerald, …

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Sports

Banner brilliance dominates hurling All-Star nominations

Clare’s epic 2024 season that saw them capture the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time since 2013 and the Allianz League title for the first time since 2016 sees them deservingly dominate the list of PwC Hurling All-Stars nominees announced this morning. The Banner braves are the standout contingent in the list of 45 names and have 14 players nominated across all areas of the field. In addition, star forward Shane O’Donnell is nominated for PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year where he is joined by Cork’s midfield dynamo Darragh Fitzgibbon and Limerick’s defensive rock Kyle Hayes. The PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year nominees are Clare’s Adam Hogan, Cork’s Eoin Downey and Limerick’s Cathal O’Neill. There are eight counties represented in total. The breakdown is Clare 14, Cork 10, Limerick nine, Kilkenny four, with Waterford, Wexford, Dublin and Antrim having two representatives each. Goalkeepers: Patrick Collins (Cork), Nickie Quaid (Limerick) and Eibhear Quilligan (Clare). Defenders: Adam Hogan …
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Tones just shade 12 goal thriller
Can the real Inagh-Kilnamona please stand up?
Group of Death comes alive
Intermediate predictability dashed by compelling Group 4

Intermediate predictability dashed by compelling Group 4

Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 3, Group 1 Clarecastle v Smith O’Brien’s at Páirc Micheál Uí hEithir Cratloe, Saturday 5pm, (Andy McMahon, Cratloe) They’ve met regularly in the Clare Cup and even the Magpies’ second string have battled Smith O’Brien’s but at adult championship level, this appears to be the first time that their flagship sides have clashed. It would potentially have been a heavyweight showdown if the Killaloe-Bridgetown side were at their 2021 or ’22 levels while it will still be a battle, the loss of key players to emigration for Smith O’Brien’s should mean that Clarecastle possess the better balance to shade matters and top the group. Verdict: Clarecastle Ruan v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at Crusheen, Saturday 5pm, (Jim Hickey, Cratloe) It’s only three years ago since St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield’s first team raided for five goals to floor Ruan in the intermediate semi-final. However, it’s a strong sign of the Parish that while their first team is now operating …

Clooney or not Clooney, that is the question

On initial viewing, the race for the Fr. Murray Memorial Cup (intermediate camogie) appears fairly straight-forward. After all, with all three semi-finalists from 2023 (Tulla, Whitegate and Éire Óg) and senior demotee Clooney-Quin split evenly between the two groups, the business end overtly looks clear-cut. Clooney-Quin’s senior experience along with negotiating their way to intermediate glory as recently as 2021 makes them the stand-out candidates, with Tulla currently ranking a close second having contested back-to-back intermediate finals, three if you include the replay in 2022 against eventual champions Clarecastle/Ballyea. They won’t want to see another mid-Clare side join them in the second tier but for Tulla, it’s all about learning from their previous deciders and leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of reaching the promised land of senior. Whitegate were beaten finalists to Clooney-Quin in 2021 and actually meet them first this Thursday evening at 7pm, in what is potentially a Group A decider in Clooney and the same …

Clare camogie power base is still in the East

Current kingpins Truagh-Clonlara and Scariff-Ogonnelloe may have switched roles last October after the latter’s two year reign but having clashed in the last three finals, they will be overwhelming favourites to do so once more come October 19th. It’s up to the chasing pack to alter that perceived narrative as with only the finalists seeded for this year’s race for the McMahon Cup, the groups initially appear a bit lopsided. After all, with three of last year’s semi-finalists (Scariff-Ogonnelloe, Inagh-Kilnamona and Feakle-Killanena) pooled in Group B, the fact that there are two business end berths means that one major contender has to fall at the group stages. Scariff-Ogonnelloe’s vast experience of three titles in the last five seasons makes them the forerunners to maintain their perfect group record as since bounding back to senior level in 2017, they have progressed to the penultimate stage at a minimum. That’s a seven year record that no other senior side in the county …

Doora/Barefield hit the ’Bricks for six

St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 6-10 Kilmurry Ibrickane 2-13 Senior Ladies’ Football Championship Group A Round 1 It took free kicks to finally separate these sides in the Division 1 League decider but this time it was six timely goals that ensured revenge for St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield but also a major opening boost to what is unquestionably the group of death in this year’s senior ladies football championship in Gurteen on Sunday afternoon. Such a heartbreaking means of losing a final seemed to be channelled into Sunday’s display for the Parish who were never behind at any stage despite facing into the strong conditions in the opening period. Decisive first half goals through Roisin Fowley, Lyndsay Clarke and Aoibhinn McMahon kept wind-assisted Kilmurry Ibrickane at arm’s length in the opening period, with Chloe Moloney inevitably leading the charge with seven points in what was a compelling tussle with fellow county senior Siofra Ní Chonaill at 3-5 to 0-9 by the break The …

‘There was hurling in Clonbony before there was hurling in Sixmilebridge’

When Limerick referee Johnny Murphy blew his full time whistle at the end of what was arguably the greatest All-Ireland final of all time there was naturally a huge outpouring of emotion the length and breath of this beautiful County. For the people, especially the hurling fraternity, in places like Ennistymon, Clonbony and Kilkee there was also an overwhelming sense of pride as Miltown’s Conor Cleary and Ennistymon’s Cathal Malone walked the steps of the Hogan Stand. Heroes forever more to every Clare person, be they man woman or child, these two great warriors are now the proud owners of a coveted Celtic Cross medal and their achievements will no doubt inspire a whole new generation of children to pick up a hurley and dream of following in their footsteps. Sport has always been part of the DNA of the Banner and hurling has always had a massive following all over the County. In recent weeks the John Hynes Memorial …

The rocky road to recovery

The resilience shown by Clare hurlers Ryan Taylor and Tony Kelly to battle back from serious injuries has been lauded by team physiotherapist for the last three years, Shane Malone. While Shane has attended All-Ireland homecomings in his native Kerry following All-Ireland successes, he described last week’s welcome for the Liam McCarthy Cup in Clare as “incredible”. He will never forget the hundreds of Clare hurling supporters who lined the streets and rural roads to welcome the team home, which was a real “eye opener”. “The enthusiasm and love for Brian Lohan and the team is quite different from my previous experiences. I was very impressed by the volume of support out there for the Clare team. It shows the high esteem they are held within the county. “The response from Clare fans all year has been unbelievable. There is a great connection between Brian Lohan and the county and people respond when they like what they see. “The way …

‘A special day and a special win’ – Diarmuid Ryan

The relief; the jubilation on the field when it was all over; the calm and satisfaction afterwards as Clare left Croke Park secure in the knowledge that they’d be back in a few weeks time. These were the winning moods and personas displayed among the players as they went on their way after the glass ceiling of this All-Ireland semi-final stage had finally been cracked. A first All-Ireland semi-final win over Kilkenny since 1997 and only a second championship win over Kilkenny ever; a day of atonement for the most recent semi-final defeats against Kilkenny; an All-Ireland final day out to look forward to on July 21. “It’s a special feeling for sure,” said Diarmuid Ryan. “A special day and a special win but we’re going to knuckle down for two weeks and the All-Ireland final.” As he spoke the reset had already taken place – the hoopla had died down, with Ryan and the rest of the players being …

‘We grabbed it with both hands’ – Tony Kelly

It’s a measure of the standards that Tony Kelly has set in his 13 years as a senior inter-county hurler and of his star quality that despite being subdued for the first 45 minutes of the All-Ireland semi-final that he still ended up as one of the game’s most influential players. Doing the maths tells this story – no Clare player ended up with more than him from play as he top-scored jointly with David Reidy who had a huge game in the 61 minutes of game time that he got. And for the Ballyea colossus, who has slipped into the veteran classes almost unnoticed, his three-point burst down the long home straight of this All-Ireland was a crucial part of the power-play that ultimately swamped Kilkenny and left them shellshocked at the end. And you could say that this comeback was really kickstarted by Kelly, with his opening point being the first response to the Billy Ryan goal, which …

Dominant display drives Blues to record 26th Clare Cup title

Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-19 Inagh-Kilnamona 1-11 The victor wasn’t a surprise but the manner of Newmarket-on-Fergus’ 26th Clare Cup title certainly proved to be as the roll of honour leaders had a rather bloodless final triumph in Clarecastle on Friday evening. Bridging a six year gap to their last Clare Cup crown, it was an utterly commanding display when first responding to the hammerblow of an early goaled Inagh-Kilnamona penalty to outscore them by 1-7 to 0-1 in the second quarter and carve out a match-winning 1-11 to 1-04 interval cushion. Indeed, it wouldn’t have flattered the Blues had the half-time chasm been doubled as amidst their second quarter siege, James Carrig’s side passed up four glorious goal chances in as many minutes just before the recess. Niall O’Connor was outstanding at the back, Peter Power was equally influential at the other end while Stephen Casey was also hugely effectual when switched to shadow Inagh-Kilnamona’s talisman Fred Hegarty. This was an impressive …

Kearns’ golden goal secures Division 3 Hurling League title for the Parish

St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-14 O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-17 It really doesn’t matter if you lead early in a match or are chasing the game for lengthy spells but what does matter though is who is ahead when it counts the most and that’s at the final whistle. On Sunday morning out in Tulla the men from the Parish epitomised resilience and got their just rewards for never surrendering when grabbing the lead for the only time in the sixtieth minute to practically steal a cracking league final that was played in a hugely sporting manner. It was two second strings but nobody who was in Dr.Daly Park would have guessed that as these two played out a superbly contested battle that ebbed and flowed throughout with the result in doubt right up until referee Pat Healy’s full time whistle. Level on six occasions it took a late late Conor Kearns goal to decide the destination of league honours. One could only …

Éire Óg go to town on the ’Bridge

Éire Óg 3-20 Sixmilebridge 2-14 There’s always a certain level of respect between clubs but sometimes there’s also a level of contempt that is evident for all to see. On Sunday evening this Division 2 final was practically over by the end of the opening quarter. The townies who would have genuine Canon Hamilton ambitions were going through the motions and without much exertion had eased to an eight point lead. Fast forward to the final minutes and after battling throughout the Bridge’s second team who will compete in the Intermediate Championship to their credit only trailed by nine. Gerry O’Connor’s charges are in complete and utter control with several tap over point opportunities but rather than take them they continually try to engineer another green flag to inflict more pain on their opponents. I suppose a series of high profile clashes between the clubs in recent years will have that effect and they did eventually get their third major in …

Clare set for Wexican stand-off

The distinctive stench of turpentine has permeated around the county in the last two weeks as slates have been cleaned and canvases blanked ahead of Clare’s senior hurling championship resumption in Thurles this Saturday. Following the heartbreak of a third consecutive Munster Final reverse to trophy hoovers Limerick at the same venue last time out, picking up the pieces has never been more important as they look to regather self-belief, confidence and momentum once more in the All-Ireland series. While earning the unwanted record of being only the second team ever to lose three Munster deciders to the same opposition was harrowing enough, the despondency surrounding the below-par performance made it arguably the most disappointing of all three provincial final clashes. After all, Brian Lohan’s side had exceeded all expectations to push Limerick all the way to extra-time in a Munster Final for the ages in 2022 while the Banner subsequently almost took down the champions in their own home …

Promotion the main prize for semi-final winners

Adult Football League Semi-Finals (Winner on the day) Cusack Cup Semi-Final Lissycasey v St Joseph’s Miltown at Lissycasey, Friday 7.30pm (Jim Hickey, Cratloe) Considering the seesaw form of these sides in recent seasons, it’s hard to believe that only three years ago, Miltown were Cusack Cup and Lissycasey were Garry Cup champions. All because both have been in the second tier since and are now vying for a pre-championship boost of attempting to dethrone holders Ennistymon in the final. Lissycasey were subsequently beaten finalists to Corofin in 2022, the same season that Miltown dropped to the second tier. However, having secured a first Garry Cup crown in 18 years twelve months ago, it would be a major jolt to qualify for the Cusack Cup decider once more. Meanwhile it’s 17 years since Lissycasey last contested and won their sole Cusack Cup title, a major carrot in itself this Friday evening as they look to make home advantage count. The sides …

Ballyea in a league of their Eoin after powerful finish

Under 18A Hurling League Final Ballyea 1-20 Sixmilebridge 1-11 A devastating finish saw Ballyea complete a remarkable 13 point second half turnaround to snatch their first ever Under 18A League title on the away soil of O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge on Wednesday evening. Having led for the previous 30 minutes, the ‘Bridge seemed set for victory themselves when accentuating their 0-8 to 0-7 half-time edge with a goal after only 25 seconds of the restart as good play from Stephen Gavin was finished to the bottom right corner by Donal O’Leary. However, it was if subconsciously the home side assumed that the job was done as they would be sorely second best for the remainder as the defiant visitors outscored them by 1-13 to 0-03 in the final 30 minutes. Eoin Kennedy found his range from frees while the talismanic Eoin O’Connor provided the real spark to ignite Ballyea’s challenge when fielding a Dillon Killoughery delivery to cut in from …

900 million fans shows the popularity of volleyball

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports there is with over 900 million fans worldwide. That fanbase is growing all the time and the sport consistently ranks in the top five of the most watched global sports. At the end of the month Ireland will head to San Marino for the CEV SCA (European Volleyball Small Countries Association) Championship where they will face Scotland, Malta, Northern Ireland and hosts San Marino in the group stages. The Banner County have had huge success in the sport with the Senior and Junior All Ireland titles residing in the county courtesy of the Coláiste Muire and the Munster Thunder clubs. The strength of the sport in Clare can be highlighted by the fact that four Banner players will represent Ireland in the tournament. Amy O’Sullivan, Catriona Ní Riordan, TJ Sweeney and Maria Jones will all proudly don the green jersey in Serraville from May 30th to June 2nd. Three of the girls …

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