THE Clare Soccer League’s schedule of games was postponed again at the weekend because of the inclement weather.League officials made the announcement on Saturday as temperatures dropped, leading to frost. All the indications are that the season will re-commence this weekend when league action will dominate.However, there are some interesting fixtures listed in both the Munster youths and junior cups.In the fourth round of the youths competition, Avenue United travel to Ballyphelane in Cork to play Kilreen Celtic on Saturday (kick-off at 2pm).On Sunday, there are two Munster Junior Cup games scheduled for Lees Road. In a third-round tie on Sunday morning, kicking off at 11am, Avenue United and Newmarket Celtic will meet. This fixture has already been cancelled twice due to the poor weather in recent weeks.Lees Road will be the venue on Sunday afternoon (2.30pm kick-off) for the clash of Rock Rovers and Pike Rovers in a fourth-round tie and while the Limerick side will carry the favourites’ …

FORMER chairman, Jack Chaplin has returned as chairman of Cratloe GAA Club. He takes over from Pat O’Gorman, who replaced him in the position three years ago.At a well-attended annual general meeting in the boardroom of the sports hall last week, O’Gorman stepped down after completing his three-year term. Many tributes were paid to him for his work during the most successful period in the club’s history.Eileen Murphy takes over from Dublin-based James Enright as the club’s assistant treasurer. Otherwise, the executive is unchanged from last year.The meeting was told that the finances are in a healthy state and tributes were paid to treasurer Mary Considine for her work, while the support from people of the parish was acknowledged.The meeting decided to consider the possibility of fielding a junior football team and also the provision of a second playing field.The following officers were elected: patron, Fr Liam Enright; president, Joe O’Gorman; vice-president, Jim Enright; chairman, Jack Chaplin; vice-chairman, Fintan Ward; …

THE annual New Year’s boxing match between Ennis and Galway’s Olympic Boxing Academy (OBA) at the community centre in Ennis last Saturday produced the usual mix of sparkling action, precision punching and sometimes frenetic toe-to-toe slugging as if each combatant was looking to lay down a marker for the year ahead.The result came right down to the last contest of the evening with Ennis fighter, John McDonagh boxing conservatively against John Donovan from a first-round 5-4 lead to maintain the precious lead right to the final bell for a smashing victory. Victory seemed a remote possibility for the Ennis side when they fell behind 5-0 in a dismal start that saw two of their ultra-reliable performers, Davy Keenan and Luke Carmody, lose to Francie Barrett and Brian McGinley respectively. When coaches Danny Fitzpatrick and Seán Carrig took a time out to urge their charges, the response was emphatic from the boxers.Jim McDonagh, younger brother of the aforementioned John, pulled out …

The news this week that Brian O’Connell, Clare senior hurling captain for the last three years, has emigrated to Australia has come as a blow to Clare hurling and, particularly, to his club Wolfe Tones.O’Connell is arguably the highest-profile GAA player to emigrate in recent times but news of the numbers travelling abroad and to Australia in particular, will not come as a surprise.Back in November, Clare GAA chairman Michael O’Neill told the monthly county board meeting that “emigration is a major problem for GAA clubs across Clare and, indeed, across the country. This is something that we have been looking at and there is no club that isn’t and won’t be affected, particularly in the next six months, when a lot more are expected to leave”.Back then, some 200 members from clubs across the county had left, according to a survey carried out by Clare GAA. It is estimated that the number has increased substantially since and there are …

Inter-county players have a responsibility to bring on younger players, according to former Clare senior hurling manager Ger Loughnane.“All of us went through that and all of the senior players in the 1990s regarded that as a huge responsibility. Some of the players that should be there in Clare at present, like Tony Griffin and Tony Carmody, have really let the county down,” the Feakle man said in an interview on local radio last week.Loughnane expressed the belief that the good times are not far away for Clare at this time but he said the lack of experienced players is a hindrance. “Getting out of Division 2 is very important. It can be like a quagmire and the longer you stay in it, the harder it is to get out,” he said before going on to compare the current Clare team to the team of 1992-’93 when there were a lot of young players coming into the team and gaining …

The Munster Senior and Junior Indoor Championships were held at the Nenagh Indoor Arena at the weekend and Clare athletes gave outstanding performances when taking five gold, two silver and two  bronze medals. In the junior ladies’ 800m and 1,500m Harriett Flynn (Shannon) produced two outstanding performances when she led from start to finish in the 800m with a time of 2mins.23.40secs and later on in the afternoon again led all the way in the 1,500m and recorded a very good time of 4mins.53.23secs.Suzanne Kelly (Kilnaboy), who competed in the junior ladies’ long jump, captured a bronze medal with a leap of 4.59m.In the junior men’s 800m, Darragh Lynch (Ennis Track) had to work hard to hold onto the silver medal spot over the final lap, with a time of 2mins.04.07secs. Cian O’Brien (Marian) made a welcome return to competitive action and was in the bronze medal position 100m from the finish but just faded out to finish fifth in …

Twenty-one years after he started propping for Bruff RFC as a 13-year-old, Cratloe’s Gearóid Ryan picked up a Munster Senior Cup medal on January 2. Bruff beat Garryowen 23-19 to bring the senior cup home for the first time in the history of the club. Bruff beat Shannon and Cork Con in the earlier rounds.   “It was a great win for a club who came up through the ranks and to beat the teams we did on the way to the final,” Gearóid, who runs the family business in Sixmilebridge, reflected. “Years ago as team-mates we used to go and watch the senior cup final. “It was something you’d only dream of. We used to regard the matches against the bigger clubs as a good training session when we played the likes of Cork Con,” he added. Gearóid started playing for Bruff when the club heard that the then St Munchin’s pupil could prop and they were a man down …

The Clare boys’ juvenile county singles A handball finals were held over the past week and saw some great matches across the age groups. The U-12 decider was an all-Kilkishen affair, with Tiernan Agnew defeating Gary Cooney in a tie-breaker. Both U-15 finalists were also from the Kilkishen club, with Sean Donellan overcoming Jacob Loughnane in a match that also went to the third game. Clarecastle’s Jack Hayes is U-13 champion after beating Tulla’s Shane Hunt while the U-14 final between Fergal Coughlan (Clooney) and Liscarroll winner Brian Fahy from Tulla was postponed due to injury. Tulla man Niall Bolton defeated his All-Ireland-winning doubles partner Barry Nash to take the U-16 crown while Glen Murray of Newmarket took the U-17 decider after an entertaining match with Aidan O’Gorman (Kilkishen).Meanwhile, the prestigious Liscarroll club annual U-14 tournament took place recently at the Cork venue. With a large entry from right across the country, Clare had great success, with Banner players taking …

Limerick and Galway greyhound racing stadiums will be among the 10 tracks across the country to stage a meeting on Saturday, February 26 in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland. This will be the first multi-venue family benefit night hosted by the Irish Greyhound Board in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland. The event will take place across 10 locations – Limerick, Cork, Tralee, Galway, Mullingar, Dundalk, Dublin, Newbridge, Thurles and Waterford, with all funds raised being distributed both nationally and to regional branches of Down Syndrome Ireland.Tickets to this family friendly evening will include access to the races on the night plus a race programme.  All venues taking part will have entertainment, goodie bags for children and auctions as well as all the thrill of the races. There will be a fantastic weekend break for two up for grabs at each venue, courtesy of Select Hotels Ireland. Orla Strumble, head of marketing for the Irish Greyhound Board, outlined that this is …

Newmarket-on-Fergus trainer John Brassil tasted success as his Betheholygobbs sprung a 14/1 shock under Kerry jockey Tim Doyle in the www.thurlesracecourse.ie Handicap Chase at Thurles last Thursday. In front three out, Betheholygobbs looked beaten when headed at the second last by Burnt Oil Babe but the son of Insan rallied again close to home, putting his head in front on the run-in to beat that rival by three lengths. Remarkably, this was Betheholygobbs’ first racecourse success on his 20th attempt since he won a point-to-point at Avaune back in December ’07. Brassil, who trains the winner for Castletownroche, County Cork farmer Eddie Farrell, was thrilled that his charge finally broke his duck. “It’s great for the owner, he has been a very loyal patron of mine over the years. As a jockey, I rode Hamers Flame to win the 1983 Galway Plate for him and he was also involved in How’s The Boss, whom I trained to win the then …

In the view of Clare’s most successful hurling manager, the county is on the verge of getting back to the top of the senior hurling ladder at national level.“We now stand at the cusp of our next potentially successful team with Clare. In the next three or four years a chance to win an all-Ireland for Clare is going to come. That is an absolute certainty. It’s a certainty that is brought about by the amount of talent in Clare at the moment,” Ger Loughnane told a large gathering when he presented medals to the Munster minor hurling champions at the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis, at the weekend. “This is reinforced by the fact that the county board we have now is probably the best we have had in my time, from minor to now. The work they are doing in Tulla in developing facilities along with what has been done in developing a huge pool of great coaches, is …

Three-hundred people attended a gala function at the Auburn Lodge Hotel last Sunday night when the members of the Clare minor hurling team that won the provincial title last July were presented with their medals.Clare GAA chairman Michael O’Neill told the players that they, combined with the U-21s of last year “are the future of Clare hurling”.“We are not too far away from a senior All-Ireland title. We will win one in the not-too-distant future. There is a lot of work going in at development level, in the game and in facilities, which will bring success at different levels.  We have the management and the clubs and I have no doubt that we will have senior wins,” he said.Sean Walsh, chairman of the Munster GAA Council, said, “This is a special night for Clare and particularly for the players.” A Kerry minor selector for five years, the provincial council official told the players that the friendships they made this year …

Galway 3 Clare 1 CLARE’S Oscar Traynor outfit travelled to Terryland Park in Galway last Thursday knowing that they had to beat the home side to have any chance of remaining in the race for this year’s Inter League Junior Cup title. A goal ahead early in the final quarter, things looked good for the visitors, last year’s beaten finalists but it wasn’t to be and this defeat means that Clare are out of this year’s Oscar Traynor Cup title race.Having lost to Limerick in their first match at the County Grounds in Doora, Clare needed to beat Galway to remain in the competition and the importance of victory was evident in their play from the outset.When Clare officials sit down to review this tie, they will point to some decisions by the home county officials as being amongst the reasons for their defeat. They had two penalty claims waved away in the opening half while a dubious free kick …

QUIN trainer Donie Hassett enjoyed the best possible start to 2011 when his improving chaser Droim Toll landed the featured €28,500 Porterstown Handicap (Grade C) Chase at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day. A dual point-to-point winner, Droim Toll went off at odds of 10/1 in this three-mile, five-furlong test and was given a smashing ride by the talented Paul Townend. Held up for the most of this marathon trip, Droim Toll began to make eye-catching progress as the 15-runner field turned into the home straight. Jumping two out, Droim Toll was really motoring on the stand side, finally putting his head in front when Edward O’Grady’s 6/1 joint-favourite Rocco’s Hall blundered badly at the last, unseating Andrew McNamara, allowing Droim Toll to freewheel home for a facile seven-length success over runner-up Lios Na Bearnaí. While the winner’s task was eased by the final fence fall of Rocco’s Hall, it appeared as if Droim Toll was travelling much the better in …

The South Clare coursing meeting at Cooraclare turned out to be a rewarding one for the Clare connections of Windfarm Eiscir and Atlantic Ashmore, who won the all-age cups and collected more valuable wins in their quest for Clonmel glory.While the Pat Curtin-trained Windfarm Eiscir (Bexhill Eoin-Windfarm Lady) owned in Ennis by Clare Eustace, was a decisive winner of the South Clare Cup for 16 all-age dogs, there was huge controversy surrounding the final of the all-age bitch final when the judge waived the flag in favour of the Paddy Marrinan, Miltown Malbay, owned and trained Atlantic Ashmore (Ardmore View-Atlantic Beauty) against a very unlucky Summerfield Bex, owned by Jean Carr, Claregalway.Already a cup winner at the East Donegal fixture and beaten in the Doon final, Windfarm Eiscir rubber-stamped his Clonmel qualification with his victory at the South Clare meeting, which was held on Thursday and Friday last after being postponed on St Stephen’s Day because of the frost.Gerry Meehan’s …