Sports

Senior Hurling Final - Eire Og v Ballyea

Sport

Parent rule could benefit the Banner

A number of Dublin club footballers whose parents hail from Clare could well be lining out for the Banner County in 2011.Some years ago, the GAA introduced a rule that allows players to declare for the county of their parents.Leitrim, in particular, has benefitted from this ruling in the past decade. Declan Darcy, who captained Leitrim to Connacht honours when John O’Mahony was their manager, is from Dublin but declared for the home county of his father. He eventually transferred to Dublin and played with them for a number of years.“It’s something we are looking into but it’s very much in its infancy at the moment,” Clare senior manager Micheál McDermott confirmed this week. “We are investigating the possibility and we are having a closer look at a number of players currently playing in the Dublin championship who would be eligible to declare for Clare,” McDermott added.Aidan and Brian Downes are sons of former O’Curry’s and Clare player Michael, who …

Kilmurry on track for three-in-a-row

Kilmurry-Ibrickane 0-10 Cratloe 1-6 Clare senior football champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane remain on course for an historic three-in-a-row Clare titles but they were given a rare fright by outsiders Cratloe at Cusack Park on Friday evening.It could be argued that Kilmurry did not win this tie, given claims that Enda Coughlan’s equalising point, six minutes from the end, was in fact wide. As the umpire reached for the white flag a number of Cratloe players raced in to protest that the ball was outside the upright but they were waved away.That incident apart, Cratloe will rue a number of missed chances as Kilmurry-Ibrickane struggled in a number of positions. The loss of experienced midfielder Paul O’Connor at the end of the first quarter was certainly a blow to the titleholders. He picked up a leg injury in the second minute and, while he tried to play on, he was clearly in difficulty and must now be a major doubt for this weekend’s …

Level pegging at the Park

Clarecastle 0-12 Clooney-Quin 0-12 KILMALEY’S hopes of being involved in the knock-out stages of the Clare Senior Hurling Championship were ended at Cusack Park on Saturday evening despite the fact that there wasn’t a Kilmaley player on the pitch.There were, however, quite a few amongthe attendance for the meeting of Clarecastle and Clooney-Quin, hoping that one or other of the teams involved could win by a margin that would bring Kilmaley back into the title race.In a group that had already produced three draws, it wasn’t a major surprise that this tie ended all square. After all the teams were level nine times and a share of the spoils was a fair result on this occasion.By the end, Kilmaley, despite being unbeaten, are out of the title race. At the end of the group stage in this division, three of the five teams are unbeaten which is somewhat surprising.Saturday’s contest won’t go down as one of the better games this …

Ennis crowned All-Ireland champions

ENNIS were crowned All-Ireland JB Carr champions at Woodenbridge on Sunday when they defeated Galway Golf Club in the final. In Saturday’s semi-final they defeated the Leinster champions, the Island. Both matches were won on three and two scorelines.A huge crowd from Ennis made the trip to the scenic Wicklow venue for the weekend’s matches and the victory sparked off huge celebrations which continued at the Ennis club on Monday night when the winning team was given a heroes’ welcome on their return.In Saturday’s semi-final, Ennis accounted for the Leinster champions, the Island with Noel Pyne and Paddy Cahill, Paul Higgins and Seán O’Gorman, Tony Kehoe and Matt Flynn the winning pairings. Luke Coote/Larry O’Farrelly, Eamonn Corry and John Finn were both beaten.Team manager Jimmy McNamara opted for an unchanged team for Sunday’s final against Galway. This was a nail-biting affair with the outcome decided on the 19th hole where Noel Pyne and Paddy Cahill won their match with a …

Lissycasey and O’Curry’s battling to avoid relegation

LISSYCASEY or O’Curry’s will be playing intermediate football in 2011 after both lost their relegation replays at Labasheeda on Saturday last.They face up to each other at the same venue this Saturday with the loser making the drop from senior.Having been unlucky not to win the drawn games a week earlier, both struggled to re-produce that form last week. St Senan’s 1-10 Lissycasey 1-6 Trailing by three points after playing against the breeze in the first half, Lissycasey looked to be in a strong position heading into the second half on Saturday. They scored the opening point of the second half to reduce the leeway to two but they failed to build on that and the Seasiders dominated the remainder of the third quarter.Leading by double scores 10 minutes into this half, they struck a crucial blow at the mid-point when Gearóid Lynch got through for the all-important goal. There was some debate as to whether or not the score …

Liscannor’s late blitz floors St Joseph’s

Liscannor 0-10 Doora-Barefield 0-8 When men were needed it was Liscannor hands that shot up. Four points down, 0-8 to 0-4, five minutes from the end of normal time, St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield looked virtually certain to tie down a place in the county semi-final for the first time since 1998. Maybe that certainty seeped into their thinking. Or maybe Niall and Brian Considine upped the tempo and St Joseph’s, who are still a developing team, couldn’t cope. In fact there is no “maybe” about Niall Considine’s role in Liscannor’s ruthless comeback. He kicked four points from play in the closing four minutes of normal and four minutes of injury time. That’s efficiency. Up until then, Considine, along with most of his team-mates had been a peripheral figure. When it mattered though, he showed his class and temperament. Liscannor are noted for their bite and fight but for 55 minutes in Sunday’s replay, it looked as if their most admirable …

No dividing townies from the blues

Cooraclare 0-11 Éire Óg 2-5 (AET) It has got to the stage where Cooraclare and Éire Óg resemble conjoined twins who cannot be separated. When one edges a few points ahead, they agreeably allow whoever is trailing to pull themselves back into the game. They have spent so much time in each others company over the last two Saturdays – nearly two and a half hours – that they probably found it impossible to countenance not spending an intense hour in each others company this weekend. They’ve got their wish because for the third successive game, Cooraclare and Éire Óg will go at it hammer and tongs for a place in the county semi-final on Sunday.Last Saturday’s replay in Lissycasey featured a lot in terms of incident and talking points including three sending-offs (two straight reds), on-field altercations, a one-sided sideline shemozzle, curious refereeing decisions, soft goals, extra time and late scores. The quality of football wasn’t always awe-inspiring …

McInerney points the way for Tulla

Tulla 2-15 Whitegate 0-15 TWO goals from Brian Lynch and seven points from play from county minor panellist David McInerney helped Tulla to victory over Whitegate in their Round 5 tie at Shannon on Sunday.The result means Tulla are safely away from the relegation battle and will now go on to compete for the senior B title, as will Whitegate.The highlight of the tie was the performance of 17-year-old McInerney. Son of team boss Jim, he picked off some excellent points and caused a lot of problems for Whitegate throughout.The other main talking point was the sending off of Whitegate defender Brendan Bugler midway through the second half. The loss of such an experienced player was clearly a big blow to Whitegate’s hopes.The first 20 minutes were evenly fought, at which stage the sides were level at 0-6 each. Tulla finished the half strongly and a superb goal from midfielder Lynch helped them to be five clear at half-time, when …

Cannonball Run

John Cronin and David O Donoghue with their 1969 Fiat 500 after arriving with the Cannonball Run to Clarinbridge as part of the official opening of the Oyster Festival. Photograph by John Kelly

Ballyea too strong for Corofin

Ballyea 2-14 Corofin 2-10 DISPLAYING the greater hunger for victory, Ballyea proved too strong for Corofin in their senior hurling championship tie at Cusack Park on Sunday. It was a disappointing game with little free-flowing hurling but Ballyea looked the livelier outfit throughout.That said, Corofin will wonder what the outcome might have been had they had a full complement of players for the full game. They were reduced to 14 men four minutes before the break when Kieran Carkill picked up a second yellow card.The winners got off to a great start when Cathal Doohan finished a Gearóid O’Connell cross to the net in the third minute and they quickly followed with points from Francie O’Reilly and Tony Griffin before Killian Neylon got through for a Corofin goal in the seventh minute.A Stephen Heagney pointed free was the only score in the next 10 minutes before Gary Brennan struck for the winners’ second goal seven minutes from the break. …

Convincing win for the Pirates, as Senan’s run aground

Cobh Pirates 23 St Senan’s 3 ST Senan’s travelled to Cobh hoping to kickstart the new season with a win in the Munster Junior Challenge Cup. The home side started strongly and won a penalty after just two minutes. Fortunately for Senan’s, the kick drifted wide and this early set back sparked Senan’s into action.Scoring opportunities were few despite Senan’s holding the home side in their own half of the pitch. Both sides won and squandered penalty attempts until the 18th minute when the home side broke the deadlock with a well-struck penalty kick.Senan’s regrouped from the restart and pushed the home side back into their own territory for the remainder of the half but they could not turn this territorial advantage into points.They looked like they would end the half trailing until a well-struck penalty by Declan Collins levelled the score as the referee blew to bring the first half to an end.Cobh came out for the second half …

Clonlara wins best club award

Clonlara, have been crowned the Etihad Airways Best Club Under the Sun for 2010. The prize was awarded to the club that demonstrated the most active participation in its local community. Clonlara beat rivals Na Fianna from Dublin, Killenaule from Tipperary and Oulart The Ballagh from Wexford in a public vote for community participation on www.etihadgaa.ie. The club, which fields 12 teams across hurling and football, promotes activity at all levels of the community with over 50 mentors providing guidance to young sporting hopefuls. Clonlara was also heralded for charitable works in its locality. The club raised money and awareness for local charity, the Clonlara Heart Fund that was set up by a club member last year. Members of the GAA club also helped families in need during recent flooding with food, tractors and sandbags, an indication of the community spirit at the club. The club will enjoy a training camp in Abu Dhabi with GAA legend Nicky English.

Blues through to Munster semi-finals

Newmarket 2-10 Éire Óg Cork 2-4 THE quarter-final of the junior ladies’ football Munster club championship was played in Ballyagran last Saturday under a bright sky but with strong winds.Newmarket chose to play uphill against the wind in the first half. Éire Óg put Newmarkets backs under great pressure from the off. The girls in blue, most of all Jane O’Leary, worked extremely hard and kept the scoring chance of Éire Óg to a minimal. Éire Óg’s corner-forward and their top scorer, Eimear Scally, always looked dangerous and sure enough, it was Eimear who found a way though Newmarket’s defence to score a great goal. The Newmarket girls, however, rallied and with strong runs from the McInerney sisters, Aimee and Sarah, along with the very hard-working Chloe Morey in midfield, Newmarket kept the score down and at half-time were only behind by two points on a scoreline of 1- 3 to 0 – 4. In the second half, the …

’Bridge pull it back to earn draw

Sixmilebridge 0-15 Wolfe Tones 1-12 WHEN Wolfe Tones went eight points clear after just 22 minutes at Tulla on Sunday, Sixmilebridge looked to be on the road to a first defeat in this campaign.The Shannon outfit went into this tie aiming to get away from the relegation zone whereas the ’Bridge were already safely into the last eight of the championship.There was clearly more urgency in Wolfe Tones’ play in the opening stages and after the teams had swapped points twice, the Shannon men put a fine move together which ended with a goal from John Guilfoyle after good work by Daithí O’Connell and Daniel Gallery.O’Connell caused a lot of problems for the ’Bridge in the first half in particular but when Wolfe Tones look back on this tie, they will point to as lot of missed chances, particularly from frees.Any suggestion that the ’Bridge weren’t worried about the result were quickly dispelled as they staged a strong fight-back …

Last-minute victory for Inagh-Kilnamona

Inagh-Kilnamona 1-11 Tubber 0-13 GER Arthur scored the winning point for Inagh-Kilnamona in the first minute of injury time at Cusack Park on Sunday. After the sides were level on six occasions, few could have argued if the game had ended in a draw, a result that would have left the teams in the same positions at the end of the league series.Tubber, without ever reaching the heights of their last outing when they defeated champions Cratloe, made the brighter start and took an early lead which they held until five minutes before half-time when Ger Arthur got through for the game’s opening goal. It was a score which helped his team to level terms at half-time when the score was 1-4 to 0-7.Tubber were back in front a minute into the second half but three points without reply had Inagh-Kilnamona two clear entering the final quarter.Sensing danger, Tubber hit back and points from defenders Mark Earley and Patrick O’Connor …

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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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