Sports

Senior Hurling Final - Eire Og v Ballyea

Sport

IT’S often lamented that hurling is in a geographical straitjacket, unable to move beyond the counties where it is strong for over 100 years.There’s less talk about how confined the game can be within the counties where it actually has a strong base, such as Clare. Despite the All-Irelands of the ’90s, the game has failed to penetrate huge tracts of the Banner and many young people grow up without having any opportunity to play. One club showing progress, however, is St Breckan’s of Lisdoonvarna, whose U-14 hurlers this year captured the Bord na nÓg C Championship and the Féile Division 4 title.One of the driving forces behind the success is Peter Casey, who was over the successful side and who began working to revive hurling in the town less than 10 years ago.Before that the game had been dormant; the previous success of Peter’s father John in getting it going some years back having stalled.Peter hurled for Corofin after …

Cusack impresses against Sunderland

NEWMARKET-on-Fergus man Shane Cusack played the second half on Tuesday’s soccer friendly at Thomond Park when Sunderland played a Munster selection.Cusack, who recently returned from Colchester where he had spent the last year, turned in an impressive display when he was introduced for the second half in a game played as part of the Shane Geoghegan Memorial Day.

O’Loughlin takes coaching role at Inagh-Kilnamona

CLARECASTLE’S Fergie O’Loughlin is returning to hurling management in Clare and this week he has teamed up with Inagh-Kilnamona.Davy Fitzgerald coached the mid-Clare club after Waterford bowed out of the All-Ireland title race. The Sixmilebridge man was again the club’s first choice as coach for this season but his involvement with Waterford has meant that he has been unable to give his time to date this year.Inagh native Eoin Garvey, who coached Carlow for a number of seasons, agreed to step in for a few weeks but his commitment to a major walk during the coming weeks means that he is not available to continue in this role.This has led to the appointment of Clarecastle man O’Loughlin who is also training Galway side, Castlegar, this year.O’Loughlin trained Ballyea to the Clare senior final a few years back when they came up against his native Clarecastle who he was also training that year. He committed to the Magpies for the final …

Clare almost cause a major upset

CLARE came within minutes of beating Galway in the senior camogie championship on Saturday in Corofin and would have achieved a shock result but for a storming finish by the Galway girls. Having defeated Clare on a scoreline of 3-16 to 1-5 in the league and with wins over Tipperary, Wexford and Cork already secure, Galway were assured and confident as they took to the field in abysmal weather conditions.Points from Therese Maher and Veronica Curtin in the opening minutes saw them get off to the start they expected. Deirdre Murphy pointed for Clare after she collected a long Kate Lynch drive to open Clare’s account.Galway’s Aislinn Connolly responded with a point before Galway were awarded a penalty when Clare goalie Susan Vaughan was penalised for pulling Curtin’s jersey as she attempted to clear her line.Fiona Lafferty saved the resulting penalty before Galway put the rebound wide. Curtin went on to point again five minutes later, before Clare started to …

Mayo minors edge out Banner County

CLARE failed in their bid to reach their second successive All-Ireland minor semi-final in-a-row, when they were frustratingly edged out by Mayo in the shield semi-final in Mountbellew last Saturday. Clare threw everything at the leaders in the final moments, only to run out of time.On reflection, they will rue missed opportunities especially from play and placed balls in the first half that could have seeing them go in level at half-time.Clare dominated the first quarter, scoring 2-1 to Mayo’s two points. Clare’s scores came from Sinéad Sexton (1-1) and Niamh O’Dea (1-0) but in the final 10 minutes of the half, Mayo completely took over, scoring 2-6. Star of the show was centre-forward Carol Hegarty, who scored 2-3. Both sides added points before half-time to leave the score at Mayo 2-7 Clare 2-3.In the second half, Clare made a number of positional changes, which seemed to work. The sides exchanged points inside 16 minutes, with Clare’s points coming from …

Kilrush’s Spanish connection

IF medics had conducted a spot check of blood pressure levels in Kilrush last Sunday evening, Antonio Cebas would have had the doctors bellowing for an ambulance. The Madrid native has lived and worked in Kilrush since November 1996 but along with his 46 million fellow Spaniards, Antonio put down one of the longest evenings of his life on Sunday.Andres Iniesta’s extra-time World Cup final winner drove his native country wild as they added the World Cup to the European championship, which they won in Austria and Switzerland two years ago.As far as Antonio knows, he is the only Spaniard in West Clare. That didn’t stop him from enjoying the moment though, as he viewed the scenes from his family home in Kilrush.“The rest of the matches I watched in the pub but because of its significance, I felt that I’d prefer to watch it at home. I just wanted to really focus well on the screen and not have …

Ennis club wins big in Limerick

THE Irish Age Group Division 2 swimming championships were held recently at the University of Limerick Sports Arena. Twenty-four swimmers from the Ennis Swimming and Lifesaving Club participated in the three-day event. The swimmers came home with 17 individual medals (three gold, seven silver and seven bronze) and eight relay medals (seven gold and one silver). The boys’ 17 to 24 age group saw Declan Bredin leading the club in the medal count by winning four medals. His first silver medal came in the 400m freestyle which he finished in a time of 4.43:03. He put in a strong performance in the 200m backstroke winning another silver medal in a time of 2.28:61. His third silver medal in the 100m freestyle was in a personal best time of 1.00:89. Declan also won a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley. Mark Eisenberg set a three-second pb of 2.15:15 in winning the silver medal in the 200m freestyle. He added to …

O’Gorman Cup victory for Doonbeg

Doonbeg 1-11 Lissycasey 0-5 AFTER an even opening half, Doonbeg took control and restricted Lissycasey to just one more point to take their first O’Gorman Cup in some style.Throughout the second period their defence had the measure of the Lissycasey attackers. Although the 2007 county champions frequently managed to work the ball into the Doonbeg half, they could make no further inroads, while the home side were less inhibited when they went forward themselves, with man of the match Brian Egan kicking some fine scores.Doonbeg’s Shane Ryan enjoyed a very good first half and he opened the scoring in the third minute, two minutes before Colin Lynch levelled.A move which also involved Alan Nagle and Lynch ended with Derek McMahon pointing, before Ryan levelled it again in the 13th minute.Egan put Doonbeg into the lead before Enda Finnucane restored parity in the 25th minute, 0-3 apiece.Finnucane and Enda Doyle traded points before Shane O’Brien had the game’s only …

Doonbeg should have too much for Miltown

THE Cusack Cup semi-finals will be staged at separate venues at 1.30pm on Sunday. Following their O’Gorman Cup final win over Lissycasey last Sunday evening, Doonbeg will play Miltown in Quilty for a place in the final. Two years ago they reached the decider, only to be beaten by Kilmurry-Ibrickane in Kilmihil. The Mapgies topped the Cusack Cup table, winning six games and losing just twice to Cooraclare and, ironically, to Miltown. That latter game meant more to Miltown in that if they had lost, they could have been relegated. Instead, their win led to Miltown qualifying for the last four, which indicates how tight the Cusack Cup was this year. Doonbeg were already sure of top spot and knew that if Miltown won, they would be likely to meet in the semi-final. Not alone will Miltown be highly motivated to reach the final, the fact that they will be given little chance of beating Doonbeg a second time should …

Kilrush to regain Cusack Cup status

HAVING been relegated from the Cusack Cup last year, a win in Saturday’s Garry Cup semi-final will mean that Kilrush will be back playing first division league football next year. However, Wolfe Tones will be equally determined to win promotion and compete at the highest level of Clare league football. When the sides met in the league Kilrush defeated Wolfe Tones, who lost their opening championship game to Éire Óg in Cusack Park. Kilrush also lost their opening game to Cooraclare in Doonbeg. Whoever wins this weekend will head into their second group game in a much more positive mind frame. Kilrush will look to John Hayes, Donal O’Sullivan, Peadar McMahon and Rory O’Connor to inspire them while Wolfe Tones will need players such as Chris Dunning, Stephen Monahgan, Kevin Cahill and Patsy Keyes to inspire them. However, Kilrush should be capable of winning this one and qualifying for the Garry Cup final the following weekend. Barefield to edge out …

Captain’s prize time at Gort

LAST weekend it was the turn of the ladies to battle it out for the captain’s (Ann Marie Cradock) prize at Gort and the event attracted a big entry.This week it’s the turn of the men who will play for Bernard Gillane’s prize with the leaders coming back for a play off on the following Friday evening.The format for the ladies prize was 18-hole stroke and the winner was Patricia Skehill with 66. She had two strokes to spare from Ruth Naughton with Siobhán O’Connor, also with 68, in third spot. They were followed by Kathleen Sands on 69, Ros Burke with 69, Olga Price with 71, Maura O’Grady with 71, Marie Hannon Healy with 71, Mandy Cosgrove with 72 and Maura Hanrahan with 72. Judith McGann won the gross with 79 while other prize winners were Mary Fahey Coen (past captain), Sara Broderick (committee prize) Pat Wynne (back nine), Josie Collins (front nine and nearest the pin), Mary Kilroy …

Murphy and Shannon share spoils

THE Clarecastle 10k Road Race was held in wet conditions on Saturday, with more than 200 competitors taking part.After a mighty contest, Brian Murphy, Ennis Track, and Michael Shannon, Kilnaboy, crossed the line together with a time of 31.31, with Keith Whyte, St John’s, third in 33.45. Rachel Molloy, Limerick, recorded a big win in the ladies’ race in 42.13 from Noreen Mackey, Kilmurry-Ibrickane/North Clare and Mary Carthy, O’Briensbridge.Clarecastle man Brian Murphy, along with Michael Shannon, Kilnaboy, had gone over 100m clear of Keith White, St John’s at the 2k mark with Pat Hogan, Ennis Track, working hard in fourth spot from Michael Killeen, Damian Roche and Tom Mackey, both Kilmurry-Ibrickane/North Clare.Murphy and Shannon had moved well away from the rest of the field at the 8k mark and they crossed the finish line shoulder to shoulder. The ladies’ race was a well-supported event and Ennis Meet and Train, along with a number of Clare clubs, were well represented. Rachel …

Final countdown for the Markets Field

IT WILL be an occasion full of nostalgia. Memorable races of the past will be recalled, the names of famous dogs and owners will be mentioned and a night fitting of the occasion has been arranged to mark the final night of racing at the Limerick Greyhound Racing Stadium on Saturday night next.After the final race, the Markets Field will be a thing of the past as far as Bord na gCon and greyhound racing is concerned. The curtain will be coming down on what has been a glorious chapter and a great venue for dog racing since the 1930s. And fittingly one of the highlighhts of the night will be a Farewell to the Markets Field Munster Challenge Open 550 in which a greyhound representing all of the six counties in the province of Munster will go to traps. There will be €800 for the winner/owner who will have the honour of putting the last winner to traps at …

Rags-to-riches story for Sixmilebridge trainer

SIXMILEBRIDGE trainer Denis Quinn was part of a real rags-to-riches story when his bargain-basement purchase, Captain Coke, realised 80,000gns at last week’s Tattersalls Sales at Newmarket. The three-year-old was purchased by Qatar-based trainer Ibrahim Al-Malki and may race in Britain before heading to the Middle East, where the Dubai Carnival will be his main target. Speaking in the aftermath of the sale, a delighted Quinn explained, “I paid €4,200 for Captain Coke as a yearling at the Gorsebridge Sales for my brother, Peter, who is in the plumbing trade in New York. We offered him at the Breeze-Up sales as a two-year-old but he was thought to be too much of a National Hunt-type and there wasn’t that much interest. We always felt he was a nice horse and we had no notion of throwing him away, so we bought him back for €5,000.” Happily, the decision to hold on to the colt by Fath was a wise one and …

Friendly foes draw battle lines

WHEN Anthony Daly and Ger O’Loughlin first went into team management taking charge of the Clarecastle minors along with Padraic Russell back in 1994, little did they think that 16 years later they would find themselves in opposition in Croke Park.That’s the position that the close friends who grew up a few doors from each other in Madden’s Terrace in Clarecastle find themselves in this week, putting the final touches to their plans for Saturday’s eagerly awaited qualifier clash when O’Loughlin will lead his native Clare against Daly’s adopted Dublin.“It’s unusual but it will have no bearing on the game. That’s just the way the toss of the coin went. There was always a chance once we went out of Munster that we would end up with the losers of this Leinster semi-final. We had a fair idea a couple of weeks back. It doesn’t have any bearing other than the hype that goes with it,” O’Loughlin said.“The two of …

Page 360 of 409« First...330 340 350 «358 359360361 362 »370 380 390...Last »

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 …
Read More »
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 …

Sport

Recent Posts