Sport

Off The Fence With Fergie O’Loughlin

We were looking for fireworks ahead of last weekend’s quarter-final action and thankfully they arrived. The safety net was gone so teams set about laying down a marker and really going at it. The standout game for me was in Sixmilebridge between Inagh-Kilnamona and Feakle. We thought it was going to be a titanic battle in a tight setting, and we saw Inagh-Kilnamona coming through a real battle after extra-time. Now the question becomes about whether this is the real Inagh-Kilnamona that we have been expecting to emerge over the last few years and taking their place at the top table. They took a scalp against Cratloe a few weeks ago and now followed that up with a real battling display. The big thing now for Fergal Hegarty over the next week will be to keep his crew grounded and make sure that they are ready for what will be another massive test against Sixmilebridge. Eire Óg might have lost …

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Preview Of Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship Action

Eoghan Moloney looks ahead to this weekend’s Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship action with semi-final places on offer and the relegation battle heats up. Scariff v Inagh-Kilnamona Form to date: Scariff beat Parteen 4-14 to 3-11 in round two and Éire Óg by 4-18 to 1-9 in round one. Inagh-Kilnamona beat Cratloe by 3-10 to 0-10 in round three, lost 2-15 to 1-13 to Smith O’Brien’s in round two and beat Killanena by 1-12 to 0-13 in round one. This is an intriguing tie, as both sides are coming off relatively comfortable victories in their last fixtures. Scariff have registered impressive scores of 4-14 and 4-18 in their two games so far and look a major contender to be promoted. They have also conceded 4-20 to date, though, so will have to be wary of an Inagh-Kilnamona side that have shown an affinity for goals in their three games so far. The Combo put three past Cratloe in their third round …

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Clare SHC Quarter Final Previews: Cratloe v Clonlara

Clare Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Final Preview: Cratloe v Clonlara This is one that the potential to be the tie of the round as two of the front runners for the Canon go head to head. Clonlara carry the unbeaten tag after impressive victories over O’Callaghan’s Mills and Eire Óg en route to the last eight. John Conlon has been the man leading the line to date and with the Galvin and O’Connell contingents providing the back-up it has made for a potent combination. Cratloe have been somewhere in the middle in both codes so far in the campaign. Defeat to Inagh-Kilnamona put an extra date in their hurling diary where they were impressive winners over Kilmaley while a resounding win over Clondegad in the football championship was followed by an equally resounding loss to Eire Óg. Neither outfit are strangers to the knockout stages with both sides featuring in the quarter-finals every year from 2014-2017. The disappointment in both clubs …

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Clare SHC Quarter Final Previews: Inagh-Kilnamona v Feakle

Clare Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-Final: Inagh-Kilnamona v Feakle Whichever of these two sides comes through on Saturday, it will represent a major achievement and another step in their development. Both sides will be in buoyant mood ahead of this showdown for their own reasons. Inagh-Kilnamona are undefeated in reaching the last eight and have the added confidence booster of taking Cratloe’s scalp last time out. Feakle will be equally bouncing after their gutsy victory over Clooney-Quin a fortnight ago saw them back into the last eight for the second time since 2016. The manner of Feakle’s win over Clooney-Quin last time out is what they will take the most heart from. It was a battling performance coupled with defiant hurling and they will be confident of continuing that rise. Shane McGrath continues to be the heart of the team and with leaders like Oisin Donnellan, Gary Guilfoyle and Eoin Tuohy to rely on there is no reason why they should …

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Clare SHC Quarter Final Previews: Ballyea v Crusheen

Clare Senior Hurling Quarter-Final Previews: Ballyea v Crusheen This is the battle of the team trying to put championships back to back for the first time against the team who were the last to do it. In many ways, Crusheen have been one of the stories of the championship to date with impressive displays en route to the last eight. They were forced to recover from a slow start against Wolfe Tones in the opening round but held the Shannon men to just two second half points as they ran out comfortable winners. That trend continued in their second round win over Feakle with James Carrig’s men recovering from a three point half-time deficit to run out easy winners with just one score conceded in the second period. They cannot afford a slow start this time around and will be wary of that. Much of what Crusheen have put together to date has come from their dominance around the middle …

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Senior Status On The Line In Clare SHC Relegation Final

Clare Senior Hurling Relegation Final: O’Callaghan’s Mills v Tulla Eight teams will be consumed by thoughts of the Canon Hamilton trophy this weekend with four quarter-final ties down for decision, but in a strange way it is these two that will be thinking about the famous trophy the most. That is because this is their last chance to ensure they will be spoken about as one of the 16 candidates for the Canon in 2020 with the losers here dropping down to the intermediate ranks. Whoever does make that drop down can have no complaints with three successive championship defeats for both sides to date. It is a worrying trend for both, but maybe even more so for O’Callaghan’s Mills. 2018 saw them lose out to eventual champions Ballyea by just four points in the county semi-final, and it should have been the catalyst for further progress. Exciting young talent like Colin Crehan, Gary Cooney and Jacob Loughnane are backed …

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Off The Fence With Fergie O’Loughlin

The 2019 hurling championship is down to the last eight and I really hope this weekend we finally see some fireworks. To be honest we have not seen anything like that in the championship to date and we really need a weekend filled with high octane games in what is do or die territory. The vast majority of games up to now have been very poor with some really one sided results. Teams have had the safety net and maybe that has led to them being a little more relaxed. With that now gone, hopefully it will lead to a more cutthroat approach. On paper, we have some brilliant games in store but whether they live up to that remains to be seen. New players need to stand out this weekend for the incoming county management, whoever that might be. It is a really worrying time for the next managerial team because there does not appear to be any new …

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Solid Display By East Clare Pairing In Coronation Foursomes

Clare duo Rachel Whelan and Marie Donnellan put in a solid display at the Coronation Foursomes at St Andrew’s this week. The Banner women finished in 9th position overall in a tournament that attracted players from all over Great Britain and Ireland. A score of 33 points was their final tally after taking on the famous Eden course with the winners finishing on 42 points. It marks the latest step in their progression having only taken up the sport in 2017 through the “Get into Golf” programme hosted by East Clare Golf Club before joining as full members the following year. They won the qualifying competition on their home course before going on to win the Area Final where the first prize was an all expenses paid trip to the famous Scottish venue. They were competing against 15 other qualifying pairs from Northern Ireland, Scotland , England and Wales. The R&A Coronation Foursomes is the largest domestic golf participation event …

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All-Ireland Handball Success Continues For Fergal Coughlan Jnr

Fergal Coughlan Jnr of Clooney-Quin continued his brilliant form in 2019 as he claimed the All-Ireland Junior B 60X30 handball singles title. He saw off the challenge of Roscommon’s Mikey Egan is what was a gripping showdown in the decider. Both players flew into the first game, with some gruelling long rallies on show. There was very little to separate the players for the first part of the match and at 7-7 in the first game, it looked like this could be a real marathon. It was at this point that Fergal started to show his years of experience. He took control of the centre of the alley and had his opponent running all over the court. Mikey Egan was looking extremely fit but he was not able to handle the constant pressure which Fergal was applying and the first game closed out at 21-7. In the second game Fergal maintained control from the off. The Clooney-Quin man was using …

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Clare SFC Quarter-Final Line Up To Be Completed This Weekend

Clare Senior Football Championship Round Three Preview Group One Tuesday at 7.30pm in Cooraclare: St Joseph’s Miltown v Naomh Eoin-O’Curry’s This is a tie that pits the champions against the new boys as the peninsula amalgamation round off their maiden senior journey with their toughest assignment yet. The pity here is that while it should be a game that will further add to the experience basket for the westerners, that is about all there is to it. Miltown are already safely through as champions while Joe Garry’s outfit will finish bottom of the group regardless of the result. There was some talk of this game being brought forward by a week to allow Naomh Eoin and O’Curry’s to focus on their own intermediate campaigns but that fell through. It means that both sides will have been in action just a few days previously and it remains to be seen how much value they place on this fixture, given that it …

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Off The Fence With Fergie O’Loughlin

With the club championship in full flow and now narrowed down to the last eight in the race for the Canon, maybe people can be forgiven for almost forgetting about what is happening on the inter-county scene for the moment. Clare’s 2019 championship campaign ended with that battling win over Cork on June 16 and brought the curtain down on what was a disappointing and frustrating summer. It raised many questions about how it could all have all gone so badly wrong with two resounding defeats to Tipperary and Limerick ultimately proving Clare’s downfall. When delegates reconvened for the next county board meeting, it surely should have led to a substantial and heated debate about the fortunes of the county team and what could be done to rectify it going forward. Ruan delegate Ger Lyons was the only one who seemed to be interested in it when he called on the board to initiate a review into the year just …

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Collins Looking Forward To Fresh Challenges in 2020

Colm Collins will take charge of the Clare senior footballers for a 7th season after he was officially ratified in the role for the coming year. The Cratloe clubman becomes the third longest serving current inter-county football manager with only Jim Gavin and Mickey Harte ahead of him. Collins was ratified for a one year term at Tuesday evening’s meeting of Clare GAA where he was returned unopposed for another term in charge. Chairman of Clare GAA Joe Cooney told the meeting that it was brilliant news that Collins is to stay on for another year and outlined that during his time in charge, there has been huge progress for Clare football. 2019 saw Clare retain their status in Division Two of the National League with a dramatic victory over Tipperary on the last day of the campaign in Semple Stadium. The championship came to an end in the last round of qualifiers when a one point loss to Meath …

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Praise For Young Banner Stars Selected On Minor Hurling Team Of The Year

Two Clare players have been honoured for their performances during the 2019 Minor Hurling Championship. Clare captain Cian Galvin and star forward Shane Meehan have both been selected on the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Team of the Year after a campaign which saw the Banner reach the Munster final before contesting the All-Ireland quarter-final series. Clarecastle’s Galvin is selected in the centre-back position after his outstanding displays across the campaign with Banner GAA man Meehan is selected at corner-forward in recognition of his scoring exploits. Meehan was on the score-sheet in each of Clare’s seven games across the minor hurling championship, with the standout performance coming in the last of those when he notched 0-13 during the Banner’s loss to Galway. Galvin was immense in a defensive role for Clare throughout the year while his accuracy from long range frees contributed vital scores. He also scored a late goal in the defeat to Galway. Meehan enjoyed a brilliant campaign across …

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O’Connor steps down as joint hurling manager

CLARE joint senior hurling manager, Gerry O’Connor, has announced his decision to step down from the role. The former All-Ireland winning joint U-21 manager has filled the role for three years, along with Donal Moloney. Clare reached successive Munster finals in 2017 and 2018, losing both to Cork. They were also very unlucky not to reach an All-Ireland final in 2018, losing narrowly to Galway in a replay. This season they failed to emerge from the round robin series of games in the Munster senior hurling championship. Tuesday’s Clare County Board meeting heard that no decision has yet been made with regard to the make up of the incoming management team.

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Banner Duo Are Saint Andrews Bound For Coronation Foursomes

Two Clare women are set to take on one of the most renowned golf courses in the world next week as part of the Coronation Foursomes. East Clare Golf Club duo Rachel Whelan and Marie Donnellan are preparing to travel St Andrews next Monday where they will play the Eden Course in the Grand Final of this year’s tournament. It marks the latest step in their progression having only taken up the sport in 2017 through the “Get into Golf” programme hosted by East Clare Golf Club before joining as full members the following year. They won the qualifying competition on their home course before going on to win the Area Final where the first prize was an all expenses paid trip to the famous Scottish venue. They will be representing Ireland while competing against 15 other qualifying pairs from Northern Ireland, Scotland , England and Wales. The R&A Coronation Foursomes is the largest domestic golf participation event for women …

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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

Recent Posts

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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‘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 …

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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 …

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‘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 …

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‘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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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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