Clare’s request that this Wednesday’s Munster senior league fixture with Cork be deferred has been turned down and the fixture will go ahead in Sixmilebridge at 7.30p.m. Cork have already qualified for next Sunday’s final where their opponents will be either Clare, who are the competition holders or Limerick. Victory for Clare over Cork this Wednesday evening will see the Banner side into the final. Joint clare managers Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor stated after last Sunday’s win over Waterford that they had made it clear from the outset that they did not want to play this Wednesday. “We have thirteen players involved in Fitzgibbon cup (third level colleges) games this week and we cannot ask these players to play three senior games in one week, then play Fitzgibbon and then ask them to play a fourth senior game against Cork. We cannot ask some players to play five games in ten days and we are not going to torture …

Clare 2-19 Waterford 3-13 Clare’s hopes of contesting the final of the Munster hurling league remain alive thanks to this three point win over Waterford at Fraher field in Dungarvan this Sunday afternoon. They must now beat unbeaten Cork in their final group game which is set for Wednesday night in Sixmilebridge. However, Clare have informed the authorities that they are not prepared to play on Wednesday. “We have seventeen players involved in the Fitzgibbon cup and they have first round games on Tuesday. It’s not fair to ask them to play again on Wednesday”, joint manager Donal Moloney said after the victory in Dungarvan. While they will be pleased to have returned to winning ways following their midweek loss to Limerick, There wil be s ome concern in the Clare camp at the fact that the defence again leaked some soft scores and also with the fact that they went twenty four second half minutes without scoring. Clare played …

Clare senior hurling joint managers Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor have made eight changes to the starting teamfor Sunday’s Munster senior league clash with Waterford at Dungarvan from the team which started against Limerick on Wednesday evening. Into the side for his first outing of the year comes All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Patrick Kelly while others who will be starting for the first time this season will be Stephen O’Halloran (Clarecastle) who has rejoined the squad after a year, Ben O’Gorman, Conor O’Donnell and Bobby Duggan The team is Patrick Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona); Shane McNamara (Clooney-Quin), Cian Dillon (Crusheen) Capt., Stephen O’Halloran (Clarecastle);Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona) Conor Cleary (Miltown St. Josephs), Brendan Bugler (Whitegate); Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge), Ben O’Gorman (Wolfe Tones); John Conlon (Clonlara), Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge), Peter Duggan (Clooney-Quin); Conor O’Donnell (Crusheen), Bobby Duggan (Clarecastle), Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones ) Subs; Andrew Fahy (Whitegate), Jamie Shanahan (Sixmilebridge), Colm Galvin (Clonlara), Podge Collins (Cratloe), Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge) Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones), Cathal O’Connell …

IN 1991, Ennis Track AC was a fledgling club. Last year saw the club celebrate its 25th anniversary and, to mark the occasion, a commemorative book, charting the club’s progress over 25 years, was launched and is on sale at various locations throughout Ennis. The Inside Track captures some of the highlights over the past two and a half decades of the club. The brainchild of Gerry Hayes and Tom Casey, the club was founded in O’Keeffe’s Bar, Lifford, in February 1991. Since then, it has grown and achieved great success at county, provincial and national level. Two of the founder members, Gerry Hayes and Vera Dullaghan, are still active on the committee. The current membership totals more than 100 senior and 150 juvenile athletes, from age seven upwards. The senior ladies have been well represented in All-Ireland Cross-country Championships, winning the All-Ireland novice, intermediate and the B section of the inter-clubs within the past seven years. In 2013, the …

Limerick 2-15 Clare 0-19 Before a crowd of 1,719 Shannonside neighbours Clare and Limerick played an entertaining game in the Munster senior hurling league at Sixmilebridge this evening A strong finish by the visitors resulted in a two point win which keeps their hopes of winning the title alive Clare made the better start and had four points on the scoreboard before Gearoid Hegarty opened Limerick’s accouunt in the seventh minute. Hegarty was replaced before half time after suffering a leg injury. By the mid point of the half just a point separated the sides with the score at 0-5 to 0-4 but then Clare hit four unanswered scores, three coming from John Conlon who had also got the opening score in the third minute. When Shane golden had his second point three minutes before the end of the first half the margin in Clare’s favour was out to three points but two minutes later the visitors punished a defensive …

The Clare team to play Limerick in round two of the Munster hurling league on this Wednesday in Sixmilebridge shows eight changes in personnell and a number of positional swtiches from the side which beat Kerry in the opening round last week. Last year’s joint captain returns to the side and he will captain the team from full back. Seadna Morey and Aron Shanagher are named in the same positions they filled last week. The team is Donal Tuohy (Crusheen); Shane McNamara (Clooney-Quin), Cian Dillon (Crusheen) Capt., Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge); David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona), Colm Galvin (Clonlara), Jamie Shanahan (Sixmilebridge); David Reidy (Éire Óg), Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge); John Conlon (Clonlara), Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge), Peter Duggan (Clooney-Quin); Cathal O’Connell (Clonlara), Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones), Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones na Sionna) Subs; Patrick Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona), Conor Cleary (Miltown St. Josephs), Stephen O’Halloran (Clarecastle), Ben O’Gorman (Wolfe Tones), Bobby Duggan (Clarecastle), Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona), Brendan Bugler (Whitegate), Eoin Quirke (Whitegate), Kevin Hehir (Inagh-Kilnamona), Conor …

Clare 2-24 Kerry 1-15 Clare have made a winning start under new management duo Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor, beating Kerry in the Munster hurling league at Austin Stack park in Tralee. Kerry were well in contention for over three quarters of this tie but the visitors pulled away in the closing minutes and eight unanswered points sealed a merited victory over a Kerry side that showed some great skill in the opening half. Clare’s sharpness helped them to a four point lead at half time when the score was 1-12 to 0-11. Kerry led briefly after eight minutes when the score was 0-3 to 0-2 but Clare hit the next five points while conceding one to open a four point lead. They were five up after twenty minutes but the home side fought back and hit four in a row to level the tie at 0-10 each on the half hour mark, the levelling score coming from Clarecastle man Patrick …

Clare senior hurling joint managers Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor have named a number of newcomers tosenior inter county competitive action for their first competitige tie in charge at senior level. These include Eoin Quirke (Whitegate) and the Inagh-Kilnamona pair Jason McCarthy and Kevin Hehir. Crartloe’s Cathal M<cInerney returns afer a two year absence. The team to face Kerry in the opening game in this season’s Munster league at Austin Stack park in Tralee this afternoon is Andrew Fahy (Whitegate); Eoin Quirke (Whitegate), David Fitzgerald (Inagh-Kilnamona), Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge); Jason McCarthy (Inagh-Kilnamona), Conor Cleary (Kilmaley), Brendan Bugler (Whitegate); Colm Galvin (Clonlara), Kevin Hehir (Inagh-Kilnamona); Cathal Malone (Sixmilebridge), Podge Collins (Cratloe) Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones na Sionna); David Reidy (Éire Óg), Aron Shanagher (Wolfe Tones), Cathal McInerney (Cratloe)

Limerick 2-13 Clare 2-9 If the Clare footballers are to make it back to the final of the McGrath Cup, they will have to rely on Waterford beating Limerick on Sunday and hope that scoring difference falls in their favour. Following their opening group game win over Waterford in Meelick, Clare made 10 changes in personnel for Wednesday’s four point defeat to Limerick in Rhebogue. In a game played in bitterly cold conditions and featuring a strong cross field breeze, Limerick, who are coached by former Clare mentor Paudie Kissane, looked sharp and confident. A Darragh Treacy goal helped them to a slender half-time lead, 1-5 to 0-7 and Seamus O’Carroll goal early in the second half was the games decisive score. O’Carroll netted after the ball bounced over the head of Clare full back John Hayes, allowing the Limerick man to steal inside and plant the ball beyond Joe Hayes. Clare could have goaled exactly half way through the …

THE Clare senior football team to play Limerick on Wednesday evening at St Patrick’s grounds at 7.30pm has been named. The team shows ten changes from that side that defeated Waterford on Sunday with Kilrush duo Darragh Bolton and Gearóid O’Brien making their first starts. If Clare beat Limerick they will advance to their second successive McGrath Cup final. The starting 15 is as follows: Clare: Joe Hayes; Darren Nagle, Kevin Harnett, Martin McMahon; Liam Markham, Gordon Kelly, Cian O’Dea; Gary Brennan and Cathal O’Connor; Shane Brennan, Shane McGrath, Darragh Bolton; Eoin Cleary, Keelan Sexton and Gearóid O’Brien.

Clare 1-10 Waterford 0-8 VERY slow to settle in the opening quarter, Clare eventually ground out a five point win in their opening McGrath Cup fixture in Meelick on Sunday afternoon. The match was played in perfect underfoot conditions on what was an overcast afternoon. If Clare beat Limerick on Wednesday evening in the Gaelic Grounds, in their second game in this group, they will qualify for their second successive final in this competition. Clare gave a debut to Ballyhaunis corner back Eoghan Collins, who is a nephew of manager Colm Collins while Kilmaley’s Mikey O’Neill also also started his first inter-county game. Others to play their first minutes of senior football included David Egan and Darragh Bolton while Liam Markham also featured for the first time in several seasons as did John Hayes. An Eoin Cleary goal, made by Jamie Malone and David Tubridy helped Clare into a 1-3 to 0-3 interval lead. That 19th minute goal was Clare’s …

THREE of Clare’s most capable and experienced lady footballers will not be part of the 2017 panel, as the county team prepares for their opening league fixture at home to Waterford on January 29. Clare manager Neil Moynihan has confirmed that midfielder Louise Henchy has retired, while her Banner Ladies club colleagues Niamh Keane and Emma O’Driscoll have opted not to be part of the panel for this season. All three won All-Ireland intermediate medals in 2009 and were central to Clare’s run to the 2016 All-Ireland final, where they lost to Kildare by a point in Croke Park. Kilmihil’s Laura Egan, a regular last season, will also not be part of this year’s panel, while Eva O’Dea (Banner Ladies) is still recovering from an injury picked up in the All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary. “We knew after the All-Ireland final that was going to happen,” Moynihan said of the loss of the experienced trio. “It was openly spoken that …

THE Ballyea panel, winners of the Clare and Munster senior hurling titles for the first time in the club’s history in 2016, are back in full training ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final date with St Thomas’ from Galway. The game is scheduled for Semple Stadium on Saturday, February 4. “We took two weeks off over the Christmas but we have done a bit on the ball wall and a bit on the Astro Turf, just to keep ticking over. The county lads did a bit with the county and it was important for them to re-group,” Ballyea manager Robbie Hogan told The Clare Champion this week. He continued, “We are hoping to play a few college teams in the next few weeks ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final. We are injury free at present but there are a lot of flus and coughs and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we will stay clear of these”. A few of the …

THE Clare footballers will play their first competitive match of the new season when they meet Waterford in Meelick at 2pm on Sunday in the McGrath Cup. Next Wednesday, Clare will play Limerick at 7.30pm in the Gaelic Grounds in their final game in the three-team group. The group winners will play Kerry, Cork or Tipperary in the final on January 22. On Sunday, Clare will be without their Ballyea players, who are preparing for their All-Ireland Club Hurling Championship semi-final, against St Thomas’ from Galway, on Saturday, February 4. The county footballers will play Derry away the following day in their opening Division 2 league fixture. Clare manager Colm Collins said they will use the McGrath Cup to give a game to as many players as possible. He also noted that the two upcoming games are more useful than challenge matches. “There is no question, they are way better than challenge games. Anything that’s organised properly and officiated at …

THE 80th anniversary of the death of the legendary Dr Tommy Daly from Tulla was recalled last weekend, when a memorial was unveiled in Tuamgraney at the spot where he was tragically killed in 1936. According to the inquest, he died following a single vehicle collision, after he swerved to avoid a cyclist on the road between Tuamgraney and Scariff. Harry O’Meara, the winner of two senior championship medals with Scariff, came on the scene of the accident. He was 10 years of age at the time and he was present on Saturday when the unveiling took place. Speaking at the unveiling, Denis Corry (Tulla), who wrote a detailed article on the great goalkeeper for the Tulla GAA history book, The Claret and Gold, recalled the achievements of the man after whom the GAA park in Tulla is named. An All-Ireland junior medal winner with Clare in 1914, Dr Daly won three championships with Collegians in Dublin and six Fitzgibbon …