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Tag Archives: football

Clare U/21 footballers win Peter McNulty tournament

Clare 1-12 Limerick 0-12 INSPIRED by  0-9 from Lissycasey’s Conor Finucane, who put over 0-8 from play, the Clare U/21 footballers won their fourth successive game in this competition in capturing the Peter McNulty Memorial Tournament. The final was played at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday evening. Ironically the only game Clare lost was to Limerick in Kilmihil in early January. Since then they have beaten Kildare, Wexford, Galway and now Limerick, all away from home. Clare led narrowly, 0-8 to 0-7, at half time with Finucane and Eimhin Courntey accounting for all of Clare’s points. Hugh Bourke kept Limerick competitive with 0-6 from frees over the hour, although he missed a couple of scoreable frees towards the end. Approaching full time, Clare were just two points up, 0-12 to 0-10 but a close range goal from Joe McGann, following build up playing involving Keelan Sexton and Finucane, placed the St Breckan’s man for the goal. Limerick responded with points …

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Footballers face Waterford in Meelick

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 …

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Kilmihil hosts Cusack Cup final

SIXTEEN days before Christmas Day and nine months after the Cusack Cup started on March 19, the league, which consists of seven rounds before the top three are finalised, will conclude in Kilmihil on Friday evening. When referee John Hannon throws the ball in for the 2016 final, two fierce rivals will shorten the winter’s evening as they go in search of the cup, €2,000 in prize money for the victors from The Clare Champion and a winning conclusion to their footballing year. Kilmurry are seeking an unprecedented six in-a-row, a feat never achieved by any club. Kilmurry have won 10 Cusack Cups up to now, while Doonbeg have 14 on the sideboard but none since 1994. Kilmurry have enjoyed a superb year, winning their 14th senior championship and 13th U-21 title, while their minors and juniors also reached their respective county finals. The one downside to Kilmurry’s year was their 1-14 to 0-8 loss at home to Dr Crokes …

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Lissycasey tipped to win U-21 title

AS Sunday’s U-21A county football final nears, Kilmurry Ibrickane and Lissycasey are approaching with a common agenda, yet a vastly contrasting record at this level. While Lissycasey are seeking their first U-21A title, Kilmurry have already put 13 on their sideboard, although none since they completed five in-a-row in 2007. They were beaten in the 2008 replay by St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield. This weekend’s final in Corofin will represent Lissycasey’s third at this level, having won successive minor A championships in 2013 and 2014. They lost their previous U-21 finals to Kilmurry Ibrickane and Ennistymon. En route to the final, Lissycasey have beaten Cooraclare, reigning champions Éire Óg and Kilmihil/Shannon Gaels in last Friday’s semi-final. Kilmurry will field for the fifth successive weekend, having defeated Kilrush-Killimer, St Breckan’s (replay) and Ennistymon in the semi-final. Interestingly, in the three games that Kilmurry have won, the club they defeated scored 1-7. Most of these players participated in the 2013 minor A final, when …

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Kilmurry face 17th Munster club game

Kilmurry Ibrickane will host Dr Crokes from Killarney in Quilty at 1pm on Sunday in the Munster club Football Championship quarter-final, a repeat of similar fixtures in 2011 and 2012. Beaten 0-12 to 0-9 five years ago, Kilmurry were very unlucky to lose 2-8 to 0-13 just 12 months later in West Clare, largely thanks to two superb saves from Crokes goalkeeper David Moloney. At one stage the Kerry club led by eight points but Kilmurry battled their way back manfully. On October 16, Crokes defeated Kenmare District by 2-16 to 1-12 in the Kerry county final, setting up this tie against the Clare champions. “We’ll enjoy tonight and Monday but we intend to get back preparing for Sunday fairly quickly. “We have a small bit of history with Dr Crokes over a few years. We’d be hoping to give a good account of ourselves. I think we have the players to be able to match these teams. We won’t …

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Twelve teams chase u-21 A title

Twelve teams will compete for the under 21 A football championship in 2016 and first round games are expected to take place in the coming weeks. First round byes have been received by Eire Og, Ennistymon, Shannon Gaels/Kilmihil and St. Breckans while the four first round games are St. Josephs, Doora-Barefield v Ml. Cusacks/Kilfenora/Liscannor; Cooraclare v Lissycasey, Clondegad v Miltown St. Josephs and Kilmurry-Ibrickane v Kilrush-Killimer. There will be six teams in the under 21 B championship and here Corofin and Clooney-Quin received byes into the semi-finals. Wolfe Tones will play Cratloe and O’Curry’s/Naomh Eoin will take on Clarecastle. The under 21 C semi-final pairings are Kildysart v Coolmeen and Doonbeg v Banner. Meanwhile the draw for the junior A football championship semi-finals was made this Monday evening and the pairings are Meelick v Michael Cusacks and Naomh Eoin v Kilmurry-Ibrickane. By Seamus Hayes

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Podge to play one code for Clare in 2017

Cratloe’s dual star Podge Collins has ruled out played both codes at inter-county level in 2017. Collins, who was the only senior inter-county dual star this year, has arrived at the decision as he feels the dual role is no longer sustainable. Crucially, though, he didn’t revel which code he will play. Speaking on Clare FM he said, “I suppose this year, just the way the fixtures fell with both teams getting to the quarterfinals… big games were on the same weekend. Playing two games in a weekend it’s unfair, I suppose, on myself and both teams so, unfortunately, I don’t think that’s sustainable so next year I’ll just be playing the one.” Collins won national league medals in both codes this year. He was a member of Davy Fitzgerald’s senior squad that won the Division 1 national hurling league title for the first time in nearly 40 years, defeating Waterford in a replay, while he was also on the football team, managed by his father Colm, which won the Division 3 league title beating …

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Champions of past two years clash

The Clare senior football champions of the past two years, Miltown St. Josephs who are the current title holders and Cratloe, will meet in the 2016 semi-final. They were the first two teams drawn when the semi-final draw took place at Clare GAA headquarters on Monday evening. This means that the other semi-final willsee last year’s finalists, Cooraclare, take on either Kilmurry-Ibrickane or Lissycasey whose quarter final tie scheduled for Saturday last was cancelled due to the search for missing Lissycasey man David McMahon. The semi-finals are set to be played on Saturday and Sunday week. Meanwhile, the pairings for the quarter finals of the junior A football championship were also decided and they are Kilmurry-Ibrickane v Killimer, Naomh Eoin v Ballyvaughan, Michael Cusacks v Cooraclare and Clooney-Quin v Meelick. These games will also be played on Saturday and Sunday week By Seamus Hayes

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