Tag Archives: hurling

THE Clare GAA €4.8 million Centre of Excellence at Caherlohan has been the subject of intense scrutiny and discussion over the last few months, in response to which clubs were invited to visit the facility for themselves last weekend before making any submissions to the new strategic group focusing on the future of Clare GAA. The Clare Champion understands that 13 clubs sent representatives on the day to view the facility, just less than a quarter of all clubs in the county. Here Derrick Lynch guides you through gallery of photographs from inside the gates of Caherlohan. GYM: It is accepted by the majority of stakeholders that the gym at the facility is in need of an upgrade, but this also could be put down to the growth and development in S&C trends since the doors were first opened in 2015. The motto of “First In, Last Out” adorns the walls along with a reminder from both the Clare senior …

THE Clare hurlers are set to begin their National League campaign on the weekend of May 8/9, while the county’s footballers will return to action the following weekend, according to the GAA fixture calendar released today. Intercounty teams are to resume training on April 19, and the football league will see a regionalised format this year, with Clare facing Cork, Laois and Kildare in Division 2 South. They will begin with an away tie against Kildare. After the action begins the hurlers will have five league games, but the competition will not have a specific final this year, with the winners of Divisions 1A and 1B being joint winners, or if they meet in the championship, this will double as a final. As in 2020 the Munster and Leinster hurling championships will be knock out, with a back door qualifier system. The football championship will be knock out, with no qualifier system. Both the football and hurling championships will get …

ST Flannan’s College will not have the chance to defend their 2020 Harty Cup title after it was announced today that the Munster GAA Post Primary Schools board has cancelled the 2020/2021 season. In a statement, Munster GAA Post Primary Schools said, “In light of recent announcements regarding Level 5 restrictions, Comhairle Iar-Bhunscoileanna na Mumhan has unfortunately made the decision to cancel all outstanding Munster GAA Post Primary Schools competitions for the remainder of the current school year 2020-2021.” A letter send Post Primary Schools in Munster today (Thursday, February 25) read, “I hope this email finds you well and that you and all your loved ones are safe at this time. Following recent announcements from the Government regarding the extension of level 5 restrictions and also from Cumann Lúthchleas Gael indicating that no on-field activity will be permitted – training or games – until Easter at the earliest, Comhairle Iar-Bhunscoileanna na Mumhan has unfortunately had to make the decision …

The first round of the Clare senior hurling championship will feature eight games this weekend. Derrick Lynch previews the action. O’Callaghans Mills v Broadford A mouthwatering East Clare derby with the men from Broadford finally at the promised land of senior hurling. That will carry momentum with it, while the Mills are coming off the back of a disappointing 2019. Form goes out the window in these games, but the greater senior experience of the Mills should see them through. Verdict: O’Callaghan’s Mills Clonlara v Newmarket Two sides who will see this game as one that is there to be won, and two sides who will desperately want to hit the ground running. Clonlara are without John Conlon and his loss will be immense. Newmarket may hold the edge in the physicality stakes, but a greater scoring threat for Clonlara might just see them through. Verdict: Clonlara Crusheen v Ballyea This game provided one of the results of the year …

THE great clash of the ash in hurling could soon be replaced by bamboo on bamboo if a new type of hurley takes off. Torpey in Sixmilebridge have launched a new Bambú hurley, made, as the name suggests, from bamboo material, which will be imported from China. According to Seán Torpey, operations manager at the long-established traditional craft business, the new hurley will offer players a natural material with added performance benefits to that of the traditional ash hurley. He notes that many attempts have been made over the years to use synthetic materials to replicate the ash hurley, but few have met with any great success. “Since the formation of the GAA in 1884, ash hurleys have been the favoured material of players up and down the country. The Bambú hurley offers a genuine natural alternative to ash hurleys,” he says. The bamboo hurley has been trialled by some of the top inter-county during the initial stages of the …

Last year’s senior football finalists, St Joseph’s Miltown, the winners, and neighbours and old rivals Kilmurry Ibrickane will lock horns in the opening round of this year’s championship. The repeat pairing was the notable first round draw made by county board chairman Joe Cooney at Clareabbey on Wednesday evening. It is an intriguing tie given that last year a replay was required to determine the outcome. The football championship throws in the August bank holiday weekend. In hurling, kingpins Sixmilebridge face a daunting challenge in the opening round of their title defence when they face old adversaries Éire Óg. In last year’s campaign the sides met in the quarter-final where the Bridge were hard pressed to get the better of a Shane O’Donnell inspired Ennis side and in a game which could have gone either way. No doubt the Townies will be thirsting for revenge when the championship throws in on the weekend of July 24-25-26. Broafdford, who return to …

THE draw for the quarter-final stage in the race for the Canon Hamilton, and the intermediate title, were completed this evening and read as follows: Senior Hurling Quarter-final draw: Ballyea v Crusheen Cratloe v Clonlara Inagh-Kilnamona v Feakle Sixmilebridge v Éire Óg   Intermediate Hurling Quarter-final draw: Broadford v Sixmilebridge Scariff v Inagh-Kilnamona Smith O’Brien’s v Killanena Tubber v St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield

The race for the Canon Hamilton is heating up and the Round Three draw has thrown up some red-hot fixtures. The Senior Round Three draw reads as follows: Cratloe v Kilmaley Ballyea v Wolfe Tones Feakle v Clooney-Quin Éire Óg v Newmarket-on-Fergus The relegation semi-final fixtures were also announced and read as follows: Clarecastle v Tulla Whitegate v O’Callaghan’s Mills   The Intermediate Round Three fixtures announced were: Parteen v Killanena St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield v Bodyke Corofin v Sixmilebridge Inagh-Kilnamona v Cratloe The Intermediate relegation semi-finals are: Ruan v Éire Óg Newmarket-on-Fergus v Clarecastle