Category: Sport

CHRISTMAS came early for the clubs of Clare on Friday evening as the Munster GAA Physical Development Project grants were dispersed in Clare Headquarters in Clareabbey. In all, € 109,892 was contributed to 12 clubs as well two schools (Kilishen National School and St Anne’s School, Killaloe) for development done, with clubs applying in 2011 receiving a mimimum of 10.98% of their total spend in grant assistance.

Munster GAA Vice Chairman and O’Callaghan’s Mills clubman Robert Frost was in attendance on Friday to present the cheques to the various clubs and reward them for their continued development, despite the harsh ecomonic climate.

“As a Clare man, Vice Chairman of the Munster Council and incoming Chairman in 2013, I am delighted to be here in Clare to present the cheques. It’s always nice to come back to your own. I’m a former Chairman of the County Board and I fully appreciate the great work that the clubs are doing within the county.

“I’ve been to all the six counties in Munster this year and the clubs in Clare have facilities as good as any other county. The amount of work that has been done in clubs like Doora/Barefield, Miltown Malbay, Broadford, Wolfe Tones and Lissycasey has been excellent this year and indeed the amount of work that has been done for several years has been immense in places like Sixmilebridge, The Mills, Clarecastle and Cooraclare so it’s very gratifying for me to be back and see all those excellent facilities.

“As a Clare man, I attend a good few matches in the county as well as a normal supporter so I’m very much up to date with everything that is happening within the county.”

In addition to the expenditure in relation to physical development, Munster GAA has also provided other financial support in 2011 across the province.

“If you look at this year alone, you are talking of a figure of € 351,346 coming back to Clare and this has been our smallest figure in recent years because our development grants were cut down. In the last five years previous to this, we have over € 2 million euro given back to Clare clubs and the county and there is a lot of money going into coaching too.

“A lot of the funding comes from the Sports Council, and the government and the Sports Council have cut their funding so we in the Munster Council appreciate the great work that is being done in coaching and we have to keep that great work going. So we will be spending between € 460,000 and € 500,000 this year to prop up the coaching and keep it on par with the way it has been.”

The Munster GAA Chairman elect for 2013 is also keen to maintain that physical development project assistance for clubs into the future.

“We find that within clubs, there is a lot more voluntary work being done that ever before and if you are doing some development, it’s the right time because labour costs and overall building costs are down. On the other hand, it’s also harder for clubs to fundraise because to be fair, the people just haven’t got the money.

“The number of applications we received this year was down by 100 throughout the province so that is a sign of the times but we in the Munster Council will help clubs as much as we can.”

THE development of state of the art training facilities at Caherlohan on the outskirts of Tulla comes before the upgrading of the county flagship facility of Cusack Park to the standards required by Croke Park authorities.

That’s the verdict of Clare County Board secretary Pat Fitzgerald this week, with the de facto chief executive of Gaelic Games in the county warning delegates that Caherlohan – which has already had € 3m pumped into its development over the past five years – will not be opened unless “substantial” further investment at the facility.

That investment, says Fitzgerald, should be prioritized ahead of an upgrade of Cusack Park, which the county board has been required to by GAA headquarters if the capacity of the premier ground in the county is to be restored to a level where it could host top-flight inter-county games.

Against a backdrop of what has been described as the “bleak financial position” of Clare County Board finances, Fitzgerald will tell delegates to this Thursday’s annual Convention in the Auburn Lodge Hotel that the “cash-strapped” board “will have to prioritise our expenditure during the coming year”.

In his annual report, Fitzgerald says that the Caherlohan v Cusack Park debate over where to invest funds will ultimately come down to the decision of county board delegates.

However, his report makes it clear that putting Caherlohan at the head of the queue is his recommendation, because of the benefits that will accrue to county teams, development squads and clubs going forward.

“Let me make it crystal clear, it will be decision time,” says Fitzgerald.

“Do we invest in continued improvement work at Cusack Park at the expense of our centre of training excellence at Caherlohan where we’ve already invested over € 3million?

“It is also important for clubs to be aware that if there isn’t continued substantial investment in Caherlohan then the facility, which is urgently required, will remain a work in progress and will remain closed.

“Against that background, clubs will have to decide where we invest our money – in Cusack Park where we won’t get high profile games or in Caherlohan which will be to the benefit of every single county team, development squads and even clubs.

“Personally speaking, I think we have to prioritise Caherlohan while at the same time not ignoring the situation in Cusack Park.

“That’s my opinion but ultimately it’s you the clubs of Clare who will be the final arbitrators,” adds Fitzgerald.

IN the same week that the county senior football team has been rated as the second worst team in Ireland, the Clare County Board has come out and defended its record of promoting the game in the county.

Clare’s deeply embarrassing rating was contained in a league table compiled by

CLARE County Board secretary Pat Fitzgerald will tell delegates to this Thursday’s annual Convention that “a more ruthless approach” will have to be taken with club fixtures and formats from 2012 onwards – a policy where “hard calls” such as the culling the number of senior clubs will be placed firmly on the agenda.

In his landmark 21

CUSACK PARK’S crowd capacity has not been reduced to maximum of 12,800 as was revealed by Clare County Board secretary Pat Fitzgerald and reported on by

THE AGM of Sixmilebridge GAA club took place at the clubhouse meeting room last Wednesday evening. In what was a sizeable attendance, all those present reviewed the past year which saw the Under 21 title return to the parish and the seniors qualify for a first county final in nine years.

Those in attendance received a comprehensive and very well structured review of the past year’s activities by joint Secretary Louise Corbett. She also paid tribute to all those who helped throughout the year and congratulated the minor club on their success, the Under 21 winning team and the seniors on reaching the county final.

Club members who featured on the Clare minor and intermediate winning teams were also congratulated. Best wishes were extended to clubmen David Fitzgerald (Clare senior hurling) and Eamon Fennessy (Clare minor hurling) on their managerial appointments while another clubman Sean Stack was congratulated on leading Na Piarsaigh to the Limerick and Munster titles. A minute’s silence was held in memory of all those who passed away in the parish and club in 2011 including club stalwarts Noel Murphy, Fr. Hugh O’Dowd and Theresa Quinn.

Treasurer Joan Keogh, in her first year at the helm, gave an in-depth breakdown on the financial side of things. The meeting also heard from club Development Chairman, Paddy Meehan, who informed those in attendance that the ambitious club development is now complete.

Club Chairman, P. J. Fitzpatrick, then gave his end of year report and thanked all involved with the club for their help over the past year. After his report he informed the meeting that he would be stepping down from his position after three years in the throne. Many tributes were paid to the outgoing Chairman from the floor for his tremendous work during his term and indeed in the years gone by. Another outgoing officer, Sean Griffin, was thanked for his trojan and dedicated work over the last number of years with co-ordinating the club lotto.

On the night Paddy Meehan was reappointed as Under 21 manager. He will again have Niall Gilligan, John O’Meara Jnr and Leo Quinlan on his management team as they bid to retain the Under 21 A crown in 2012.

A reconvened AGM will take place on Sunday, January 8 at 3 pm. This meeting will elect club officers and team management for 2012. THURSDAY NIGHTS Galway card was an all graded eight race programme with heats of various Christmas Stakes the order of the night The opening three contests were the three semi finals of the Xmas Parties S7 Sprint Stake and in the opening heat both Black Dragon(T1) and Ollys Molly(T6) were away well and they disputed the lead ahead of Manus Fantastic(T2) approaching the opening bend. Rounding the bend Manus Fantastic carried his rivals wide which allowed the Robert Carkhill & James Browne of Ennis owned trap five runner Elwick Ragtag(Head BoundRaggletagglrosie) to sweep through and score by 2&1/4 lengths in 19.86 The concluding heat sawthe Martin Keane of Kilmihil owned debutant Joinedupthinking(T3) register a fine debut success as after striking the front rounding the opening bend the son of Royal Imapact & FaceValue powered clear of his toiling rivals to record a 12&1/4 length success in 19.42. Reneharney Crash(T6) had led the field in the early stages but once Joinedupthinking sorted himself out there was only ever going to be one winner. In race 7 Keane was on the mark once again in this A4 graded 525 yard contest as his Clapton Master(Royal Impact-FaceValue) recorded his maiden career success by 4&1/4 lengths over Wood Crash(T6) in 29.51. Fromtraps Blackstormlady(T5) was smartly away but she was outpaced by the black jacketed Clapton Master on the run up. Kicking clear turning down the back the winner had his rivals in big trouble passing halfway

and although tiring close home he scored with plenty in hand. Race 4 was an A8 graded affair and as they raced towards the opening bend Susie Longsoxs(T2) and Lurgan Drifter(T6) raced neck and and neck before the latter took a definite advantage rounding the bend despite moving wide on the track. Racing down the far side Lurgan Drifter led by two lengths fromthe improving Jacksies Maeve(T4). With the leader again moving wide off the home bend the Martin Sexton of Miltown Malbay owned Jacksies Maeve(Ballymac Maeve-Jacksies Nicki) slipped through on the rail to score by half a length in 30.03. All six runners were away pretty much on terms in race 5 for this A4 graded 525 yarder with the red jacketed Sues Princess just showing the best early toe to lead round by a length fromDromoher Snoopy(T2). Racing down the back the order remained unchanged as the Johnny &Aoife Burke of Tubber owned Sues Princess maintained the tempo out front and the daughter of Head Bound & Boozed Lorraine gamely held her rival at bay by a head in 29.70. Races 7 & 8 on Friday nights card were heats of the Race Dogs A5 Stake and as the closely bunched field approached the opening bend in the first heat Clairwell Jewell(T3) and Manus Snowdrop(T4) just shaded their rivals with Slim Away(T1) and Contentious(T2) just in behind themas they turned down the far side. Racing past halfway Clairwell Jewell held the call but all the while theThomas Flanagan of Ennistymon owned Contentious was getting closer with every stride and striking the front turning for home the daughter of Droopys Kewell and Coldwar Baby scored by 3&1/4 lengths in 29.84. In the second semi final the Michael Costello & Douglas Culligan of Ballyvaughan owned Pinnacle Roxy(T3) was very smartly away fromtraps and the daughter of Boherduff Light & Coldwar Baby quickly opened up a three length lead on her rivals rounding the opening bend. Racing down the far side Pinnacle Roxy was clear of Willbrook Queen(T6) but fromthe third bend the gap began to close as Pinnacle Roxy began to tire in front but she summoned enough courage to last home by half a length in 29.57. Races 2-5 were all heats of an S5 Sprint Stake and in the opening heat Capuka(T2) was first to emerge but as the runners raced towards the opening bend the Ger Manley of Cratloe owned Confused Mark(T1) showed pace along the rail to take command approaching the opening bend. Despite running slightly wide on the crown of the home bend the son of Galway Mark & Confused Shasa stayed on well to defeat Willrose Junior(T6) by 1&1/4 lengths in 19.62. In heat three both Loyal Sue(T1) and Mythical Tar(T3) were both away quite well and the raced stride for stride to the opening bend two lengths clear of MissThe Sunset(T6).As the leaders rounded the bend the John Keane & Frank White of Ennis owned Mythical Tar cut to the rail and the son of Boherduff Light and Coldwar Baby quickly settled the contest as he drewaway to score by 4&1/4 lengths in 19.35.

IN keeping with the harsh economic times that has seen budgets cut across all sectors of society, Clare GAA has continued to slash its expenditure on county teams.

Clare County Board finances for 2011 reveal that expenditure on teams was cut by nearly € 70,000 from the 2010 figure. In the 2011 inter-county year, the sum of € 560,329 was spent on teams, a figure that represents a € 66,904 cut from the expenditure of € 627,233 in 2010.

According to county board sec retary, Pat Fitzgerald there will be more cutbacks to come on team expenditure in 2012 as the executive faces up to what he calls “a bleak financial position” the county board finds itself in. “Over the past two years we trimmed back to the tune of almost € 150,000 on investment in the preparation of county teams and that policy will prevail going forward,” Fitzgerald says in his annual report to Convention.

In 2011, travel expenses made up the bulk of expenditure on teams, with players receiving € 204,209 in expenses during the year, as compared to € 201,432 in 2010.

The main savings were made by the board in the area of catering, gear/ equipment/laundry and buses/overnight stays. The catering bill was cut from € 154,799 in 2010 to € 126,250 in 2011; gear/equipment/laundry reduced from € 105,701 to € 77,053, while expenditure on buses/overnight stays was shaved back from € 42,780 to € 34,959.

The big expense increase for team affairs came in expenditure of training facilities which jumped from only € 3,798 in 2010 to € 13,746 in 2011.

Lifford 4 – EnnisTown/Rock 2 at Cassidy Park, Ennis

A STORMING second half performance saw Lifford make light work of Ennis Town/Rock on Sunday.

The teams were level at half time with the home side drawing level shortly after Town had taken the lead. It was shaping up to be a close and tightly contested affair after the break but two quick goals accelerated Lifford into a winning position.

First Ruairi Norrby’s clever free kick deceived Town goalkeeper Stephen Loftus to find the bottom corner. Clearly re-energised after taking the lead, Donal Magee’s side sought to press home their advantage.

They did so by ruthlessly capitalis- ing on a couple of careless moments of Town defending. Scott Hennessy breached the rearguard to slam home a half volley to make it 3-1.

The points were in the bag when Lunga Balman seized on a half chance to bury a shot that cannoned in off the crossbar. Town upped their performance and were rewarded through Stephen Hickey’s power- fully struck consolation goal.

After defeating Avenue United in the league cup final, Sunday’s convincing victory shows Lifford, in their 50th year, are genuine title contenders.

That said they had a bit of work to do before taking control of a game played out on a surface in remarkably good condition considering the amount of rainfall in recent weeks.

The visitors took the lead when Town’s most impressive performer Marty McLoughlin toe poked home from close range.

The lead didn’t last too long as Pat Darcy drilled home from outside the area to equalise minutes later.

Chances were few and far between before the floodgates and the skies opened in the second half.

Norrby’s clipped free kick was swiftly followed by Hennessy’s half volley.

With Hamed Kuku having a fine game at centre back, Balman made it 4-1 late one before Hickey blasted home in the closing moments. A great goal but not enough to deny Lifford a third league victory.

Lifford
Jean DeSilva, Eoin Murphy, Hamed Kuku, Mickey Joe Sullivan, Dylan Blake, Ruairi Norrby, Pat Darcy, Pa Mannion, Lunga Balman, Ryan Boyle, Scott Hennessy

Subs
Darren O’Neill for Boyle

Ennis Town/ Rock
Stephen Loftus, Barry Woods, JasonWhite, Shane Daniels, Ronan Judge, Richie Neylon,AdrianWalsh, Daryl Eade, Marty McLoughlin, Stephen Hickey, Niall McNevin

Subs
GaryWalsh for McNevin, Michael Dinan for Woods, Ethan Considine for A Walsh

Referee
Padraig Sutton

CALLS for Clare GAA administrators to come down hard on clubs and individuals who abuse referees will be sounded out at this Thursday night’s Clare GAA Convention, with the Clare Referees Administration Committee leading the charge against the perpetrators of abuse.

The report submitted to the Convention by the referee’s body says that “the abuse of referees has to be severely dealt with at all times and all our referees have to be protected and get the support they deserve”.

In returning to a theme that has been familiar to Convention in recent times, the report says that the scourge of abuse comes between the committee and the recruitment of new referees.

“This is an area I have great concern over, because when we manage to get a group of candidates in a room to do the foundation course and have completed it, on every occasion we find that all our efforts count for naught as a result of abuse,” it says.

“Everyone wants a referee for their game, but no one gives the beginner a chance to develop. The referee is expected to know all the rules from the very first game he does, and there is very little tolerance for mistakes.

“The abuse factor has an even deeper knock-on effect because as referees administrator for the county and charged with responsibility of recruitment of new referees, it has become increasingly more difficult to convince someone to become a knight of the whistle.

“The amount of abuse being di rected at new referees in games is seriously damaging our effectiveness in recruiting referees and is turning them away from refereeing. We have some very competent referees in Clare and they can hold their own with the best in the country.

“We also have some referees in our ranks at the moment, who are showing good potential and everything should be done to allow these to develop and progress to the stage where we will be able to avail of their services right across the whole spectrum of refereeing in Clare.”

Continuing, the report says, “The promotion of refereeing and recruitment throughout the county has come a long way over the past number of years. This needs to be broadened and developed more and the members of the County Executive have a major role to play in this.

“I firmly believe that there are lots more potential referees in the county if they were given the right signals and encouragement.

“It is most important that the perpetrators of the abuse of referees are dealt with in a manner, which will clearly show that this will not be tolerated at any level and I appeal to all clubs, team coaches and supporters to give the ref a chance.”

In 2011 the Clare Referees Administration Committee consisted of five members – County Administrator and chairman Ger Hoey, Michael O’Regan, Michael McGann, Ger Lyons and Seanie McMahon.

Limerick FC 5 – Cobh Ramblers 0 at Jackman Park, limerick

MANAGER Declan Farmer moved his Limerick U19s team further clear at the top of the Under 19 National League Southern Division with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over their closest rivals, Cobh Ramblers. Their presence at the top of the table has been bolstered greatly by the presence of Clare players including Steven McGann, Sean O’Callaghan, Rob Shier and Fatmadh Dunisha.

Cobh started brightly and could have scored early in the game, but for fleeting periods Limerick FC totally dominated this match. The home side opened the scoring after good play up the left by Limerick’s left back Anthony O’Donnell, who passed inside to centre forward Colin Daly and his perfect through-ball played to his fellow centre forward Cian Collins in who scored from a tight angle. After 20 minutes Limerick were two up: the impressive Colin Daly again put Cian Collins through and he put the ball across goal for wide-right centre forward Darragh Rainsford to tap in at the far post. Steven McGann dominated centre midfield closing down and not allowing any space for both of Cobh Ramblers centre midfielders David Curran, Dillon McNamara.

Five minutes into the second half Limerick FC took full control of the game with the third goal. A ball over the top appeared to be running through to Cobh Ramblers Goalkeeper Shane Hallahan, but as the keeper hesitated and Darragh Rainsford stole the ball to square to Col- lins who had the simple task of stroking the ball into the empty net. The visitors had a chance to get back in the game but Cobh’s centre forward Dan Santry’s header was taken off the line by Barry Sheedy.

After 20 minutes Cian Collins rounded off a ‘man of the match’ performance as he scored two in the space of a minute. On both occasions he beat the offside trap to go one-on-one with Cohb Ramblers goalkeeper Shane Hallahan and on both occasions he finished with great composure. Cobh Ramblers pushed for a consolation but came up against an outstanding defence of Stephen Walsh in goal protected by a back four of Alex Scully, Andrew Cowpar, Sean O’Callaghan and Anthony O’Donnell, who fully deserved their clean sheet.

Declan Farmer’s Limerick FC U19’s team, has developed into the form team in this division with an average of three goals per game and now four points clear of Cobh Ramblers at the top of the table.

Limerick FC