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Clooney-Quin 3-07 – Crusheen 0-12 at Éire Óg

CLOONEY-QUIN progress to the quarter-final of the under 21 B championship after turning around a half time deficit of three points in a great second half display to clinch it by a point in this first round replay.

Crusheen started well but it was Clooney-Quin who struck first as Peter Duggan got the first score of his impressive tally from a ‘65 in the opening minutes. From here it became the battle of placed balls as Crusheen’s Darragh O’Doherty then converted two 65’s of his own.

Conor O’Donnell seemed to be the only man standing out in open play hitting four points in the first half as Crusheen took control.

Two free’s from centre forward Jamie Fitzgibbon added on the pressure which forced Duggan to go for goal from a 21 yard free that rattled the back of the net. However, a poor first half display from Clooney-Quin meant they trailed 0-9 to 1-3 at the break.

Crusheen still remained in control at the start of the second half but they were unable to build on their lead which gave Clooney-Quin hope.

Then with a quarter of an hour left it quickly became the Peter Duggan show after he found his form and went on to hit 2-3 giving his side the lead.

Crusheen were now on the back foot and only managed to reply with three points. However, after the nine points they scored in the first half this meant the game was still close to the finish.

They trailed by two points in closing stages as they went in search of a goal but it never came. A point is all they could manage but this wouldn’t suffice as Clooney-Quinn were victorious on a one point margin and will now face Corofin in the next round of the under 21 championship.

Clooney- Quin
Keith Hogan, Bryan McInerney, Brian Clune, Ronan McMahon, Niall McMahon, Ruaidhri McNamara, David Kennedy, Dáire Hannon (0-1); David Barry, Ryan O’Neill, Joeseph Clune (0-1); Conor Cunningham, Peter Duggan (3-5, 2f, 2‘65); Gary Hogan, Jason Ryan.

Subs
Shane Smyth for DBarry, John Reynolds for J Clune.

Crusheen
Brian Dillon, Ruairi Halpin, Conor Hayes, Jason Daffy, Jason Greene, Conor O’Loughlin, Darragh O’Doherty (0-2, 2’65);Youen Horner, Padraic O’Malley, SeanWeir, Jamie Fitzgibbon (0-4, 2f); Edward Forgarty, Ethan O’Donnell (0-1); Conor O’Donnell (0-5);Anthony Rogers.

Clare 1-07 – Longford 0-08 at Cusack Park, Ennis

ACADEMIC IN terms of promotion for Clare but they made sure that Longford’s charge for a final spot was also severely dented in what only can be described as a gritty display on Sunday. The Leinster side came to Clare headquarters with an unbeaten record, primed to take advantage of whichever county lost the top of the table clash between Roscommon and Wicklow but Clare had other ideas and with pride at stake, they dug in admirably to somehow come away with the points.

It was a timely confidence boost for Clare who had cursed their luck up to this point of the campaign but while they were fortunate to secure the win on Sunday after only scoring one solitary point in the second half, it must be said that Longford also greatly aided Clare’s cause in their wasteful shooting and over-dependence on Sean McCormack for inspiration and scores.

In all, Longford kicked 16 wides over the 70 minutes, a criminal amount at any level and they were also Arsenal-like in their pursuit of goals in that they repeatedly tried to walk the ball into the net. In saying that, Clare’s appetite for the win was obvious from the outset and they worked very hard to close down the space at the back. No more so than captain Gordon Kelly and Kevin Hartnett who both intercepted certain goals as well as being inspira- tional for their side. However, It was Gary Brennan who literally stood head and shoulders above the rest around the centre in another leadership display and he even picked up the crucial score of the game in first half injury-time when fisting to the net to give Clare a comfortable interval lead.

Indeed, Clare had patches of real quality football in that first half when starting and finishing strongly. How- ever their dominance in possession was not reflected on the scoreboard despite pushing 0-4 to 0-2 clear by the 20th minute, through David Tubridy (3) and Brennan.

Through Sean McCormack however, Longford were level by the 25th minute and might have pushed on themselves had they their shooting boots on. In addition, John Hayes intercepted a goalbound effort while Niall Mulligan somehow fisted wide at the back post with the goal at his mercy and a relieved Clare punished on the counter-attack with the final two scores of the half.

First a Gary Brennan lineball was caught by Tubridy in the left corner who dummied onto his left before floating an inch perfect effort over the bar. Then in the third minute of injury-time, Gary Brennan was well positioned to flick a Kevin Hartnett high delivery to the top left corner of the net to ease the home side into a 1-6 to 0-4 half-time lead.

With their promotion hopes fading, Longford came out fighting and while they lifted the tempo of the game, the standard of shooting plummeted further into almost comical proportions. In between the plethora of wides, Sean McCormack slowly chipped away at the deficit with only a David Tubridy free in riposte and by the 62nd minute, the lead was slashed to only two.

However, while it was a exceedingly nervy finale that stretched into six minutes of injury-time while also seeing Alan Clohessy wrongly singled out and given a second yellow, Clare fought tooth and nail to keep their heads above water and can be thankful to Hartnett and Kelly for their vital second half interceptions.

A much needed boost for Clare who will look to further enhance their championship preparations with a trip to Fermanagh this Sunday.

MEETING at 6.30 in the morning is typically a burden for most. This however was not the case last Saturday morning for the Ennis RFC under 11’s. All 47 travelling players were at the meeting point well in advance of the coach leaving. Indeed this set the tone for the day.

For most this was their inaugural Rugby Tour. The excitement was palpable. We were bringing 3 teams to play in one of the country’s premier Mini Rugby Festivals in Willow Park with some 55 teams battling it out, on 14 pitches. This includes top school sides from Dublin, and representatives from the four provinces.

We duly arrived for registration at 9.30 and were ready to go at 10.30 for our first games. In the morning our teams were pitched against Wexford and Boyne in the A section (each played twice), and two further teams against De la Salle, Willow Park, St Michaels and Castlepark, Willow Park and Aravon in the B section of the competition.

This indeed was a very competitive and tough tournament with outstanding displays from all teams. The Festival itself does not determine overall winners yet encourages participation in a competitive environment.

The afternoon series of matches saw Ennis against St Marys, Tullamore and Colraine in the A section, Corinthians, Ul Bohs, Willow Pk and Barnhall, St Mary’s and Rahaelty in the B section.

All in all we played 19 matches re- cording 11 victories and two draws. This was a very impressive return during the day, and reflects the high level of expectation set by this bunch of players and coaches, and indeed the progress made this year. Amongst these victories there were numerous outstanding displays with Ronan Lannigan (top try scorer), Liam Wall, Ross O Flaherty, Tom O Brien, Morgan Garry, Turlough Barrett, Oisin Mangan, Frank Roche and Ben O Donnell deserving special mention.

Events continued in the National Aquatic Centre after and those of us that expected a quiet bus on the return to Ennis were deeply mistaken. A true rugby tour with plenty of fun, laughter.

A great day was had by all and the coaching body want to thank the parents for their support in this event with many driving to Dublin to support the event. This is a significant endorsement for all involved.

Ennis teams (pictured below)
LiamWall, Conall Bolger, Ross OFlaherty, Lorchan Clancy, Barry Neylon, JP Neville, Shane Brennan, Roan Lannigan, Ben Ryan, Frank Roche, Cathal Lennon, Sean Andreasson, Mike Reid, Joe Spellisey, Eanna ODonaghue Paul Tuohy, Eldon Nolan, EoghanWallace, Ben ODonnell, Eoin Martin, Ulick OSullivan,TomO Brien, Kevin Reynolds, Marc Barry, StephenTalty, Zak McDonagh,Turlough Barrett, CaimanWhelan, Luke Griffey, Dylan Myhill Eliaz Kunz, James Nugent, Eoin Clancy, Stepehn Dolan, Darragh Slattery, Oisin Mangan, Josseph Connaughton, David McNamara, Gerard Kavanagh, Morgan Garry, PhilipTalty,Aidan Jordan, Shane Vaughan, EvanToomey, HarryTalty

NIALL MALONE and Diarmaid Nash are into the All-Ireland Intermediate Doubles final after victory in their All-Ireland Intermediate Doubles semi-final on Sunday. The Tuamgraney pair, playing in their home court, eventually won through on a 21-19, 21-19 score after Roscommon duo Chris Doolin and Niall McGrath put up a strong challenge.

The Clare pair will play Kilkenny’s Nicholas Anthony and Brian Manogue in the All-Ireland final on the weekend of April 2/3 while Nash is still also in the hunt for the Intermediate Singles title. He takes on Mayoman Stephen Cooney in Claremorris this Sunday in the All-Ireland semifinal. Cooney is himself an accomplished handballer and Nash will have it all to do to keep his bid for an Intermediate All-Ireland double alive.

John Cawley plays his re-arranged All-Ireland Golden Masters B Singles semi-final against Galway’s Denis Phelan in Shannon on Wednesday night. Shannon is also the venue for an All-Ireland semi-final doubleheader this Saturday.

The Loughnane sisters Paula and Sarah take on Ciara and Clodagh McMenamin in Ladies Junior B Doubles while Cathal Hannon plays the Junior singles semi-final against Roscommon man Denis Creaton.

This weekend also sees the All-Ireland juvenile finals take place. Clare are involved in no less than seven finals and the action takes place in Roscommon Saturday and Sunday and in Crinkle on Saturday. FINALS WEEKEND Saturday 2nd April 2011, in Crinkle, Offaly, at1pm: GU15D: Natasha Coughlan/Michelle Nihill (Clare) v Aisling Maher/Denise Love (Kilkenny) GU17D: Hannah OBrien/Aine Mc Inerny [Clare] v Lauren Barcoe/Mary Buggy (Kilkenny) BU14D: Fergal Coughlan/Jamie Keane (Clare) v Seamus Sinnott/Ben O’Shea (Wexford) BU14S: Brian Fahy (Clare) v Daniel Curry (Wicklow) Sunday,April 3, in St Coman’s, Roscommon, starts 1.30pm: BU15D: Jacob Loughnane/Ciaran Cooney (Clare) v Evan Sheridan/Dylan Sheridan (Meath) BU16D: Niall Bolton/Colin Corbett [Clare] v Patrick McCrory/Pol Clarke (Tyrone) BU16S: Colin Crehan [Clare] v Darren Doherty (Monaghan)

KILKENNY will be favourites to beat Clare in Sunday’s Inter-League Youths semi-final, but Banner boss Mike Moloney says that travelling to the Marble City holds no fears.

And why not! Clare go into the game on the back of a hugely impressive 5-1 demolition of Galway in the quarter-final. Galway were defending champions before being shot down in Tulla’s Cragg. Now for more of the same in Kilkenny.

“Maybe some people feel the quarter-final win came out of the blue,” says Moloney, “but it was a game we prepared well for. It was a reflection of the work that the lads have done.

“We had a trial run in Tulla at the end of November against Galway when we came out of it with a draw. That gave us the confidence to compete. We felt we had worked hard in the intervening time. We didn’t see a 5-1 coming, but we knew we’d be good enough if we got the breaks on the day. It’s a matter of seeing if we can do it again and reach the final.”

It won’t be for the want of preparation. Preparation has been a byword for this group of players, not just this year but over a number of years as Moloney deflects praise by pointing to the job of journeywork being undertaken at grassroots and underage level in the county.

“We have 12 or 13 games under our belts between competitive and friendly games. That’s the type of volume of games you need if you’re going to build up something with a group of players that would only have known about playing against each other,” he says.

“There is a certain amount of experience of them being involved in emerging talent development squads from under 11 to under 16. We have been trying to develop that and build a relationship and spirit.

“We can take confidence from the fact that we know we have prepared well. We can also take confidence from the performance against Galway. In that sense we are going down there with confidence, but we’re not under any illusions about what we’re going to face.

“It’s a reflection of the work the clubs are putting in at underage level, thanks to improved facilities. There is great unseen work going on there.

“It’s also a reflection on the work that Denis Hynes is doing with the Emerging Talent Programme. They are now going into a structure whereby they taken from under 11 right up to under 16. You’d expect that there’d be a decent group of players coming through,” Moloney adds.

It’s this infrastructure that will see a confident Clare make the long journey. Quietly confident like they were against Galway the last day out.

“The sense is that when you get to a semi-final of a national competition, that there aren’t any poor sides left. Kilkenny have won the four games they’ve played so far. I had a chance to look at them when they played South Tipp about six weeks ago. I was very impressed – the speed of the game, how quickly they moved it, how they played a lot of ball to feet. We know we’re in for a hell of a game.

“The fact that we have to travel adds a little bit extra. I would see that as something we have a chance to build off. The travelling is an additional thing you factor in as being part of the day – that can be a good thing, for guys to meet early in the day, get on the bus, stop along the way, get all your preparations right and just arrive their in the right frame of mind to put in a good performance.”

Sixmilebridge 1-17 – Clooney-Quin 2-10 at O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge

DEFENDING champions Sixmilebridge extended their Clare Cup unbeaten run to eight games on Sunday when accounting for neighbours Clooney/Quin on home soil.

It wasn’t the demolition of last year when the ‘Bridge ran out comfortable 5-19 to 1-12 victors but the ‘Bridge always appeared more likely to take the points after finish ing both halves strongly.

Indeed, the holders were 0-4 to 0-1 clear inside the opening ten minutes, with debutant Tony Carmody getting off the mark. However, they were soon on the backfoot following a Fergal Lynch point and a goal from Cathal Egan who was perfectly positioned to take advantage of a Brian Shally lineball that rebounded back off the post.

Far from panicking however, Sixmilebridge simply brushed aside that set-back and finished the half the stronger with points from David O’Connor and Caimin Morey before Danny Morey raised the green flag to give the home side a welcome 1-10 to 1-05 half-time advantage.

An early fighback from the visitors yielded a three point haul for Mike Daffy, Cathal Egan and Brian Shally but Sixmilebridge soon got back into their stride and built up a nine point lead by the 55th minute.

Clooney/Quin never gave up the ghost though and hit an unanswered 1-2 late on with county senior Fergal Lynch grabbing the goal through a 20 metre free. But it was all too little too late as Sixmilebridge had enough in the tank to prevail and maintain their unbeaten run that now stretches back over 10 months.

Sixmilebridge
Derek Fahy,Tadgh Keogh,Aidan Quilligan, Ray McNamara, Barry O’Connor, Caimin Morey (0-2 1f),Trevor Purcell, Paul Fitzpatrick, Shane Golden, David O’Connor (0-2), Niall Gilligan (0-3 1f),Tony Carmody (0-1), Danny Morey (1-1), Brian Culbert (0-4), Declan Morey (0-2)

Subs
Tommy Morey for Golden (35 mins), Pa Sheehan (0-2 1s/l) for Fitzpatrick (39 mins), Eoin Quinn for McNamara (55 mins).

Clooney- Quin
Damien O’Halloran, Joe O’Loughlin, Conor Harrison, Shane McNamara, Mike McNamara, Sean Conheady, Enda Harrison, Brian Shally (0-3 2f, 1’65), Martin Duggan, Padraig Ward (0-1), Fergal Lynch (1-1, 1-0f), Mike Daffy (04), Ronan Gallagher, Cathal Egan (1-1), Derek Ryan.

Subs
John Earls for Ryan (HT),Adrian Fleming for Gallagher (HT)

Referee
Johnnie Healy (Smith O’Brien’s).

CLARE will face the Kilkenny youths in this year’s Interleague Youths Cup semi-final in Kilkenny on Sunday and The Cla re People

CLARE ARE now top of the Division 3 table after six rounds and will play second placed Fermanagh in the final round on Saturday at a Clare venue at 4.45pm.

Clare were disappointed at the news on Sunday morning of a walk over from Longford. Longford are bottom of the table without any points and are scheduled to travel to Limerick for the final round on Sunday.

With the top four teams contesting the finals on April 16/17 Clare’s most likely opponents for their most important game to date this year will be either Down, Wicklow or Leitrim.

The two teams that qualify for the final will be promoted to Division 2 so in reality the importance of the semi-final exceeds that of the final.

Clare and Fermanagh last met in Croke Park in the TG4 All Ireland Intermediate Final in September 2009 while in that same campaign Clare travelled to Fermanagh to play them in the group stages with victory going to Clare on both of these occasion’s.

Much has changed in both campaigns with some players leaving and more players joining both county panels since then.

Regardless of the outcome on Saturday both sides are through to the semi-finals so maybe the respective managements may use the opportunity to try out some fringe players.

Woodstock Golf Club
Winter League Round 5 Results 1 James Carmody 304pts 2 Nick Germaine 303pts 3 George Smith 302pts 4 John O’Connor 299pts 4 Aidrian Kearney 299pts 4 Noel Mulcahy 299pts Sun Singles 1 Brendan McMahon 16 43pts 2 Pat Keane 11 43pts Next weekends competition is Winter League round 6. Club Singles Stableford

Dromoland Results
Stableford Competition Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th 1 Niall Geraghty 40pts 2 Dermot O’Neill 40pts 3 Jimmy McManus 39pts This weekend sees the start of our Diary Competitions. 18 Hole stableford competition with re-entry, all members welcome.

Kilkee Golf Club
Spring LeagueWeek 4 Results 1 P Harte 13 37pts WinningTeamB

B Harte, L Mullane, GReidy,T Carr, C Clancy MDaly – 127pts

Ennis Golf Club
Mens Scotch Foursomes. Sat. & Sun. March 26th & 27th. 1st Niall Howard & Garry Duggan 62.5Nett. 2ndWalter OBrien & Mat Molyneaux 63.Nett. 3rd Ian Myatt & Sean Myatt. 64 Nett. 4th Pat Murphy & Darragh Murphy. 64.5Nett. Dr. Rodgers Shield. 25th March 1st Michael Kenny, Michael Culliney,Matt Flynn & Sean Ryan 96Pts. 2nd Ger Hanrahan, Bren A Considine, Charlie McEnery & Eamon Kelly. 94Pts. 3rd Pierce Cahill, Ger Bredin, Andy Cregan & JimJ Casey. 94Pts. THE FOLLOWING are asked to attend for U15 Trials on Friday evening in Shannon Camogie Field at 7.15pm; Lisa O’Donoghue (Whitegate) Keli Nugent, Maedbh Kavanagh, Rachel Maloney, Caoimhe O’Gorman, Ellen O’Brien (Scariff), Edel Reidy, Susan

Williams, Celine McCormack, Hay- ley Nolan, Zoe McInerney, Chloe Donoghue (Wolfe Tones) Sinéad Collins, Aoife Forde, Amy O’Brien (Corofin), Shauna Ryan, Hannah O’Brien (Clooney-Quin) Sláine Carey, Deanna Considine, Laura Murray, Eimear Donnellan (Sixmilebridge), Alice Acers, Lisa McGrath, Aine Duggan, Siobhan Tuohy, Stacey Wright (Feakle), Leighanne Mc- Mahon, Amy Kennedy (Kilmaley), Ellen Culloo, Aisling Hunt, Emily Maloney (Tulla), Aine O’Shea (Ballyea), Claire Taffe, Amy McArthur (Killanena), Laura Commane (Inagh), Lauren O’Donoghue (Ruan), Siobhan Fahey (Truagh-Clonlara). Further details from Orla Considine on 087 2417355. St Senans R FC 20 Cobh Pirat es R FC 10 ST Senan’s ensured they will be playing Junior 1 rugby again next year as they were victorious in this bottom of the table clash with Cobh on a score line of 20-10. It was Senan’s who made the first break through with some good power play from their pack that made way for Brian Collins to claim the first try of the game. The conversion by Declan Collins was struck well and opened up a 7-0 lead for the home side. The game continued at a frantic pace from the restart with both sides making errors and neither side being able to take control, Senans lead was short lived when on 20 minutes Cobh crossed the try line and leveled the scores at 7-7.

A penalty after 27 minutes was easily converted and gave the visitors a 10-7 lead at half time.

Senan’s started the second half well and this pressure was rewarded 10 minutes into the half when Ronan O’Callaghan ran in for Senan’s second try. Declan Collins was on target with the kick. Senan’s led 14-10.

Senans kept the pressure on the visitors and when the ball was presented back to Declan Collins in front of Cobh’s goals he extended Senans lead to 17-10 with a well struck drop goal after 30 minutes.

Cobh tried hard to breach Senans defence but they were not able to break through and it was Senans who had the last score of the match deep in extra time when Ger McNamara converted a penalty.