Category: Sport

PERSISTENCE proved to be the key for Clarecastle’s motion to establish a committee to review the enforcement of the rules, in particular in relation to ‘striking with hurley, either with force or causing injury’ and the gravity of the offence in relation to suspensions.

Clarecastle delegate John Callinan outlined his club’s concern about the implementation of the rules in relation to suspensions which opened up a 40 minute debate from the floor, the longest of the night.

“We are not criticising the Disciplinary Committee in any way, we are merely requesting that a review be put in place on the enforcement of the rules that exist, particularly relating to Category III infractions and arising from that, a review and clear guidelines could be established.

“Our particular concern is the offence of striking with the hurley either with force or causing injury. The minimum suspension is eight weeks and you may be also aware of the gravity clause which says that ‘where a minimum suspension is prescribed in relation to an Infraction, the Coun- cil or Committee-in-Charge shall have due regard for the gravity of the Infraction in each case and where appropriate should impose a longer term of suspension.’

“If you go to the back of the AGM booklet, there is a section on offences and suspensions. I think there are 21 suspensions relating to striking with the hurley using minimum force. All received the minimum four weeks. There are five suspensions under striking with the hurley using force or causing injury and all five received the minimum suspension of eight weeks.

“We are not saying that the committee has acted in any unfair, impartial or unjust way. Having regard for the gravity provision, it is strange, is all we can say, that each of the five situations merited the exact same suspension in each particular case. The minimum.

“Does one size fit all?”

Initially, Chairman Michael O’Neill requested that the motion be put forward to congress for a change of rule but after repeated clarification from Clarecastle delegate Callinan that the club were not looking for a rule change, the debate was opened up to the floor.

County Secretary Pat Fitzgerald considered it a matter for the referees to indicate the severity of the offence in their reports; Ger Hoey, Referee Administrator Coiste an Chlair told the meeting that referees are instructed from national level to report per rulebook, full stop. ‘You don’t go any further, you don’t go any less.’

Fellow referee and Ruan delegate Ger Lyons suggested it needed a change of protocol from Croke Park while Sixmilebridge delegate PJ Fitzpatrick backed Clarecastle’s proposal.

“I think what John [Callinan] is saying is that the minimum suspension has automatically become the maximum suspension and that there is a huge difference.

“We have a duty to our games. There is no justice whereby you see a player who sustains an injury from a deliberate blow from a hurley who is out of the game twice as long as the suspension issued to the person who administered the injury.”

The debate raged on with Chairman O’Neill sticking to his guns on the matter. “We can put the committee is place but I don’t know if there is a whole lot we can do about it unless we bring it to Croke Park, that’s my assertion of it.

“In principal the motion will be carried but in this case, the motion means nothing. The rule is the rule.”

However, the intervention of Corofin delegate and referee Ambrose Heagney proved crucial in the debate. “I’m a bit baffled at this. Maybe I’m a very fortunate in that I never refereed a game with an incident like this. But if I came across an incident where some hurler was struck intentionally, by God, in my report it would be seriously underlined. I just wouldn’t quote the rule, I would go a long way more than quoting the rule.

“This is very serious that if a guy can strike down another guy, that he would get the minimum suspension. I think that the referee has to put in his report that this was a bloody serious offence and put in a few words along with it. It doesn’t take a lot and I don’t think you will leave yourself wide open by doing so.”

Further additions from Clarecastle delegate Neville O’Halloran that the term ‘this is a serious strike’ was used in one referee’s report this year and the offender still got the minimum suspension added more fuel to the fire while PJ Fitzpatrick rounded off the discourse with a final plea.

“You can see from the discussion that it has opened up options and what Ambrose [Heagney] has said there has given some clarity to the situation as well.

“If a committee was set up to discuss something that is a cause of grave concern, surely it must do some good and it might be a system of clarifying issues for referees, the disciplinary committee, club managers or club officers.”

With no opposition, Chairman O’Neill finally granted the motion.

“Just to finalise it, I would be prepared to put a committee in place.

“This was a merited discussion because if our games are getting nasty and getting dirty, the message should go out there that we will be stringent with the rules but we can only be stringent with the rules as they stand. So a three person committee in conjunction with myself and possibly a representative of the referees will sit down and see if we can work around this obstacle that is there at the moment.”

THE Tuamgraney Handball Club 2012 commemorative calendar is now on sale. To celebrate their Centenary Year, the East Clare club have marked the occasion by producing a calendar, packed with over 150 photos from past and present celebrating Tuamgraney’s rich handball heritage. The calendar also features many handball legends from around the country and is a bargain at just € 10. Anyone wishing to purchase a calendar can contact Club Secretary Shane Walsh on 087-9415001. Free postage within Ireland. Tuamgraney Handball Club would like to wish everyone who supported us this year and all of Clare’s handballers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

League Fixtures
Monday 26th December FAI Youths Cup Round 3 Crossgalla(Limerick): Pike Rovers v Avenue Utd Limerick Officials 2.00 Note: In event of a draw10 mins e/wextra time and penalties if necessary.

League Results
Sunday 18/ 12/ 11 Munster Junior Cup 3rd Round Avenue United A 0-1 Connolly Celtic

TWO FINE wins by 64 Kilo Youths James Galbraith and Reese Doyle gave Clare Boxer a tenuous 7-6 lead going into the final bout of the evening in the Cecil Campbell Memorial Trophy match between Clare and Limerick at the Community Centre in Ennis on Friday night last; and a sublime if narrow victory for the Clare sides only lady competitor Sally Carrig copper-fastened a victory for the home side. It was a victory which scarcely looked attainable early on when Limerick stormed into a 3-0 lead with wins by Luke Nolan, who beat local debutante Jack Murphy in a thriller and tactical victories for the O’Reilly brothers Jamie and John over Tommy Galbraith and Davy Keenan respectively.

There was ample retribution for Irish Champion Conor Doyle who suffered the first defeat of his career last week in Limerick; when he kickstarted the home sides recovery process with a solid victory over Dom Sarsfield. Doyle regained all of his characteristic accuracy with a great left jab and followed through with scoring righthanders which overwhelmed the Limerick fighter.

52 Kilo Southpaw Mike McDonagh continued the winning vein with victory over Clive O’Mara and Middleweight Wayne Danaher restored parity with a good win over Limericks Podge McDonagh, a tough enduring Middleweight who hails from Shannon. This was undoubtedly the bout of that everybody came to see, and neither boxer gave way in a bruising first round before Danaher gained supremacy with precision left jabs to the head in the second and in spite of McDonagh’s resilience popped up with some solid righthanders to seal victory in the third.

The Light-welter battle between Ennis favourite Simon McDonagh and Limericks Clive O’Mara turned into a torrid battle of attrition. These boys had met twice previously and everybody knew this was going right down to the wire and so it proved. The Ennis boxer dominated the first and second rounds, but could not shake off the resilient Limerick fighter, and with victory literally secure, a moment of indiscretion cost McDonagh the victory after he was given a pub- lic warning for barging (shades of Amir Khan in last weekends World title in Washington State).

The Clare side carried that narrow 7-6 lead going into the final contest, and young Sally Carrig duly delivered with a fabulous victory over the experienced Patrique Kelly from the St Francis Club. Both boxers enjoyed momentary superiority in the crucial battle, but it was the Ennis girl, daughter of Ennis Coach Sean, who produced the accuracy of punch and controlled aggression which gleaned a much cherished victory over three absorbing rounds.

Results in detail
Clare names first. 32 Kg Boys Mike Doherty beat Martin Pratt 33 Kg Boys Martin C Doherty beat Jay Casey 36 Kg Boys TomGalbraith lost to Jamie O’Reilly 39 Kg Boys Davy Keenan lost to John O’Reilly 48 Kg Boys Conor Doyle Beat DomSarsfield 50 Kg Boys Mike McDonagh Beat Gary Butterfield 57 Kg Youth Simon McDonagh Lost to Clive O’Mara 46 Kg Boys S Nugent Scr Conor MaddenW O 60 Kg Youth J McDonagh Lost to Lee Reeves MiddleWt Wayne Danaher Beat Podge McDonagh 70 KgYouth James Galbraith Beat Danny Roche 75 KgYouth Jack Murphy lost to Luke Nolan 64 KgYouth Reese Doyle beat Cullan Ryan 64 Kg Ladies Sally Carrig beat Patrique Kelly

OUTGOING Chairman Johnny Hayes reflected on his four years at the helm of Clare Ladies Football by proudly reviewing the accomplishments that the county achieved during his tenure.

“The future looks very bright for our teams. When I Look back over my four years, I enjoyed it very much. I saw Clare win two National League titles, Division 2 and 3, also reached two All-Ireland Intermediate finals losing one and winning one and we won two Munster Intermediate titles. We also won two All-Ireland Under 14 blitzes, Munster and an All-Ireland Under 14 championship, an Under 16B All-Ireland championship and a Munster Minor Championship for the first time in 20 years and went on to reach the All-Ireland.

“In 2008, the first Munster Junior title came to Clare courtesy of West Clare Gaels who went on to contest the national final. In 2009, it was Kilmihil’s turn to bring the Munster and All-Ireland Junior titles back to Clare and create history. In 2010, it was West Clare Gaels again, this time winning the Munster and AllIreland Intermediate titles after their first county senior title. We also had post primary success with Scoil Mhuire from Ennistymon winning the Munster Colleges title.

“When I look back on those achievements, they bring back great memories for me and it was great to be in the Chair when all those titles came back to Clare.

“Finally I want to thank the camogie board for their cooperation, all our sponsors, my fellow club and county officers, the local media and to all the clubs for the cooperation and courtesy extended to me throughout the year. With a good understanding and working relationship, my job was made much easier.”

Johnny Hayes was subsequently elected as Vice-Chairman for 2012.

IN ACCORDANCE of the views of the delegates on the night, Secretary Michael Fitzpatrick, in his annual report, also expressed the need to alter the structure of the adult championships.

As part of his review of the year, Fitzpatrick looked into various aspects of the adult competitions.

“I feel we will have to look at our senior championship again as Coolmeen ran into problems with fulfilling their matches. Also I think the league should be over before starting the championship.

“We need to look at our structures in 2012 and another aspect is the inclusion of second teams from clubs in the adult lower grades as it happened again this year that clubs pulled their second team out, prior or during the competition, also not willing to name their first 15 players.”

In a comprehensive report, Fitzpatrick thanked all clubs and county teams for their efforts in 2011, particularly the senior side who captured the National League Division 3 title, and wished them the best for 2012.

“We may not have won many laurels in 2011 but congratulations to David O’Brien and his team on winning the Division 3 League and also to the five players who were picked on the Division 3 Team of the League (Lorraine Kelly, Louise Henchy, Niamh Keane, Niamh O’Dea and Eimear Considine). Also to David O’Brien on being Manager of the Month for May.”

“To the 22 clubs, I wish you all the best for 2012 and to the incoming board, the best of luck for the new season.”

OUTGOING Treasurer Christy O’Connor received the biggest applause of the night for his long service to Clare Ladies Football. Associated with the board since 1988, the Coolmeen clubman served under five different chairpersons during his various terms and on this his sixth successive report as Treasurer, he also reported an annual profit of € 10,844.22 and an overall balance of € 27,890.96.

However, that healthy position came with a caveat to the incoming treasurer as expected transport costs of approximately € 8-9,000 are imminent in the New Year.

O’Connor also told the delegates that gate receipts ‘held their own’ in 2011 (14,107) with only a slight decrease from the previous year, with income totaling € 107,712.37 while expenditure amounted to € 96,908.15.

A large bulk of both totals centred around Club Registration and the distribution of same to various central boards and the injury scheme. Church Gate Collections also made up € 8,300.77 of the income total while senior team expenses were € 11,742.90.

THE COMPLETE turnover of officials last year made way for a united front this time around as all seven officers were returned to the top table of Bord na nÓg Iomaint at their annual convention on Thursday in The Auburn Lodge Hotel in Ennis.

That continuity was reflected in Chairman Martin Reynolds address when paying tribute to his fellow committee for their hard work over the past twelve months and in particular secretary Sandra Reynolds for being a ‘powerhouse and a wonderful find for Bord na nÓg.’

“Last year was an unusual year in Bord na nÓg Iomaint in the sense that all the officers changed hands and we had a new committee and I would like to particularly thank all the clubs for being so lenient and not giving such a hard time at the beginning of the year when we were all getting used to the job. We made some errors earlier in the year but without the clubs, the year could not have been a success.

And in outlining his plans for 2012, the Clarecastle delegate called on clubs to further support the development squads and put forward more referees in order to get Clare underage hurling to the next level.

“We would certainly like to see more clubs getting in behind the development squads and supporting them. I feel that the work the development squads at Under 14, 15, 16 and 17 have done over the past number of years have been 90% responsible for the county winning back-to-back Munster minor championships and I think clubs should get behind the development squads and send their players to them because they are our future. “I would also like to thank the ref- erees. We can’t have games without referees and that’s a given. I would urge clubs to forward new names so we can increase the panel of referees and reduce the age profile. “At the start of the year, we as a committee asked the referees to in- troduce a new system in Clare. We felt it was wrong for mentors to be running around the pitch, certainly at underage with hurleys in their hands and we spoke to the clubs and got great cooperation from the clubs and the referees and now thankfully we don’t see that happening anymore.

“As regards referees, we held 20 finals in Bord na nÓg Iomaint this year and had 20 different referees for those finals. We started at Under 14’s and tried to bring on some of the new referees and younger referees and use referees who officiated at the Féile last year and we intend to continue on that trend this year.”

CLUBS playing in C and D grade competitions in 2012 will be able to field with at few as 11 players, it was agreed at the Bord na nÓg Iomaint Convention on Thursday. Teams at C and D grade that haven’t the full complement of players can now play with either 11 or 13 players with the opposition side allowed unlimited substitutions.

The motion, originally forwarded by the top table but taken up by Wolfe Tones after it was revealled that the board are unable to propose motions, to alleviate the player number problem that is increasingly affecting rural clubs was eventually unanimously passed by the delegates after a lengthy debate.

Reservations by Broadford over the ‘lack of structure’ of the motion were counteracted by Chairman Martin Reynolds who admitted that the board would be ‘dependent on the honesty of clubs’ in order for the motion not to be abused and that it was designed to stop walkovers and allow all sides to have ‘meaningful matches’ regardless of their numbers. Treasurer Joe O’Donnell backed up his fellow officer by stating that the motion was ‘a genuine effort to keep clubs going at every level.’

Clooney/Quin’s proposal to bring forward their Under 13 Hurling tournament and incorporate the fixtures in the Master Fixtures booklet was granted by the convention.

The competition, which is in its 13th year in 2012, has taken on a new lease of life since the Under 12 grade was changed to a non competitive format and now hosts over 30 teams who play a total of 55 matches in five weeks.

Finally, Newmarket-on-Fergus’ motion to allow all quarter-finals be played on a home or away basis was defeated by 19 to 16 in the only vote of the evening. The Blues took on the motion after Bord na nÓg were not allowed to propose their own motion to the floor.

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.