Category: Sport

THE OPENING contest on Thursday nights nights card at the Galway Greyhound Track was the final of the Flaherty Markets A6 mini stake and as the traps rose the Pat Hogan of Ennis owned Aulton Percy(T6) was smartly into his stride and showing pace outside led by a length from Smithstown Mick(T1) rounding the opening bend . Extending his advantage to three lengths passing halfway the son of Westmead Hawk & Newbridge Jewel maintained the tempo all the way home as he defeated Tarquynn Bluey(T3) by 4&3/4 lengths in 29.47. Race 9 was the final of the Flaherty Markets A5 Stake and racing towards the opening bend Knockdine Black(T1) led by two lengths from Thanksgiving(T4) and Windfield Lass(T2).. Racing along the back straight Knockdine Black was closely attended to by Thangsgiving on his outside but with that rival running slightly wide off the home turn the Michael O’Brien of Miltown Malbay owned Knockine Black(Hondo Black-Fastaway Baby) stayed on well to score by two lengths in 29.53. The bumper was an A6 affair and from traps Fishing County(T6) began well on the wide outside and he led early from Gilbert(T4) with Sparrows Bounty(T2) hugging the rail in third spot. Turning the back Sparrows Monty slipped through to take command of the contest and the recently retired Clare Hurling Manager Ger O’Loughlin owned son of Head Bound and Barntick Live stayed on well to score by 2&1/2 lengths in 29.89

Races 5-9 on Fridays card were four first round heats of the Pearse Piggott Memorial A2 525 and in the opening heat the reserve Tintreach Wolf led at the opening bend after the early leader Nebraska West moved slightly off the rail and slightly hampering Lismadine Jack(T3) in the process. Passing halfway Tintreach Wolf still led by two lengths but turning for home the Patrick Troy of Kilkee owned Lismadine Jack(Droopys Vieri-Clonredden Tina) struck the front on the outer and quickly asserted to score by 2&1/2 lengths in 29.44.

The eighth contest at the Collage Road Venue on Saturday night was the final of an A3 mini stake and racing towards the opening bend Jumeirah Joe(T5) led by a length from Premier Delight(T4) with Christys Bell(T1) in third place rounding the opening bend. Turning down the back both Jumeirah Joe and Premier Delight were locked in combat as Christys Bell(T1) began to close from the rear. Approaching the third bend Christys Bell went for a gap on the rail which was shut in his face but the front two were also hampered slightly and this allowed the Mrs Mary Browne of Quin owned Mine Hazel(Hades Rocket-Jumeirah Jess) to strike the front and she went clear of a 2&1/2 length win over Jumeirah Jess in 29.36.

Races 4, 5,9 & 10 were the four first round heats of the Chudleys/Fast Trap Supplies A3 575 and in the opening heat the trap two runner Holly Wood showed pace along the inner on the long run towards the opening bend to lead round by two lengths from Varra Bruno(T1) with Kilcorcoran Manu(T3) in third place turning done the far side. Passing halfway Holly Wood led by two lengths but his rivals began to close on either side exiting the beck straight. Turning for home the trio were lined across the track and as they raced for the line it was the Master Conor Cleary of Mullagh owned Kilcorcoran Manu(Ace Hi Rumble-Ballard Nikita) that stayed on best to defeat Varra Bruno by a length and a quarter in 31.95.

In the second heat Old Fort Dynamo(T5) was away well on the outside and he led by a length from World Cup Wonder(T3) rounding the opening bend. Racing down the back the leader was still Old Fort Dynamo was still holding the call from World Cup Wonder but the pack were beginning to close approaching the home bend. Turning for home Old Fort Dynamo looked set to score but the Carl Maguire & Adrian Ennis of Kilrush owned swept through in the centre of the track to get up close home for a head success in 32.41.

AFTER the seemingly interminable wait to first decide their opponents, then the date before taking their case to the clubs of Clare, the road is now clear for the minor hurlers to hone in on neighbours Galway in this much anticipated last four clash.

And for selector Eamon Fennessy who has served in numerous roles for both club and county and is currently Clare GAA’s Coaching Officer, the mood is the camp is heartening ahead of the knock-out tie.

“Really we are delighted it is on this weekend and therefore sooner rather than later because we have a clean bill of health at the moment and clubs have been good to us in putting back fixtures. We are grateful for that because we have a full week’s run of training which is huge. Ideally we would have liked two weeks but it’s a good compromise being one week. If the 14th was the option, then there was definitely going to be a round of fixtures around the 5th, 6th and 7th that would have been detrimental to us because you would have fatigue and the possibility of injuries so we are happy with where we are.”

On entering their domain, there is always a distinct family type atmosphere that permeates the county minor camp, with a huge mutual respect and admiration between players and management that has built up over the last three years. And that strong bond has in turn reflected in the squad’s performances, according to the Sixmilebridge clubman, to where they are now the undisputed kingpins of Munster with back-to-back titles for the first time in the county’s history.

“The thing about it is that no training session is the same. The players don’t know what’s happening until they come in and they go away afterwards nice and happy and I think that’s been the thing that Paul [Kinnerk] has brought to it really. His sessions are never the same and there is a different intensity and a different level of focus required on the players and anyone that doesn’t behave or have their diet in proper shape before they come in, they know then that they are in for a tough evening. It’s never mundane and that’s one thing we’ve tried to do is keep it fresh so that nobody is going to go home totally fed up or bored so the whole lot of us really have worked hard on that to try and ensure that there is a positive atmosphere from all of us.

“The encouragement is there from everybody. They encourage each other in the dressing room when they are getting ready to go out in the session, we encourage them during the session and afterwards we explain where they have gone wrong and how they can improve themselves and it’s never a case of giving a player a rollicking. We give them constructive criticism and they take it on the chin and equally they give it back to us and they tell us where they feel that sometimes play is breaking down and it’s a two way thing.

“And with that there is trust there and I think trust is key. They trust us on the line and we trust them to go out and do a job and whatever 15 are picked, the other 15 on the panel know that those guys are picked because of the effort that they have put in. For instance we had a full length game in training on Friday and we wanted to see how players are going in certain positions, what our Plan A is, what our Plan B and Plan C is and they know that. They know that they have the opportunity to prove themselves and I think they are honest enough to admit that.”

That competition for places will be vital ahead of the squad’s toughest test to date in this derby clash. And for Fennessy and Co, Galway have been the side they would have outlined out as the county to watch out for since the outset of the championship, having played them twice in challenge games during the year.

“We always picked out Galway and even when they came down here to play us, they showed that they are a big powerful team. People have made us favourites for the All-Ireland but we are saying ‘look hang on a second, we have a new panel’ and okay we have lost an All-Ireland but Galway are the form team that have All-Ireland’s won, especially under Mattie Murphy. He never picks a team that are just going to turn up. We know that they are a formidable outfit. They came down here and played us and it was helter skelter until half-time and they give us a lesson on where we needed to be.

“And the one thing we knew from last year was that from the Munster final, there is a huge step up to an All-Ireland semi-final. People thought we are just playing Dublin but no, it was a complete step up again and that’s the education that these fellas got and the players that are lucky enough to have been on the panel since last year are reflecting that back to the new guys. They are saying that ‘hang on now, whatever you thought of playing in Cork, Croke Park is a different animal’ and Galway are definitely the team, as far as I’m concerned, to beat. They are the form team and we would have put them in there with Waterford from the start. Kilkenny are always an unknown entity until you get them out onto the field but Galway are the ones we have been targetting all year, as well as Dublin to be fair.”

Facing Galway is a daunting task in itself but there is also the Croke Park factor that inevitably brings with it an intensity far greater that anything this year’s side have faced up to this point.

“It is a nervous thing. I think when you go to Croke Park, you suddenly realise that it is a different level, a different pace, a different intensity, a different physicality and it’s an education for these fellas. We have planned to go up there beforehand and take them all out there for a walk and explain to them about last year. We will also get the players that were there last year to explain to them where they felt they went wrong so we are hoping that this time our preparation will be better and that we are more prepared for it. The players themselves from last year will be able to pass on the advise of the higher intensity that is needed and focus that is needed from now on.”

And Fennessy is confident that Clare can hit the ground running, just as they did for the majority of the Munster final against Waterford last time out.

“People said our second half against Waterford was poor but people hadn’t realised that Tony Kelly was in hospital for 24 hours, that Colm Galvin hadn’t trained since the Tipp game and there was always going to be a period of the game where fatigue was going to set in but we know now, that for the full 70 minutes aainst Galway that we just can’t afford to take our foot off the pedal. If we go a goal down, two goals down or even three goals, we still have to keep hammering away. If we get the start that we did against Waterford, which is always out focus in training, then there is no reason why we won’t give Galway a good game of it.”

The waiting is over. It’s time to let their hurling do the talking in the country’s biggest stage.

THE Clare District Soccer League will mark its 50th anniversary next year by holding an end of season awards night.

Honours for the best player, best team and manager of the season could be up for grabs at the event, which was announced yesterday by CDSL secretary Oliver Fitzpatrick. The announcement coincides with a call by Shannon Olympic football club for an end of season awards ceremony.

In a motion submitted to last night’s league AGM, the Premier league side stated, “at the end of each season the League holds a social event to celebrate the season just past and present awards for outstanding achievement of various forms such as; player of the year for each league, manager of the year for each league, team of the year, top scorers in each league etc”

Depending on the success of next year’s awards, Fitzpatrick explained, the ceremony might become an annual event.

The announcement forms part of Fitzpatrick’s end of year report, which also outlines the league’s priorities for next season. This includes the further development of the County Grounds in Doora.

Fitzpatrick explains, “As mentioned at previous meetings we have planning permission for lights at the County Grounds and its one of my priorities for next season to ensure that we press ahead with this project”.

The report continues, “However we will need to get a loan for this project and as most people are aware its harder and harder these days to get money off the banks so the League cannot afford any drop in our income for the next few years or we will not be able to complete this work or any other further development work at our County Grounds.

“Our aim is to have our grounds up to League of Ireland standard in the future but this will require continuous investment to complete”.

Fitzpatrick also highlighted Clare’s success in reaching the semi-final of the Inter League Youths Cup for the first time since 1971.

The report states, “A management team of Mike Moloney, Gary Seery and Eoin McNulty were put in place at the start of the season and they set about putting together our best squad of players for many years. In the semi-final we were drawn away to Kilkenny and despite a great comeback from being 2 goals down to level the match we lost out on a 3-2 score line. On behalf of the League again I thank the players and management for their efforts throughout the season”.

Fitzpatrick also paid tribute to league officials including outgoing Chairman Paul Tuohy, coaches, FAI development officer Denis Hynes and all clubs who contributed to the success of the recent FAI festival of football.

Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-13 – Doonbeg 1-8 at Cooraclare

IT could be a dress rehearsal for a county final later in the year, but that doesn’t mean this was more shadow boxing and sparring than the real thing. Only the league final and something that will be forgotten about once the chase for Jack Daly resumes, but the cash prize of € 2500 from The Clare Champion sponsors and old rivalry also ensured this was going to be as full-blooded as any championship game. So it was that Kilmurry Ibrickane and Doonbeg tore into each other with the same intent they showed in the last two county semi-finals here in Cooraclare as Kilmurry’s classy forwards and much better combination play edged them home to a twopoint win and their third Cusack Cup success. It went to the wire like those two previous championship jousts, but it could have been different, very different because such was Kilmurry Ibrickane’s superiority at times that they looked a class apart, with only Doonbeg’s earthy qualities of never giving up on a cause keeping them competitive to the last. They looked like being swamped on a number of occasions – in the first half when Kilmurry moved three points clear when the two best forwards on view, Noel Downes and Mark McCarthy scored three points between them in six-minute burst from the 20th minute to put their side 0-5 to 0-2 clear; at the start of the second when another three-point burst had three points between the sides again. It was the first real daylight between the sides after they had shared four points in the first 15 minutes – Ian McInerney and Enda Coughlan frees sandwiching a Shane Ryan point from play and a David Tubridy free in that time. Doonbeg should have had a goal though when after nine minutes Shane Killeen was clean through on goal only for a brilliant lunging block from John Willie Sexton to deny him a certain goal. A Doonbeg goal did come in the 27th minute and it gave them an early lifeline such was the growing menace of a Kilmurry team as the interval approached. Colm Dillon pilfered the ball in the right corner on the dressing room side of the field, fed Shane Ryan whose shot for a point from 30 yards was brilliantly flicked to the net by David Tubridy.

The sides were level and remained so at the break after a flurry of four scores in the last three minutes of the half – Ian McInerney launched two exocets from placed balls over the bar, while Colm Dillon from distance from play and Enda Doyle’s fisted effort had the sides deadlocked at 1-4 to 0-7.

Ultimately it was Kilmurry’s greater combination play that told, something that allied to their fast start to the second half with points from a Enda Coughlan free and efforts from play by Niall Hickey and Mark McCarthy moved them 0-10 to 1-4 clear inside eight minutes.

Doonbeg did hit back with a Shane Ryan point and a David Tubridy free by the 41st minute but the chasm between the sides was really shown up when three more unanswered points via Ian McInerney (2) and Noel Downes put four between them for the first time.

That crucial Downes score came with four minutes remaining, giving Kilmurry the cushion to withstand the inevitable Doonbeg onslaught near the end that yielded two David Tubridy points to bring it back to two points.

The Magpies couldn’t get any closer – they didn’t really deserve to be either, such was Kilmurry’s superiority over the hour.

They’re the classiest team of this generation, probably any Clare football generation, something they proved in winning seventh major title in Clare over the past four seasons.

They’re the best and the benchmark for everyone else.

Kilmurry Ibrickane
Peter O’Dwyer Jnr (7), JohnWillie Sexton (7), Darren Hickey (7) Martin McMahon (8), Shane Hickey (7), EvanTalty (7),Thomas Lernihan (7), Seamus Murrihy (8), Peter O’Dwyer (7), Mark McCarthy (8) (0-2), Enda Coughlan (8) (0-2f), Ian McInerney (7) (0-5, 3f, one 45), Noel Downes (8) (0-3), Michael Hogan (7), Niall Hickey (7) (0-1).

Subs
Paul O’Connor (7) for Lernihan [Half-Time], Stephen Moloney (6) for Hogan [48 Mins], Johnnie Daly (6) for Niall Hickey [60 Mins].

Doonbeg
Nigel Dillon (7), Joe Blake (7), Padraig Gallagher (7) Conor Whelan (7), Brian Dillon (7), Paraic Aherne (7), RichieVaughan (7), ColmDillon (7) (0-1), Enda Doyle (7) (0-1), Shane Killeen (6), Shane Ryan (7) (0-2), EamonTubridy (6), Paul Dillon (6), Kevin Nugent (7), DavidTubridy (7) (1-4, 4f).

Subs
Frank O’Dea (6) for Killeen [21 Mins], Conor Downes (6) for Paul Dillon [47 Mins], Shane O’Brien (6) for EamonTubridy [51 Mins].

Referee
Michael Rock (Ennistymon)

PATRICK Murrihy smoked a few cigarettes on the sideline. Not as many as Cesare Menotti did in his day, with his ready stash of smokes underneath his sideline bench, but there were still plenty of plumes wafting in the Cooraclare air.

It was no wonder. It was a final after all. A Kilmurry Ibrickane v Doonbeg final at that. One that Patrick Murrihy didn’t want to lose – his first final day out manning the sideline for Kilmurry Ibrickane after his job of journeywork in making footballers out of these players when they first learned to kick ball.

“Beating Doonbeg is a good day for Kilmurry Ibrickane,” he says drawing breath seconds after Michael Rock’s final whistle. “We haven’t won the Cusack Cup that often and to win another one and to win it by beating Doonbeg in the final makes it all the more sweeter. Any day you beat Doonbeg, you have a good day’s work done. We have a good day’s work done in winning this Cusack Cup final.”

“I suppose that we had a chance to try and kick further ahead when we went three points up a few times. This Kilmurry team always gets enough possession – it just depends what you do with that possession when you get it.

“We used that possession very well at times, but there is room for improvement from our own point of view. If we can convert the possession that we’re winning into more scores, that will be great. When we didn’t get a few extra scores we left them in the game right until the end, but we’re delighted to have held out.”

With it Kilmurry landed their third Cusack Cup and first since 2008. Important where bragging rights back west are concerned, but you sense that beating Doonbeg was just as important, if not more than that, especially when Murrihy allows his mind drift back to last year’s county semi-final when Doonbeg ambushed them at the death.

“The lads were very, very hurt last year. They knew they had the capability of winning that county semifinal against Doonbeg last year. You have to give credit to Doonbeg – they kept going until the final whistle and won. That’s why beating them today was important.

“The Cusack Cup has been good for us. We have brought new players in. John Willie Sexton, Seamus Murrihy, Niall Hickey and these lads. That’s what the league is there for. There is no point waiting until the second, third and fourth rounds of the championship. The guys stood up.

“We had the same team there for two or three years, but now there’s real competition for places. These lads have brought a new freshness into it and training will be very good from now.

“We are very pleased. We are where we want to be at this time of the year. We do have a few injuries but hopefully we have lads coming back and we’ll get stronger from here.

“At the end of the day, later on in the year this Cusack Cup win will be forgotten about. It’s fantastic to win it, but it’s all about championship. That’s the only thing that matters.”

Championship starts from here.

IT started in GAA 125 year. It was a year of celebration in the county where you could say it all started, just because Carron’s own Michael Cusack who got the whole GAA show on the road back in ‘84.

Domhnall Ó Loinsigh was a key member of the Clare GAA 125 committee, while Naoise Jordan, who is a carpenter by trade came up with his own unique 125 commemoration when carving momento to those who had captained the county senior hurling team since the earliest years of the GAA.

Therein lay the background to Cla re Hurling Ca pta ins – the book penned by Ollie Byrnes, with the considerable help of Ó Loinsigh and Jordan and which will be launched this Friday night in Minogue’s in Tulla.

“Naoise asked Domhnall O’Loingsigh and I to help in researching the names of the captain’s of Clare senior championship teams, going back to 1887,” recalls Byrnes.

“Previous to the idea for the book, Naoise had inscribed a wooden plaque with the names of the 76 men. At the launch of the plaque, unveiled by John Hanly, President of the county board, John stated that it was a shame that so little was known about many of these men from the turn of the 20th century.

“It was decided by us to focus on the captain’s in the senior championship. I want to stress that we are not making a distinction between the championship and other competitions, but we must call a halt somewhere,” he adds.

The result is Cla re Hurling Ca pta ins , a project that Byrnes freely admits had never really crossed his mind until John Hanly, Naoise Jordan and Domhnall Ó Lionsaigh helped sow the seed.

“In 2006, I produced the book Saffron a nd Blue , never thinking that a book on Clare Hurling captain’s would be published. There was a lot of useful material in this book and I was aware of repetition creeping in. But thankfully this hasn’t happened,” he says.

“I wanted something new on these players. For that reason, I went back to scrapbooks that were given to me as a youngster. One of these scrapbooks is 60 years old and is a treasure trove of cuttings from 1950-1955.

“This scrapbook contains material on all the strong hurling counties. It also has a series of articles under the heading ‘Name Waterford’s Greatest Hurler’, ‘Name Clare’s Greatest Hurler’, etc., where Seamus O’Ceallaigh and other journalists invited the public to submit who they thought were their counties greatest player and to explain why they thought so.

“An article on Clare’s greatest appeared in The Sunda yIndependent on April 4th 1954. Some hurling followers suggested John Joe Doyle. Others went for Jimmy Smyth. O’Ceallaigh wrote ‘There was evidence from the first opinion expressed which suggested Jimmy Smyth as deserving of the title of Clare’s Greatest’, and gave as the reason a personal conviction that Smyth aroused the same terror in the minds of opposing defenders as did such great figures as Martin Kennedy (Tipperary), Mattie Power (Kilkenny) and Dinny Barry Murphy (Cork) in earlier days.

“Other older correspondents went on to recall the greatness of Tull and Dodger Considine, ‘Feather’ Henchy, John Shalloo, Dunny O’Callaghan, Seamus Cullinan and ‘Scooper’ Moloney who formed the back bone of Clare’s early hurling endeavours,” Byrnes adds.

The result is essays on all of Clare’s captains since 1887, brought together between the covers on a book, that Fr Harry Bohan is set to launch on Friday.

“Many of the names in Clare Captain’s will be familiar to followers. Others will not be so familiar,” says Byrnes. “There are people like Freddy Garrihy, who emigrated to the United States in 1927, a man who is largely forgotten. Likewise, Pat Hannon from Scariff. He too emigrated to the United States. Newspaper accounts from 1914-1920 credit Pat Hannon as being an outstanding inter-county forward.”

All the players, well known or forgotten about have their place in the pantheon.

WHEN you think about it, it’s been a tough few years for Ennistymon when it comes to senior football. Very tough at times, when losing just always seemed to be their lot when there was some senior silverware at stake.

The 2007 Senior B final and they go down to St Joseph’s Miltown; the 2009 Senior B final and it was Kilmhil’s turn to hold them scoreless in the first half on their way to victory; the hat-trick of defeats came when Wolfe Tones mastered them last year in another Senior B decider.

Sometimes though, enough is enough.

Maybe this will be the day that Ennistymon look back on and say was pivotal in their development as a force in senior. Of course, only time will tell if it’s a real building block for the future, but what it has done already is lend more credence to the belief that the north Clare Magpies are one of the coming teams in Clare football.

They’ve won minor and under 21 titles in recent years – now this Garry Cup as they look to Cusack Cup football for 2012, not that manager Brendan Rouine was getting carried away afterwards.

“To go up to Division 1, having won Division 2 is important for us. For us in Division 2 it has been all about getting promoted. It has taken us the last four or five years to do that. It is nice to go up as winners.

“We are coming from a big struggle. We struggle to get out of our group in the championship every year and we still have two games to play to try and get out of our group. We’re taking one game at a time and are not going to get carried away with this win.

“We are very happy with the win. Éire Óg got off to a good start and had plenty of ball, but we were happy with our overall performance and it was good to get the win.

“We knew that Éire Óg would come back at us in the second half. It was ding-dong at times and we knew that the game could have gone either way. We just edged it on the day, but on another day it could have been a different result. We know that.”

Ennistymon 0-12 – Éire Óg 0-9 at Cooraclare

ENNISTYMON are going places; Éire Óg simply are not.

That’s a summary of this Garry Cup final in one sentence as the north Clare Magpies moved forward to Cusack Cup fare in 2012 as impressive winners of this second tier competition.

And, in reality they won this game as they pleased, from the front in the second half as Éire Óg’s tepid performance eventually petered out before the end as their attack failed to make any real impact against a resolute Ennistymon defence.

Contrast this to Ennistymon’s forwards because when it mattered most experienced heads like Joe Dowling and Brian Conway slotted key points from play, while the midfield dominance they enjoyed thanks to David Murphy and Ronan Linnane gave them the platform to win a first ever Garry Cup.

It may have taken Ennistymon 15 minutes to register a score, but that slow start wasn’t bettered that much by an Éire Óg side that failed to translate possession into scores, with a free from Stephen Hickey after three minutes their only return.

Into this vacuum eventually came Ennistymon, with a breakaway point from Joey Rouine mid-way through the half finally getting them going.

That Éire Óg’s best moment of the game came in the 17th minute when Ciaran Russell started and finished a move when he stormed up the field with real intent said much about the overal Townie performance.

They were dire, especially in what was a turgid first half that saw Ennistymon grind out a 0-5 to 0-3 interval lead on the back of the free-taking of Joe Dowling and Brian Conway, who bagged two points each.

A brilliant long range free from David Ryan two minutes before the break did rally the Townies somewhat while another free Stephen Hickey a minute after the resumption had the gap down to the minimum.

Alas, this dawn was a very false one as Ennistymon soon got into the groove once more and effectively closed out the game in the first 12 minutes when a brilliant effort from David Murphy was followed by points by Brian Conway (2), Joe Dowling and Sean McConigely moved them 0-10 to 0-6.

Éire Óg needed a goal, but it never looked like happening as their forwards ran out of ideas long before the end. Another David Ryan point, this time from play in the 43rd minute, again raised their spirits, but by the time Brian Conway resorted their four-point advantage entering the last ten minutes the Garry Cup was firmly destined for a trip up the N67 and not in the Ennis Road.

The Townies did try to take the fight until the last, with substitute David Russell pegging it back to a threepoint game deep in injury time, but had a goal arrived to get them out of the jail, it would have been an injustice – to their own performance and to Ennistymon’s superiority over the 60-something minutes as they finally laid claim to some senior silverware.

It was something that was long overdue.

LAHINCH’S Niall Morrison is the last Clareman left standing in the 110th South of Ireland Amateur Golf Championship taking place in Lahinch this week. The local favourite qualified for the last 16 of the prestigious competition after beating Louth’s Daniel Coyle on the 17th hole on Monday evening.

Morrison advanced to Monday’s second round along with three other Clare men, fellow clubmates Thomas Neenan and Stephen Loftus and Ennis’ Noel Pyne, who despite eventual defeat to Stackstown’s Richard Bridges, carved out his own unique bit of history by playing in his 49th consecutive South of Ireland championship. ROUND1 M.Ryan (Grange) beat M.Mc Alpin (Portrush) 3/2. N. Grant (Knock) beat S. Cannon (Loughrea) 1 Hole. S.Loftus ( Lahinch) beat M.Grimes (Skerries)3/2. I.Murphy (Waterford) beat J.Fox (Portmarnock) 2/1. N. Morrison (Lahinch) beat D. Murphy (Portarlington) 3/1. D. Coyle (Co. Louth) beat T. McDonagh(U.S.A) 1hole. C.Geraghty (L & B ) beat B.Ronan (Co.Louth) 2 holes. M.O’Kelly (Limerick) S.Barry (L & B) 1 hole C.Moulds (Lisburn) beat G.Lenehan(Portmarnock) 4/2. J.Lyons ( Birr) beat C.Molloy (Ardee) 1 hole. J.Hume (Rathsallagh) beat M.Buggy (Castlecomer) 5/4. G.Carew(Edenderry) beat J. Kavanagh ( Castletroy) 2 holes. C.O’Rourke ( Nass/NUIM) beat D.Downie ( Sutton) 2/1. G.Bohill ( Co.Louth) beat E. Smith (Ardee) 2/1. K.McDonagh(Athlone/NUIM) beat D. McInerney 5/3. R. Cannon ( Balbriggan) beat C. McKenna ( Mallow) 3/2. P.Delaney (Arklow) beat L.Hartnett (Milltown) 1 hole. D.Ruddy (Co.Tipperary) beat D.O’Sullivan (Strandhill) 3/2. G.Collins (Rosslare) beat D. Hallissey(Muskerry) 6/5. C.Selfridge(Moyola Park) beat D.O’Donovan(Muskerry) 2/1. J.Pierse (Grange) beat P.Small (Bangor) 1 hole. I.O’Rourke (Cork) beat G.Mungovan (Headfort) 3/2. L.Hutchinson (The Royal Dublin) beat B.Walton(Island) 2/1 R.Bridges (Stackstown) beat P.Murray (Limerick) 1hole. N.Pyne (Ennis) beat D.King (Tramore) 6/4. D.Ryan (Grange) beat E.McCormack (Galway) 4/3. S.Bryan (Delgany) beat N.Goulding (Portmarnock) 4/2. J.Hopkins (Skerries) beat J.Waldron (Muskerry) 3/2. S.Walsh (Baltinglass) beat A. Kelly (Charleville) 5/4. R. Burke (Castle) beat R.O’Sullivan (Cobh) 5/4. T.Neenan (Lahinch) beat S.Moloney(Castletroy) 4/3. ROUND 2 N.Grant (Knock) beat M.Ryan (Grange) 2/1. I.Murphy (Waterford) beat S.Loftus (Lahinch) 4/3. N.Morrisson (Lahinch) beat D.Coyle (Co.Louth) 2/1. A.Hogan ( Newlands) beat C.Geraghty (L & B) 19th. C.Moulds (Lisburn) beat M.O’Kelly (Limerick) 19th. J.Hume (Rathsallagh) beat J.Lyons (Birr) 6/5. C. O’Rourke ( Naas) beat G.Carew( Edenderry) 2/1. K.McDonagh (Athlone/NUIM) beat G. Bohill (Co. Louth) 2/1. R.Cannon (L & B) beat P.Delaney ( Arklow) 4/2. D.Ruddy ( Co.Tipperary) beat G.Collins ( Rosslare) 3/2. C.Selfridge (Moyola Park) beat J.Pierse (Grange) 6/5. L.Hutchinson (The Royal Dublin) beat I.O’Rourke (Cork) 3/1. R.Bridges (Stackstown) beat N.Pyne (Ennis) 5/4. D.Ryan (Grange) beat S.Bryan (Delgany) 2/1. S.Walsh (Baltinglass/UCD) beat J.Hopkins (Skerries) 5/4. R.Burke (Castle) beat T.Neenan (Lahinch) 4/2.

CLARE’S history making minor team should be given a two-week lead in to prepare for key championship games so as to maximise the potential the team has to bring further honours to the county.

That was the message delivered to last Thursday’s Clare County Board meeting that was specially convened to try and bring some resolution to the fixtures crisis that the county now finds itself in due to an overlap and clash of club and inter-county championship matches.

County minor team Joint-manager, Donal Moloney, told delegates that a two-week preparation period was vital to the teams’ chances,

“If we are out on the 14th, “ said Moloney, “it will be a case that 16 of the first 20 would be playing the week before. The majority of our players will be playing senior the week before, because they are very important to their clubs.

“If you go back to last year’s AllIreland semi-final against Dublin, we nearly got caught, because we couldn’t get the preparation right. If you look at it all our best performances over the past three years have come when we have had a two week lead in.

“If we are out on the 14 and the senior championship is on on the 6/7 of August, we won’t have our players for that week. We would not be able to plan properly because the week leading up to the match is essentially a rest week.

“It’s a major drawback to us getting to an All-Ireland final. Players are very ambitious and we are requesting that they get a fair crack of the whip,” added Moloney.

However, PJ Fitzpatrick, who preceded Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor in the minor management hotseat rejected the notion of a twoweek run-in, telling delegates that it wasn’t realistic.

“To have these kinds of problems are great problems to have,” said Fitzpatrick. “We are always crying out when we don’t have inter-county success and it absolutely fantastic that the county minors did so well and are going so well.

“I congratulate them whole-heartedly and I congratulate the intermediates. Having said all that we are all sharing the same bed and club hurling has to survive and club football has to survive.

“If it means, when you know what’s coming down the line after Tuesday, having to play some matches the over the weekend of the 7th of August that aren’t affected by the minor – if they’re to be played Monday or Tuesday night, play them.

“There can be no such thing as a team getting a clear run of a fortnight up to a match. That’s not reality. If all the matches were put back it’s going to mean in September that you’d have young lads playing minor for the clubs and Friday and senior on Saturday and schools starting in September. Putting off all matches doesn’t sort things either.

“We will have to play our club matches. That’s my view as a hurling person. We cannot neglect the bedrock of it which is the clubs. It’s not going to be an ideal world for anyone and the pie has to be shared,” he added.