Category: Sport

IN AN effort to alleviate the increasing problem of player numbers especially in rural clubs, Bord na nÓg Iomaint have put a motion into this Thursday’s AGM to allow clubs to play 11, 13 or 15 aside in all C and D grade underage hurling competitions.

If passed, the motion would help tackle the crippling problem of play er numbers that has previously prevented clubs from participating fully in competitions at the lower grades.

In line with the Bord na nÓg Peil convention last Tuesday that debated playing the Under 16 football championship during the summer, Sixmilebridge and Meelick are also looking for change in the Under 14 and 16 formats in hurling.

Both clubs have put in motions to switch the two competitions, with the Under 14 hurling championship proposed to move to the summer months and the Under 16 hurling championship to revert to its spring slot.

Clooney/Quin have also looked to bring forward their hugely successful Under 13 hurling tournament to early September ‘to improve the chances of playing hurling in more favourable weather conditions and that these Under 13 fixtures be included/incorporated into the overall Bord na nÓg fixtures programme for the season.’

After a mass turnover of officials on the Bord na nÓg executive for 2011, the current Bord na nÓg Iomaint officers under the chairmanship of Martin Reynolds are set to remain in situ for the coming year as they look to build upon the success of the backto-back Munster minor champions.

The Bord na nÓg annual convention will take place in The Auburn Lodge Hotel on Thursday at 7.30pm.

IT WAS A heart-rending end to another memorable campaign as yet again provincial glory eluded Crusheen. A near perfect domestic record of one defeat in 14 over the past two years made them undisputed kings of Clare but their ascension to the throne of Munster proved to be a trickier stepping stone as a young Na Piarsaigh side carved out their own provincial history.

Of course, as in the drawn game, there will be some regret that they didn’t put away the tie earlier but as Na Piarsaigh rallied in the final quarter, Crusheen agonisingly ran out of gas as manager Michael Browne admitted afterwards in typical noble fashion.

“We are very disappointed. We were level with I think eight minutes to go and maybe at the end of the day, the youth came through and the fact that they had the slightly younger team and the quick turnaround in the heavy conditions, got them through. But in the end, we can have no complaints, the better team won and that’s it.”

At 0-9 to 0-6 up with less than 15 minutes to go, it was looking good for his side.

“It did look good and they had missed a couple of scoring chances and frees and stuff that they never do, and you couldn’t but begin to think that maybe it was going to work out for us. But in that last eight or nine minutes, they were just outstanding. They just hurled us all over the pitch and in every area they were on top and they were simply better when they needed to be.

“We were just out on our feet at the end of that because we had battled hard all through. Which we did and that is one thing that I can’t let go without paying huge tribute to this great Crusheen team. I mean they have come through two campaigns in Clare, putting county titles backto-back having never won one before that.

“This was the icing on the cake but yet, the sportsman in all of us meant that when you get there, you try and win it if you can. Having said that, this was a huge day for Crusheen, a huge day for our parish and we are all very disappointed that we couldn’t have maybe done just a little bit better. But they are a superb team, a great bunch of lads and they worked extremely hard, you saw that on the pitch and they are do the exact same thing off the pitch as well. So fair play to them but on the day, in the last couple of minutes, the slightly fresher, slightly faster, slightly sharper team won out and you have to take your beating as well as your victories.”

There was also the matter of a first half penalty claim that might have decisively altered the narrative of the game but again Browne was not about to grumble.

“At this time of the year, you are not surprised at anything because it is very difficult for referees and I’m not going to criticise the referee here because they have a job to do as well and they do their very best. It wasn’t easy. There were a few things that I would wonder about but sometimes when you look back on it on DVD afterwards, you realise that the referee was right.”

So what now for his Crusheen side?

“This team have been around for a while and I suppose maybe that is part of what caused the problem at the end of the day today that some of them have a lot of mileage on the clock. Even the younger lads have been playing senior hurling since they were 16 but having said that, they will be back and will be a strong force in Clare again.

“I have to pay tribute to Na Piarsaigh as well. A great team, a great victory, great strength and great character when they needed it and you can’t take from that. Fair play to them, we wish them well for the rest of the competition.

“I certainly think that they have aspirations to do so and with the different skills and character that they have got all over the pitch, you certainly would have to fancy their chances. But I’m sure Coolderry, Gort and Loughgiel would have other ideas so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.”

Bounteous words indeed for a Crusheen man that was so obviously crestfallen on Sunday. But considering his impressive managerial record, Browne and his Crusheen side will be back gunning for county and provincial glory.

THE MOST glaring statistic that immediately jumps from the page is the amount of Crusheen puck-outs won by Na Piarsaigh in the second half. What the statistics don’t sufficiently reveal however is that the majority of those second half wins against the toss were in the final quarter which certainly bears out in the final scoreline.

Put simply, Crusheen’s inability to relieve the seemingly relentless pressure that was heaped upon their back-line was instrumental in the final quarter collapse of 1-7 without reply. Crusheen’s midfield and half-forward line that had competed evenly up to that point were central to the dam finally bursting when incessant pressure forced their defence to yield. Centre-back James O’Brien and Alan Dempsey in particular were key ball winners for Na Piarsaigh in that period but for Crusheen, the loss of David Forde was also an integral part. Jamie Fitzgibbon appeared Crusheen’s only ball winner in the final quarter and efforts to bring out Fergus Kennedy around the centre couldn’t halt Na Piarsaigh’s late charge.

Also omitted from the statistics graph below is the amount of goal chances repelled by Crusheen in that period. Donal Tuohy, Ciaran O’Doherty and John Brigdale all made crucial blocks to deny Na Piarsaigh an opening goal before substitute Adrian Breen finally make the breakthrough in the 58th minute that ultimately sealed Crusheen’s fate. Na Piarsaigh’s overall superior physicality and fresher legs in that final quar- ter came to the fore and it was clear that Crusheen simply had nothing left to give, particularly under such extreme pressure. Food for thought perhaps before Crusheen embark on their hunt for three-in-a-row of county titles.

THIS coming Saturday morning the seeds of hurling revolutions past, present and probably future will be on display at Na Piarsaigh’s patch that could safely be said to have stood in the shadow of nearby Thomond Park until Sunday last.

There, they’ll be having a special visitor as club stalwart and Kilkee man Mike O’Neill reminds us in the first flush of this Munster final victory. “It’s our last morning of the year with the kids in the underage academy,” he revealed, “and we’ll be having Santa Claus come to see the kids who play in the street leagues.

“That’s why this has happened. The work that has gone in. The work that’s going in. As captain Kieran Bermingham said this was for everyone with Na Piarsaigh through the years and the work that’s been put in.”

So much so that Christmas came very early with this 1-13 to 0-9 win, a victory that completed a remarkable transformation for a team and a club that was down in the dumps only two years ago when they were pummelled by Ger ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin’s Adare in the county final.

“We were beaten by Adare by 17 points,” recalls O’Neill, who was secretary of Bord na nÓg Iomáint in Clare in 1981 when Munster minor honours came to the county for the first time.

“It was a real downer and it was a joke around the city, ‘we’ll have Na Piarsaigh round of drinks now, three pints’. But, they stuck at it and they’ve come back. Sean Stack stuck with them and we’ve had this day. I felt very confident going into the first game, but it was kind of a damp squib for it to finish up in a draw.

“It’s terrible with your son (Shane O’Neill) playing. You can’t relax because you’re wishing every ball will go his way. I don’t know how he missed that goal, but these things happen. It doesn’t matter now.

“I thought we were in a spot of bother at one stage. We missed 1-2 and then a few balls came off the upright. I thought it was just going to be one of those days, but the lads kept working away and we got the points and then the goal. It’s a huge thing for this club. Huge. It’s hard to describe and put into words.

“This club is only around for 40 odd years, which is nothing. Now we’re in an All-Ireland semi-final and it’s all down to the hard work that’s being done, week in, week out. It’s unbelievable.”

Time to party and celebrate Christmas. It’s started already, after all.

Na Piarsaigh 1-13 – Crusheen 0-09 at Semple Stadium, Thurles

IN THE END, it just proved a step too far for gallant Crusheen. The toil and tissue damage of a demanding second successive run through Clare and an unchartered march on Munster eventually caught up with the Blood and Bandages on Sunday as Na Piarsaigh’s fresher legs unearthed a remarkable last quarter turnaround.

There was just nothing left in the tank to fend off a rampaging Na Piarsaigh side who hit 1-7 without reply after being shackled by Crusheen for the majority of this tie. However, when needed most, Na Piarsaigh’s young guns came to the fore with David Breen (26), Kieran Kennedy (20), Kevin Downes (20), Shane Dowling (18) and substitute Adrian Breen (19) hammering the final nails to Crusheen’s coffin in a majestic final blitzkrieg.

It was harsh on a Crusheen side who once more had given their all in the pursuit of the Munster dream, only a year on from achieving historic county glory for the first time. And it appeared that fortune was indeed favouring the brave as Crusheen led by 0-9 to 0-6 with less than 15 minutes remaining.

The Clare champions had done their homework from the drawn game and by expertly curtailing Na Pairsaigh’s big guns up front up to that point, they could almost see the finish line in sight.

Teenage sensation Shane Dowling, who scored 1-7 in the drawn game, was practically anonymous under the watchful eye of Cathal Dillon who kept him scoreless for the opening 44 minutes of the game until finally converting a free.

Fellow Limerick county seniors David Breen and Kevin Downes were also well marshalled by brothers Cian and Cronan Dillon respectively and after missing uncharacteristic frees, a glorious goal chance for Shane O’Neill and totting up nine wides at that stage, the Limerick champions didn’t seem capable of unlocking Crusheen’s watertight safe.

However, in the crucial final quarter when Na Piarsaigh inevitably rallied, upped the ante and began to ask tough questions, Crusheen found the answers increasingly difficult to come by.

Their much heralded defence was stubbornly working overtime as usual but with little assistance from their forward unit, Crusheen eventually had to yield to a momentum filled Na Piarsaigh who only gathered confidence with every passing score.

By the time substitute Adrian Breen struck for the decisive 58th minute goal, Crusheen not only could not locate answers but were even finding the questions difficult to decipher in what was a ruthless, undeserved finish to an unprecedented year.

However, in the cold light of day, the real crux of where Crusheen faltered cannot be solely attributed to a faltering final quarter.

In the drawn game, more than any other performance, Crusheen were bolstered by a plethora of eight different scorers, with five of their six forwards getting on the scoreboard while Na Piarsaigh were over-reliant on Shane Dowling who grabbed 1-7 out of 1-11.

This time around however, Crusheen depended largely on their own hugely impressive teenager, Jamie Fitzgibbon (0-4) for scores, with only three other teammates contributing, and only one of those, David Forde, being a fellow forward.

Instead, it was Na Piarsaigh’s forwards who blossomed with six different attackers making their mark on the scoreboard and substitute Adrian Breen in particular soaring with 1-3.

More than that though, Crusheen got little reward or even ball rentention from a muted full-forward line

Cola ist e Mhuir e 3-4 Scoil Mhuir e & Ide, Newca st lewest 0-4 at Knockader r y, Limer ick COLAISTE Mhuire ensured that a Munster Cup would be heading back to Ennis at the weekend after a convincing win over SMI. Newcastlewest. Played on Saturday in near perfect conditions, the first half was largely dominated by both defences and scores were at a premium.

The first score of the game was a pointed free from Jane Flanagan in the tenth minute which was soon followed by a goal from impressive midfielder Leigh-Anne McMahon after a goalmouth scramble. Colaiste Mhuire had the majority of the possession in this first half but scores were hard to come by. SMI defended well with Karen O Leary and Julia Kennedy excelling and were rewarded with a point from play by Sarah Corbett leaving the half time score at 1-1 to 0-1 to Colaiste Mhuire. For the leaders, captain Leigh-Anne McMahon played well in midfield with Jane Flanagan supporting well throughout for the Ennis side.

SMI had a better start to the second half with another point from play however the Colaiste girls were soon into their stride. Jane Flanagan scored their second goal directly from a 45 and followed this with a cracking point after breaking from the halfway line. SMI fought back and were rewarded with two points without reply. However, Caoimhe Hoey put the result beyond doubt when she scored a brilliant goal. Fitness and determination were key requirements in this Munster final. This was displayed by the entire Clare team including all five subs who came on in the second half. SMI continued to attack with Laura Walshe and Aisleigh Normoyle but Colaiste defenders Siobhan McCarthy, Sarah Redmond and Aisling McMahon kept the score to one further point. Aoife O’Connor, the Colaiste goalie had a solid performance while Ria Flanagan kept the SMI defender Siobhan McMahon busy. Colaiste finished the game with two more pointed frees to seal the merited victory and deliver Munster glory for the county.

Colaiste Mhuire
Aoife O’Connor, Ria Flanagan, Niamh O’Donnell , Siobhan McCarthy ,Aisling McMahon ,Aoife Sheehan , Jane Flanagan (1-3, 2f), Leigh-Anne McMahon (1-0) (capt.), Lauren O’Donoghue, Sarah Redmond (0-1), Rebecca Windall, Eimear Neilan, Caoimhe Hoey (1-0)

Scoil Mhuire agus Ide
Mary Quilligan,Yvonne Lee, Siobhan McMahon,Aisleigh Normoyle, Jenny Hannon,Aoife O’Sullivan,Karen O’Leary, Sarah Corbett, Laura Walshe, Julia Kennedy,Abbey Butler, Liz Carmody, Emily Upton

Referee
Ger O’Dowd (Limerick)

LAST week it Ennisman Luke O’Dea who was the toast of Munster rugby on his debut when he crashed over for a try in the province’s victory for Edinburgh in the Rabo Direct Pro 12 league.

This week it was the turn of the father figure of Clare rugby, Marcus Horan, as he reached the landmark of 200 appearances for the province in Saturday’s clash with the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium.

It may have ended in 19-13 defeat for Munster ahead of their crunch back-to-back Heineken Cup games against Scarlets in Thomond Park, but it was still Horan’s day as the legendary front row from Clonlara joined a select club of players in the province.

“Having played and worked with Marcus, I’ve seen the work ethic and application he brings to the game,” said another 200-club member Anthony Foley in tribute to his fellow Clareman.

“He’s been doing that week in week out over the past 13 seasons. Remember too he’s had his share of time out with illness and injury. We recognise the test of endurance he’s had to face,” added Foley.

Burren United 2 – Mountshannon Celtic 1 at Lisdoonvarna

null

St Fla nna n’s College 5-7 St Ma r y’s Nenagh 4-10 at Fr Mur phy Memor ia l Pa r k, Newma r ket -on-Fer gus THE GAMES keep coming thick and fast but St Flannan’s continue to find the answers. Take this game as a prime example. Less than 24 hours earlier, ten of the side played in the Munster Colleges Senior B Ladies Football Quarter-Final but still had the stamina to pick off the last four points on Saturday and force a replay in this encounter.

That’s a remarkable resilience from a group of girls who refused to throw in the towel at any stage and in the overall analysis, they fully deserved another bite of the cherry.

In what was a compelling contest throughout, the Ennis college led by five points as late as the 34th minute after hitting five goals in a 17 minute period.

Nenagh had started the brighter with freetaker Brid Quinn converting three out of their first four points by the 12th minute to take a three point advantage. However, once St Flannan’s settled with Aoibheann Malone’s superb opportunist goal at the turn of the opening quarter, they quickly gathered momentum.

Tara Kennedy immediately replied with a goal for the Tipperary side but St Flannan’s were unpeturbed and after 1-1 from captain Niki Kaiser, they added further goals by the 30th minute from Sinead O’Keeffe and Rachel Mulcaire, whose lineball deflected off a defender’s hurley past her own goalkeeeper.

That gave St Flannan’s a 4-2 to 16 cushion but they were to be reeled in once more in injury-time when Kennedy again found space to bat to the net and cut the interval deficit to two.

St Flannan’s restored their five point advantage just after the break when another deflection helped Niki Kaiser’s shot find the net but that was as good as it got for the home side.

Instead, Nenagh found another gear and after hitting 1-3 without reply by the 40th minute to take the lead, a fourth goal in the 47th minute from Sarah Cunneen seemed to have knocked the heart out of St Flannan’s challenge.

Nenagh must have thought so as well as Brid Quinn chose to put a penalty over the bar in the 50th minute to build up a four point advantage instead of going for the jugular.

However, somehow, defying the odds and their previous footballing exploits in Limerick, Flannan’s rallied. With Aoife Keane constantly controlling the half-back line, Niki Kaiser an inevitable threat and Orla Devitt constantly driving at the Nenagh defence, they began to up the ante once more and slowly the lead began to topple.

Niki Kaiser (2) and Devitt slashed the deficit to just a point by the 61st minute before substitute Lauren McGuane teed up Kaiser for a worthy equaliser in the 62nd minute.

It wasn’t over yet as Brid Quinn, Nenagh’s most impressive performer made one last driving run up the field but her shot was repelled by goalkeeper Suzy O’Shea to save the day.

While relief was the overriding feeling leaving Newmarket, the fixture congestion doesn’t get any easier for St Flannan’s this week as they prepare for their football semi-final before having to replay this game next Saturday in Nenagh at 2pm.

St Flannan’s College
Suzy O’Shea (Ballyea), Chloe McAleer (Kilmaley), Clodagh Lawlor (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Claire McMahon (Éire Óg), Sinead Quinn (Kilnamona), Aoife Keane (Kilnamona), Rae AliceWall (Éire Óg), Rachel Mulcaire (Newmarket-on-Fergus) (1-0),Alanna O’Brien (Éire Óg), Orla Devitt (Éire Óg) (0-1),Aoibheann Malone (Corofin) (1-0), Kate O’Neill (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Shaunagh O’Brien (Éíre Óg), Sinead O’Keeffe (Kilmaley) (1-0), Niki Kaiser (Newmarket-on-Fergus) (Capt) (2-6 4f, 1’45)

Subs
Rebecca Crowe (Ruan) for McAleer (24 mins), Lauren McGuane (Kilmaley) for Wall (40 mins), LaurenTuohy (Clarecastle) for S. O’Brien (56 mins, inj)

St Mary’s Nenagh
Ciara Holohan (Buress-Duharra), Rachel Kennedy (Silvermines), Roisin Ryan (Moneygall), MaryWalsh (Kilruane), Paula Kelly (Silvermines),Aislin Cremin (Burgess-Duharra),Alanah Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg), Caoimhe Maher (Burgess-Duharra) (0-1), Leah McKeogh (Portroe), Ciara McGrath (Nenagh Éíre Óg) (0-1), Brid Quinn (Silvermines) (0-7 6f, 1 Pen), Sarah Cunneen (Silvermines) (Capt.) (1-0),Aileen Duggan (Nenagh Éire Óg) (1-0),Tara Kennedy (Burgess-Duharra) (2-0), Claire Kearns (Burgess-Duharra) (0-1)

Player of the Game
Aoife Keane (St Flannan’s College) Referee Donie Browne (Limerick)

Kilkee Communit y College 3-9 Kilr ush Communit y School 2-8 at Coor acla r e DESPITE THE conditions, it was a cracking final between these great rivals. A strong wind dictated the flow of the game and Kilkee capitalised on this to the full in the first half.

An exceptional performance in attack by Shauna Harvey saw her rack up 2-5 (2f) before the break while Olive King contributed three points and Amy Keane took a great goal to boot.

Kilrush goalie Hazel Baumann was very good and put in several blocks to deny a very goal hungry attack. In fairness to the Shamrocks, they worked very hard to bring the game up field and some good performances through the middle via Sinead Burke, Roisin O’Looney, Aine O’Looney and Aoife O’Gorman saw a hard fought 2-2 being accumulated to keep the Kilrush girls in contention.

Aoife Carraig pointed first for Kilrush, a solid Aine Browne took 1-1 and Aine O’Looney’s rocket was palmed over by Rianna Lillis for a point to give a nine point gap when Barry Kelly called for the break at 38 to 2-2 in favour of the Blues.

After the break Kilkee went into defensive mode and Shauna Harvey dropped back to play as an extra defender.

Kilkee were to score only a solitary point by King again after 55 minutes with this strategy and decided to weather the Kilrush onslaught which did come. Kilrush lived in the Kilkee side for the most of the second half but didn’t convert.

Kilrush’s Aoife O’Gorman was outstanding as she launched several attacks at speed but Shauna and sister Grainne Harvey, Collette Keniry and Ailish Brew soaked up a lot of the pressure for the Blues. After 20 minutes of the second half, Kilrush had narrowed the gap to six points through Lisa O’Dea and Aoife Carraig who also converted a free. King was back to push the gap out to seven points for Kilkee Community College but Kilrush responded with three points courtesy of Aoife Carraig and Jenny Ryan.

When referee Barry Kelly blew it up the score was 2-8 to 3-9 and Kilkee Community College (below) were the Clare Schools Senior C Champions.

Kilkee Community College
Rebecca Harte, Ellie O’Regan, Michaela Lynch, Grainne Harvey, Lauren Keane, Ciara McQuaid, Rachel Clancy, Olive King, Emma McMahon, Rianna Lillis, Amy Keane, Deirdre Maguire, Saoirse Maher, Rebekkah Flanagan, Rebecca Madigan, Mary Beth Downes (joint capt), Martha Hanrahan, Collette Keniry, Rose Marrinan, Shauna Harvey (joint capt), Ailish Brew, Emma Naughton, SineadWalsh, Áine Murphy. Agnes Hehir (trainer), Michael Carmody (trainer)

Kilrush Community College
Hazel Baumann, Sarah Quinlivan,Anna Hayes, Eva Hayes, Sinead Burke, Roisin O’ Looney,Aine O’ Looney, Aoife O’ Gorman,Aoife Conway, Jenny Ryan, Aine Browne, Ronya Baumann, Lisa O’ Dea,Aoife Carrig, Grainne Howard Subs: Shauna OBrien (for Grainne Howard), Carla Behan, Kayla Crowley, Stephanie O’ Donoghue, Louise Hall, Louise O’ Gorman, SarahThornton, Caitriona Crowe, Nicole Burke, Emma McInerney, Shannon Carroll, Cliona Bond

Referee
Barry Kelly (St Joseph’s Miltown)