This article is from page 79 of the 2008-04-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 79 JPG
THE first of this year’s 40×20 AII- Ireland handball semi-finals were played over the weekend and while three of the ties had Clare involve- ment, there was Banner success in only one.
Conor Cooney and Cathal Hannon secured their place in the All-Ireland Under 21 Doubles final after an im- pressive semi-final win over Mayo’s Dara Reid and Kieran Burke at Clare- castle on Saturday. After losing the first game 13-21, the O’Callaghans Mills/Tulla pairing fought back to win the next two by a convincing 21- 13 and 21-11.
Cooney will be searching for an Un- der 21 two-in-a-row, having won the
same title last year with his brother John while Hannon is still in the u- 21 singles race, again playing Mayo’s Kieran Burke at Newport this Satur- day in the semi-final.
Cooney and Hannon will play Tyrone’s Padraig McGlinchey and Darragh Daly, after they won their semi-final against Kilkenny over the weekend and the date and venue for this encounter has yet to be con- firmed.
Also in Clarecastle on Saturday, Shannon’s John Cawley was defeat- ed by JJ Farragher of Galway in the All-Ireland Silver Masters B Singles semi-final.
Despite wining the first game 21-8, Cawley could not keep up the pres- sure and Farragher took the next two,
21-12 and 21-9.
In Minor Singles, Diarmaid Nash was defeated by Stephen Cooney of Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final at Ballaghadereen on Saturday.
After pushing Cooney all the way in the first (17-21), the Tuamgraney man was comfortably beaten 21-11 in the second. Nash, also part of the Clare minor hurling panel, had been widely tipped for All-Ireland hon- ours but on the day could not cope with Cooney.
On Tuesday, Jimmy Walsh and PJ Counihan brought another Munster title back to Clare when they defeat- ed Cork’s Michael Jordan and Jim Kennedy in the Diamond Masters ‘A’ final at Galbally (21-7, 21-10).
The coming week sees more of
Clare’s Munster champions attempt to reach All-Ireland finals.
At Newport this Saturday at 5pm Cathal Hannon will play Mayo’s K1- eran Burke in the Under 21 Singles semi-final having already beaten Burke and his partner in the Dou- bles semi-final, while in Roscom- mon town, also this Saturday at 5pm, Sarah Loughnane (Clooney) and Sarah O’Donnell (Tuamgraney) play Roscommon’s Lydia Connolly and Laura Mannion in the Ladies Junior B Doubles semi-final.
Jimmy Walsh and PJ Counihan were due to play their Diamond Mas- ters ‘A’ Doubles semi-final this com- ing weekend but the match has been postponed due an injury to one of their Roscommon opposition. Edel
O’Grady and Ashling Fitzgerald, both from Tuamegraney, will play Roscommon’s Leona Doolin and Hillary Rushe in the All-Ireland Mi- nor Doubles semi-final at a Munster venue.
On the local scene, Clarecastle and Shannon will contest the Clare League Division 4A final after two very close semi-finals last week. Clarecastle overcame Tuamgraney 109-99 while the other semi was even closer, Shannon scraping past O’C. Mills by 108 to 101. In Division 2, Tuamgraney reached the final after a comfortable win over O’Callaghan’s Mills.
The second semi-final between Clooney and Kilkishen was _ post- poned.