Category: Sport

Cratloe 1-10 – St Joseph’s Miltown 0-06 at Cusack Park, Ennis

A PERFORMANCE of two halves for Cratloe on Saturday who after initially struggling to break free of St Joseph’s Miltown Malbay finally found their groove to confirm a place in the knock-out stages.

For that opening 30 minutes, last season’s quarter-finalists got mired in gridlock and appeared to have trouble finding a route to navigate through.

Miltown contested well around the middle, denied Conor McGrath and Cathal McInerney the kind of space they normally thrive in and picked of a few decent points. Cratloe weren’t without their faults, particularly in their ponderous build up play.

At half time with the scores 0-3 03 apiece, the game was anybody’s. That all changed after the break once Cratloe quickened their distribution, a policy that brought the best out of Conor McGrath. After twice skinning Miltown’s full back line for two points, the full forward rocketed a shot to the net in the 42nd minute to send Cratloe six points clear. That was more or less that.

Miltown toiled away but their industry was rarely accompanied by inspiration. Even the return from America of Gordon Kelly failed to provide the spark that was sorely lacking from Miltown’s performance.

Dessie Molohan was having one of those days when it looked like he might shoot the lights out yet Miltown could not establish a regular and accurate supply chain to their talismanic full forward. Unlike Cratloe whose high standard of kick passing, as exemplified by Martin Ogie Murphy and the Collins brothers, Sean and Padraic, was one of the key differences between the sides.

Molohan did provide the opening point, shooting over from distance after neat approach work in the 1st minute.

A Cathal McInerney free leveled matters before Sean Collins powered through for a point in the 14th minute.

Overall the quality of shooting was fairly poor in the first half though there were some genuine moments of quality.

Gary Egan grabbed Miltown’s second point before Molohan caught, swiveled and curled over a sweet point in the 18th minute. A point from Sean Collins in the 28th minute ensured the sides entered the break all square.

It didn’t take long for Cratloe’s greater urgency to manifest itself on the scoreboard when action resumed.

McGrath was involved as Padraic Collins blasted over from close range as Cratloe went for the kill.

The full forward then pointed before a McInerney free and a point from substitute Padraig Chaplin pushed Cratloe 0-7 0-4 ahead.

The goal arrived seconds later and embodied the best of Cratloe’s play in the second half. Murphy’s precise pass afforded McGrath time to turn and speed past Sean Meade. Despite the Miltown man’s close attentions, McGrath kept his balance and roofed his shot from a tight angle.

Points from Michael Malone and Molohan steadied Miltown but it still looked grim for the west Clare side who were now relying on results from elsewhere and on the vagaries of score difference.

Jamie Joyce produced a firm save to deny Darragh McDonagh in the 52nd minute as points from Liam Markham and McInereney copperfastened Cratloe’s seven point victory.

Clondegad 3-14 – Ballyvaughan 0-07 at Pairc Finne, Corofin

A GAME that mattered little in terms of the overall championship and in truth, it showed. Clondegad were safely into the semi-finals as group winners before a ball had been kicked while Ballyvaughan were at the opposite end of the spectrum and facing a relegation battle regardless of the result. And that previous form didn’t lie as last year’s finalists strolled to a handsome win in second gear and could afford to experiment with positions, tactics and even empty the bench to encouraging effect ahead of their semi-final showdown against O’Callaghan’s Mills.

In fact, budding spectators could have saved themselves a few bob and double-backed to the gate before the throw-in as the respective warm-ups succinctly displayed the contrasting difference in confidence and inten- sity. Clondegad’s near 30 minute session was high tempo stuff befitting a side determined to finally get over the line in the championship while Ballyvaughan’s leisurely gathering typified their moral crushing struggle this year with a threadbare squad.

Unquestionably Ballyvaughan did their upmost to impose themselves on their opponents and were honest to a fault but in terms of scoring prowess, pace and purpose, were never going to trouble a Clondegad side desperate not to become another Michael Cusack’s in terms of near misses at intermediate level.

And yet had Ballyvaughan’s most influential player, James Hynes grabbed a 18th minute goal, the north Clare side might have even rallied somewhat but instead the midfielder saw his shot just drift outside the far post. That chance was against the rain somewhat as it was Clondegad who commanded the opening quarter, led by the attacking half-back unit of Francie Neylon and Kieran Browne. On the scoreboard, their control was capped by 1-1 from always available corner-forward Pat Coffey who finished off a great move in only the sixth minute involving Shane Brennan, Eoin Griffin and Eoghan Donnellan before Coffey executed the cool finish under the body of goalkeeper Damien McNamara. That goal added to a brace of frees from Padraig McMahon lifted Clondegad to a five lead by the turn of the opening quarter which was extended to seven by the break at 1-7 to 0-3.

Inbetween James Hynes was effective at both ends, just missing that 18th minute goal chance after receiving the perfect pass from Lorcan Mahon while at the other end only five minutes later, he threw his body in front of McMahon’s goalbound shot to keep his side in the game.

Clondegad used the break to introduce Tony Kelly and Conor Gavin and both would be influential in Clondegad’s more potent second half showing.

With Ballyvaughan increasingly war weary, that added pace gave Clondegad the license to finish the game in style, with Kelly in particular central to that charge.

In all, the dual star would score 1-3 himself and set up two further final quarter goal chances, with Podge McMahon seeing his effort rebound off the butt of the post to safety while the clinical Pat Coffey made no mistake for his second goal of the game in the 54th minute.

In some ways, it was a valuable workout for Clondegad but in others, it was perhaps a phoney war in terms of the imminently tougher challenge to come in the last four.

Clondegad
Declan Flynn (7), Flan Enright (7), Paddy O’Connell (8), Cormac Ryan (7), Kieran Browne (8), Francie Neylon (8), Brian Murphy (7), Cormac Murphy (7), Shane Brennan (8), Francie O’Reilly (7) (0-1), Eoghan Donnellan (8) (0-2), Eoin Griffin (7) (0-2), Kenneth Kelly (7), Padraig McMahon (8) (0-3 3f), Pat Coffey (8) (2-1)

Subs
Tony Kelly (8) (1-3) for O’Reilly (HT), Conor Gavin (7) (0-1) for B. Murphy (HT), James Murphy (6) for C. Murphy (44 mins), Paddy Breen (0-1) for McMahon (51 mins), Flan King for Enright (52 mins)

Ballyvaughan
Damien McNamara (7), John Linnane (6), Sean McNamara (7) (0-1), Mark O’Loughlin (7), Phelim Coyne (6), Kieran Casey (7) (0-1), Marc Walsh (7), Ray Casey (6) (0-1f), James Hynes (7), Lorcan Mahon (6), John McCormack (7), John Mooney (6),Adrian Niland (7) (0-1), Donnacha Mahon (7) (0-2),Thomas Francis (6)

Sub
CianWalsh (6) (0-1) for Mooney (HT)

Man of the Match
Francie Neylon (Clondegad) Referee Pat Cosgrove (Corofin)

CLARE Motor Club are delighted to announce The Auburn Lodge Hotel, Gort Road, Ennis, as the title sponsor of the 2011 Clare Stages Rally. Clerk of the Course Dermot Kelleher said, “The Clare Motor Club are delighted with the continued support of The Auburn Lodge Hotel, for a third consecutive year. The Club would also like to thank the Special Stage Sponsors, Service Area Sponsor and the programme advertisers for their support. The event will bring a vital boost to the local economy and this would not be possible without their support”.

The rally takes place on the weekend of September 17 and 18. and is a counting round of The Dunlop National Rally Championship and The Top Part West Coast Rally Championship which will see some of the top cars and drivers in action on the stages around Ennis.

The organising team is offering competitors a very compact event featuring three very competitive stages which will be repeated three times. Together with the service park and scrutiny all within walking distance of the hotel, the event should prove to be as successful as last year’s rally.

Event regulations are available to download at the club’s website www. claremotorclub.com.

With five victories from as many events, Tim McNulty and co-driver, Paul Kiely (Subaru WRC) are on the cusp of clinching the Dunlop National Rally Championship in clare. The Auburn Lodge Hotel Clare Rally offers them the first of three title winning events to claim the Vard Memorial Trophy. Tim was also the winner of last year’s Clare Stages Rally and he also won it back on 2007.

It’s a unique season insofar as McNulty can become the first driver to win both the Dunlop series and the Irish Tarmac Championship in the same season, currently, he also leads the ITC prior to the final event, the Cork 20 International Rally.

With a resounding victory in last weekend’s Galway Summer Rally, the Meath ace reached the 100 points mark in the Dunlop series where competitors can count their best seven scores from the ten rounds. Should McNulty claim another maximum score in Clare and provided Kevin Barrett garners less than 18 points, McNulty can claim the title in Ennis, just like Welsh ace, Melvyn Evans did twelve months ago.

Meanwhile, Monaghan’s Sam Moffett, who is actually second overall in the Dunlop series, can also edge closer to the Motorsport Safety Team award for the top overall Group N driver with Robert Barrable (Skoda Fabia S2000) and Shane Maguire (Subaru) his nearest rivals.

Meanwhile, the rally.ie award for the top two-wheel drive competitor is shaping up for an exciting finish with Frank Kelly (Ford Escort), Washington James (Darrian) along with Sam Smyth, Wesley Patterson and John McQuaid (Ford Escorts) all in the hunt for the crown.

Cooraclare 2-12 – St Breckan’s 0-07 at Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown

COORACLARE are beginning to motor – evidence of which they drove home with ruthless efficiency on Saturday evening when they took a wrecking ball to St Breckans’ hopes of marking their first year back in the senior ranks with a run to the quarter-final stages.

This was a thrashing every bit as clinical as the scoreline suggests as Cooraclare sauntered into the quarter-final, but more importantly than that by dint of their 11-point winning margin they laid down a marker that they won’t be making up the numbers when they lock horns with Kilmurry Ibrickane in the quarter-final.

It was impressive stuff as they kept the pedal to the floor right until the end, despite being very secure in the knowledge that the points were in the bag long before the finish.

St Breckan’s never got closer than being four points adrift in the half – the goals they needed to kickstart any kind of sustained comeback never looked like coming, so much so that when they trailed by 0-11 to 0-7 after 55 minutes the game looked like trundling towards a tepid conclusion.

Not so thanks to Aidan Moloney’s side that really threw down a marker when hitting 2-1 in the last five minutes to leave St Breckan’s thoroughly forlorn and dispirited by the end.

In truth, it was a command performance from whistle to whistle by a Cooraclare side that was never headed at any stage. Firstly they kept with a pacy and industrious St Breckan’s in the first half when playing against the breeze, before really turning the screw with five points within the space of the final five minutes of the half to move 0-9 to 0-4 clear.

Game over really. The life was drained out of the St Breckan’s challenge in those minutes – they did try to pick it up again in the second half, but even had they fallen to their knees at the half-time break and chanted prayers to St Jude, theirs looked a hopeless case.

Cooraclare had forced the pace in this game from the off, with a couple of early bursts from Sean Maguire setting the tone and character of their display that was to last for the hour.

Maguire pointed in the second minute, while two minutes later he teed up Gearóid Looney for a point, just after Stephen Tierney had got St Breckan’s off the mark with a smart point from play.

A Pat Nagle free in the eighth minute levelled matters, but two John Looney points by the 20th minute had Cooraclare 0-4 to 0-2 ahead. His effort from play in the ninth minute really crystalised Cooraclare’s performance on the day – Mark Tubridy, Joe Considine and Rory Donnelly played their part in an incisive move that was finished over the bar by the full-forward.

And, even though St Breckan’s hit back to level matters with two Pat Nagle points by the 23rd minute, it was Looney again who did more than anyone to ensure that Cooraclare had matters well in hand by half-time.

He landed three frees in as many minutes before the break, while efforts from play by David Marrinan and Michael McMahon turned the game decisively in Cooraclare’s favour before the break.

St Breckan’s were their industrious selves on the turnover, but penetration was sadly lacking, with three Pat Nagle pointed frees being all they had to show for their endeavours as the promise and confidence they showed when ambushing Éire Og in the first round slowly drained away.

Cooraclare were like old time prize fighters – toying their opponents for much of the half, content to grab points from John Looney in the 42nd minute and Mark Tubridy ten minutes later, before finally moving in for the kill and registering their knockout blows in the final minutes.

Haymaker number one came in the 55th minute when Cooraclare sliced through the now porous St Breckan’s defence before Gearóid Looney drilled low into the left corner of the net; two minutes later Sean Maguire matched this feat with a goal of his own, while St Breckans’ misery was complete in the 60th minute when John McDonagh saw red from referee Gerry Keane.

Cooraclare
Declan Keane (7), Fergal Lillis (7), Conor Marrinan (7),Thomas Downes (7), David Marrinan (7) (0-1),Thomas Donnellan (7), Declan McMahon (7),AndrewO’Neill (7), Joe Considine (7), Michael McMahon (7) (0-1), MarkTubridy (7) (0-1), Sean McGuire (7) (1-1), Rory Donnelly (7), John Looney (8) (1-7, 6f), Gearóid Looney (7) (11).

Subs
Michael Kelly (6) for McMahon [39 Mins], Kieran Hassett (6) for Conor Marrinan [60 Mins].

St Breckan’s
Craig Flanagan (7), Daniel Carey (7), Conor Howley (6), Donal Howley (7), Raphael Considine (6), Michael Reddan (7), Cathal Blood (7), Shane O’Connor (6), StephenTierney (6) (01), Denis O’Driscoll (7), Sean Cormican (7), John McDonagh (7), Mikie Keating (6), Conor Cormican (6), Pat Nagle (7) (0-6, 5f).

Subs
John Stack (6) for Tierney [20 Mins], Stephen Flaherty (6) for Considine [Half-Time], Neil Hawes (6) for Conor Howley [44 Mins], Eric Murrihy (6) for O’Connor [50 Mins]., Darragh Curtin (6) for Stack [58 Mins].

Man of the Match
John Looney (Cooraclare) Referee Gerry Keane (O’Curry’s)

THE RECENT 60×30 All-Ireland adult semi-finals were succesful for all three Clare doubles pairs in action, albeit with the help of a pair of walkovers.

In the Ruby Masters Doubles, John Kirby and Jimmy Walsh received a bye when Mayo’s John Kenny and Tom Derrig pulled out due to an injury to Kenny. In Ladies Junior Doubles, Ashling Fitzgerald and Edel O’Grady got a walkover from Mayo’s Stephanie Coleman and Mary Duffy.

The one Banner County pair to play their semi-final were Pat Donellan and Stephen McInerney in the Golden Masters and they had a comprehensive win in Tuamgraney when they defeated Galway’s Willie Corc- oran and Mike Shaughnessy, 21-16, 21-12.

Both Masters Doubles pairs will play their All-Ireland finals on Saturday September 24 in St. Coman’s, Roscommon at 3pm. Donellan and McInerney will play Cavan’s Dermot Dolan and Andy Clarke while the Ruby Doubles pairing will be in opposition against Pat Ryan and Michael O’Brien of Dublin. On the same bill, Ashling Fitzgerald plays the Ladies Junior Singles decider against Westmeath’s Aoife McCarthy.

Before then, the Banner County will be well represented in the first round of adult All-Ireland finals to be played this coming weekend when four Clare players play All-Ireland deciders. On Sunday in Ballina, John Kirby will play Dermot Howard (Kildare) and Pat Donellan faces Kilkenny man Eamn Purcell. The action starts at the Tipperary venue at 1pm. Ashling Fitzgerald and Edel O’Grady travel to St. Coman’s, Roscommon on the same day to take on Aoife McCarthy and Niamh Egan (Westmeath) in the Junior Ladies Doubles final (1.00pm).

Meanwhile, this weekend also sees the All-Ireland 60×30 Juvenile finals taking place and Clare have a strong interest here too. Clooney’s Fergal Coughlan plays the Boys Under 14 Singles final against Daniel Curry from Wicklow while Fergal’s sister Natasha, along with Michelle Nihill (also Clooney) take on Mary Buggy and Catherine Foley of Kilkenny in Girls Under 15 Doubles. Both finals are in Cashel this Saturday with a starting time of 11.30am.

Éire Óg 1-12 – St Senan’s Kilkee 0-11 at Pairc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty

A DEAD rubber in terms of the overall championship but crucial to Éire Óg who needed a lift ahead of their relegation play-off following two demoralising losses. Kilkee, for their part, had already secured top spot in the group and it certainly bore out that way as a more urgent Éire Óg led from start to finish to secure their first victory of the championship.

Despite an understength side that saw their second string severely dented and a below-par display, Kilkee did finally rise to the challenge late on to cut the deficit to two but it was simply too little too late to knock the Townies off their perch.

When the masters fixtures list was finalised earlier in the year, this was expected to be a thrilling potential group decider but the lack of a competitive bite did make for a low-key affair that even their respective supporters failed to come out for in large numbers.

That didn’t concern Éire Óg however as they simply needed to kickstart their campaign after failing in all their major tests this year, including the Garry Cup final. Their strength lay in centre-back Alan Malone who controlled the backline before succumbing to injury just after half-time; Brian Frawley and Shane Daniels dominated the midfield exchanges; up front, corner-forwards Eoin Glynn and Sean O’Meara posed a constant threat while David Russell led the line expertly, even helping out his own backline on numerous occasions when needed most late on.

Indeed, they were 0-7 to 0-4 ahead by the break, taking advantage of a changeable wind with six different players getting on the scoresheet as compared to only Michael O’Shea and Barry Harte for Kilkee. There was also goal chances at either end with Sean Crotty’s 12th minute effort kept out by Kevin Harte while just before the interval, Barry Harte was denied by Eoin Slattery.

However, it was only after Sean Crotty’s 42nd minute goal for Éire Óg that Kilkee finally developed some urgency. A defensive error allowed Sean O’Meara to raid down on goal before passing to the un- marked Sean Crotty for the easiest of finishes. That put Éire Óg 1-8 to 0-6 ahead by the turn of the final quarter but Kilkee finally found their rhythm and four unaswered points in eight minutes, two from the foot of O’Shea, left only two points between the sides by the 54th minute.

Éire Óg battened down the hatches, led by captain Russell who swept up at the back and they were rewarded with the last three points of the game, two from placed balls, to secure the moral boosting victory.

Éire Óg
Eoin Slattery (7), Saren Butler (7), Donie Lyne (7), Michael O’Regan (7), Paul Madden (6),Alan

Malone (8), Conor Healy (7), Brian Frawley (8) (0-2), Shane Daniels (8) (0-3f), David Ryan (7) (0-1 1’45), David Russell (8) (0-1), Brian McMahon (7) (0-1), Eoin Glynn (8) (0-2), Sean Crotty (7) (1-0), Sean O’Meara (8) (0-2)

Subs
Robbie Malone (6) for A. Malone (36 mins, inj), Darren O’Neill for Madden (54 mins)

St Senan’s Kilkee
Kevin Harte (7), Darren Clarke (6), Darragh Kelly (7), Darren Owens (6), Diarmuid Keane (7) (0-1), Thomas Galvin (7),Alan Russell (6), David Russell (7), Christopher Williamson (7) (0-1), Brian Harte (6), Barry Harte (7) (0-3), Ronan Brown (6), Gearoid Lynch (7) (0-1), Michael O’Shea (8) (0-5 3f), Micheál Keane (6)

Subs
Gavin Melican (5) for M. Keane (22 mins, inj), Christy Kirwan (7) for Brian Harte (36 mins), Derek Deloughery (6) for Clarke (40 mins), John Enright for Melican (50 mins)

Man of the Match
David Russell (Éire Óg) Referee Barry Kelly (St Joseph’s Miltown)

CURRACH racing has long been popular in west Clare and Doonbeg Rowing Club has firmly put the area on the map in recent weeks.

The club has just won the Clare league for the second year in succession. Kieran Browne (19) and brothers Alan (24) and Eoin (22) Honan were successful in each of their races during the year, to secure the title.

They won seven events to secure the cup. There is still one event outstanding – in Kilkee at the start of October – but they have secured enough points in advance of this, to win outright. They will be officially crowned champions at the final race.

They have been busy during the year in their chosen sport. They competed in the All-Ireland championships in Doonbeg in August, in which they finished in third place. The trio were joined in their currach by Eamon Enright from Clarecastle, when they finished third in the Naomh Óg event in Cork in March.

This was the third year that Kieran, Alan and Eoin were involved in currach racing. They secured a number of second places in their first year and were thrilled to win last year and again this year.

According to Kieran’s father David, it all goes down to dedication and training. “They train on Tuesday and Thursday nights. They train themselves. They are very dedicated,” he said.

They are well supported by their club colleagues. Currach racing is hugely popular in Doonbeg and there are around 30 members in the club.

David said there are hopes for further progress over the coming years.

“The club is going well. If you put in the work, you get the results. The aim is to win the All-Ireland. In the next year or two, they will be there or thereabouts,” he said.

Kieran is delighted with his success and is hopeful of further accolades in the future, having been introduced to the sport by his brother Damien.

“My brother was doing it a couple of years ago. They coaxed me along,” he said.

They plan to take part in the Galway league next year and are looking forward to the challenge. “We are hoping to take part in Galway. The boats will be different, racing boats. Ours are fishing boats. They will be faster boats,” said Kieran.

Lissycasey 0-09 – Ennistymon 0-08 at Cooraclare

LISSYCASEY the brave!

A year ago they were a kick of a ball away from being relegated to the intermediate ranks – now they’re back in a quarter-final for the first time since their landmark championship-winning year of 2007 thanks to this victory that really showed up how score differences can bring a cliff-hanging dimension to the championship.

It was heroic stuff from the men in maroon. Forget that they went into this tie on the back of defeats to Doonbeg and Liscannor, which meant that before a ball was kicked here were staring another relegation dog-fight coming their way over the horizon.

All because, dame fortune finally looked on their favour as they turned over the Garry Cup champions and in the process sent them by up to the north Clare capital with only the Senior B championship to look forward to.

It was inspired stuff by Lissycasey, but at the same time hardly surprising given that they were unlucky losers in their previous championship games. It was the spirit they showed in those games that came to the surface once more here and ultimately carried them to victory and that quarter-final spot that seemed to be such a long-shot before a ball was kicked.

And they did it the hard way, coming from three points down with 20 minutes remaining to hit four unanswered points for a dramatic victory that squeezed them into the quarterfinal tie with Cratloe.

In the end it was the boot of midfielder Danny Clohessy that carried them over the line when he landed a free in the 54th minute to put Lissycasey in front for the first time, a lead they doggedly defended in the final few hectic minutes.

Lissycasey had elected to play against the breeze after winning the toss – a gamble that ultimately paid off as they reeled in Ennistymon by the death, but for the first 40 minutes it looked as if the north Clare side had enough in hand to take the spoils.

With Michael McDonagh putting in a storming hour in the middle of the park, Ennistymon bossed this game for much of the first half. McDonagh got them off the mark in the third minute and while Derek McMahon levelled matters in the 12th, three-in-a-row from the boots of John McInerney, a Danny Rouine free and another from McDonagh had Ennistymon 0-4 to 0-1 ahead by the 15th minute.

McDonagh was denied a goal by a good Joe Hayes save in the 20th minute but the north Clare Magpies pressed on with points from a Danny Rouine free and McDonagh’s third of the half by the 23rd minute.

Lissycasey did peg a couple back via a Niall Kelly free and Francie Hayes from play by the 30th minute but Danny Rouine’s third free of the half ensured a 0-7 to 0-4 lead for Ennistymon as they turned to face the wind.

That it wasn’t enough of a cushion was down purely to Lissycasey’s spirit, with their first point of the half in the 32nd minute really showcasing what they were about. It was started in defence by Martin Moran, taken on by Enda Finnucane and finished over the bar by their longest serving player and centre-back Michael Melican.

Michael McDonagh’s tour de force resumed with his fourth point of the hour in the 39th minute, but it proved to be Ennistymon’s last score as Lissycasey slowly reeled them in.

Danny Lynch marked his coming out of retirement with a point in the 41st minute, while a Danny Clohessy free in the 43rd brought the gap back to the minimum. A foul on Francie Hayes in the 50th minute teed up the equaliser from Niall Kelly’s free, before Clohessy completed Lissycasey’s resurrection with six minutes remaining.

In a hectic finish Joe Dowling was red-carded in the 59th minute before opportunity at an equalising point knocked for Wayne Griffin in the 62nd minute – had he scored Ennistymon would have been in the quarter-final; he missed and their interest in Jack Daly was at an end for another year.

Lissycasey
Joe Hayes (7),Alan Nagle (6), Gerry Moran (7), Martin O’Connor (7), Martin Moran (7), Michael Melican (7) (0-1), Cathal Hill (7), Danny Clohessy (8) (0-3, 2f), Enda Finnucane (7), MatthewO’Shea (7), Francis Hayes (7) (0-1), Dermot Nagle (6), Derek McMahon (7) (0-1), Niall Kelly (7) (0-2f), Paul Nagle (6).

Subs
Cathal Doohan (7) for Alan Nagle [14 Mins], Sean Hayes (6) for Dermot Nagle [21 Mins], Danny Lynch (7) (0-1) for McMahon [40 Mins]

Ennistymon
Noel Sexton (7), Michael Devitt (7), Laurence Healy (7), OisinVaughan (7),Willie Murphy, Sean O’Driscoll (7), Michael Hohey (6), Ronan Linnane (7), Michael McDonagh (8) (0-3), Kevin Scales (6), Joey Dowling (7), Joe Rouine, (6), Danny Rouine (7) (0-4, 3f), John McInerney (6) (0-1), Sean McGonigley (6).

Subs
Wayne Griffin (6) for Hohey [34 Mins], Micheal O’Loughlin (6) for McInerney [50 Mins], James Murphy (6) for O’Loughlin [51 Mins], Brian Conway (6) for McGonigley [55 Mins].

Man of the Match
Michael McDonagh (Ennistymon) Referee Damian Fox (WolfeTones)

THE start of the newly established Premier Division Cup offers clubs the opportunity to pick up some silverware and generate momentum ahead of the start of the league proper.

Early season consistency was the bedrock of Newmarket’s successful title challenge last time around so the champions are well aware of the importance of hitting the ground running.

Momentum is one thing. Winning back-to-back titles is quite another. Or so recent history would suggest. You have to go back to Avenue United sides of 1996 and 1997 for the last time a club has mounted a successful defence of the premier league title.

Since then, the league is littered with cautionary tales of teams slipping and sliding after reaching the summit of Clare soccer.

Bridge United (2006), Bridge Celtic (2007), Bunratty (2009) and Newmarket themselves (2008) all followed league winning seasons with fairly miserable campaigns.

The omens are ominous. Little wonder then that the effort to guard against complacency is at the forefront of Celtic’s management team for the coming season. “It’s second season syndrome that seems to be in Clare soccer. You win the Premier League and then you struggle the second year,” says co-manager and former player Ronan Arthur.

He continues, “Obviously we’d be aiming to win it again. But when we won it in 2008, we had a disastrous year the year after. You’ve seen the likes of Bridge Celtic being nearly relegated and Bridge United struggling after it and Bunratty also. It hasn’t been won back to back in a long time. It hasn’t been done in a good few years. We’d be aiming to challenge for it this year”.

The task of preparing Newmarket falls to Arthur, fellow manager Liam Murphy, (who also intends to return to the playing ranks after injury) and Donal Cullinan. The challenge is to match the appetite and work rate that propelled a well-balanced Newmarket panel to the league last year.

Arthur, an Ennis based auctioneer, is confident the squad will be ready once the real business begins.

He says “We’d like to think that we have enough young players coming through and a couple who were playing with the B Team for a couple of years who if they set their mind to it could play with the A team no bother. They definitely have the ability”

Arthur adds, “Last year, we worked hard, trained hard, stayed focused and tried to get points on the board early on. Then again no league is won until you’re playing two or three games a week”.

IT promises to be a busy season for Donie Garrihy as he juggles the roles of Chairman of the Clare District Soccer League and manager of Burren United.

And you suspect he wouldn’t have it any other way. Last season Garrihy guided Burren back to the Premier Division with automatic qualification from the first division.

An appearance in the Clare Cup final would have crowned a good season but Burren were edged out in the semi-finals by Bridge United B.

Garrihy believes the pain of that disappointment will spur his players on and is targeting a major trophy as the perfect way to celebrate Burren’s 21-year anniversary.

He says, “We went down 12 months ago and we came straight back up. It was a great sign of things maybe to come. I would feel we left a Clare Cup final behind us on top of automatic promotion. And we feel we left the cup behind us. I would’ve been fairly confident that’s for sure”

If Burren are to win some silverware then much will depend on the contribution of players who have enjoyed enormous success in another code.

Garrihy says, “We get great help from the boys in Kilmurry (Ibrickane). They are 100% behind us. They are winners. I think they bring that winning mentality. They bring their winning mentality into our environment, even though it’s a different code. It’s a different game. Them players in our camp, we are twice the team”.

In July, Garrihy, a ferry tour operator in Doolin, was elected as CDSL Chairman, beating off a strong challenge from former officer holder Jim Madden.

Garrihy, who has been involved as a player and coach with Burren for 20 years, intends to raise the profile of cup competitions in Clare.

He says, “I want to make the com- petitions like the Munster Junior Clare Area Finals, the League Cup, I want to make them worthwhile winning, to make them more high profile. I don’t want two teams.”

Garrihy is also proposing to abandon the Christmas break and play games through the festive season, weather permitting.

He explains, “I don’t want a three week break at Christmas. When you played football in the 80s and the 90s, we kept playing. There were massive crowds. People were around at Christmas. It’s not going to be in this year. We’re not going to take a three week break at Christmas”.

Garrihy says he also concerned that the reduction in player registration fees as voted through by clubs at July’s AGM, will halt development of the County Grounds.

He adds, “Even though the delegates took € 10,000 out of the Clare league account by voting the registration from € 40 to € 30. We have a 1000 players, that’s € 10,000 we’re after taking out of our account. Its going to be very hard to prepare the county teams they way we’d like to prepare them.”

He continues, “It is slowing up the progress of putting up lights on the county grounds to play mid-week games. Even though we saved somebody € 10 it has left a massive hole in our coffers. I think some of the delegates were shortsighted. But when you put in a motion you have to vote on it and that’s what happens”.