Category: Sport

THERE was great joy for three young Clare handballers at the recent 40×20 Irish Junior Nationals in Kilkenny. Tulla’s Colin Corbett and Colin Crehan of Kilkishen won their respective age grades and as well as being crowned Irish Nationals champions, earned their place on the Irish team which will travel to Tucson, Arizona this December to compete in the prestigious US Junior Nationals.

Clooney girl Natasha Coughlan was also victorious, winning the Girls 15 and Under ‘B’ Singles final against Mary Buggy of Kilkenny.

Colin Crehan took the Boys 17 and Under title in very impressive fashion, beating Donal Wrynn (Leitrim) 21-15, 21-16 in the final and thus earning a Christmas trip stateside to compete with some of the top young handballers in the world.

Crehan took some notable scalps on the way to the final, including Galen Riordan (Wexford), Pa Herlihy (Cork) and fellow Clareman Patrick Fitzgerald. It rounds off a super year for the Kilkishen star, having won the All-Ireland Under 16 Singles title earlier in 2011.

Colin Corbett also secured his ticket to Arizona as an Irish Nationals champion when he won the Boys 15 and Under grade. Having overcome

Daniel Curry (Wicklow), Robert Fox (Meath) and Clooney player Fergal Coughlan, Corbett was made to earn his excellent win in the final. Facing Evan Sheridan of Meath, the Banner man dominated the first game to win 21-16 but Sheridan rallied and won the second 21-15. Corbett hald on to win the tie-breaker 11-7. It has also been announced that the 2012 Irish Junior Nationals finals weekend is to be staged in Clare.

Meanwhile, the annual GAA Handball Ireland All-Star awards function was held on Saturday night in Croke Park where Clare was well represented. There were a total of 14 categories, where each provincial award winner was also nominated for the national award. Clare handballers won three Munster All-Stars and scooped one overall national award at the gala banquet, where Banner star Marty Morrisey was also in attendance as MC.

Clarecastle man Tommy Hegarty was named as National Official of the Year, having already been named as a provincial winner. Clare’s other Munster All-Stars are Diarmaid Nash and Pat Donellan. Nash was named Munster Player of the Year (national award winner was Robbie McCarthy, Westmeath) while Donellan was 2011 Munster Masters Player of the Year (Michael ‘Duxie’ Walsh taking the overall award).

Avenue United 2 – Newmarket Celtic 2 (AET Avenue win 3-2 on penalties) at Lees Road

THIS meeting of the Premier League and Clare Cup champions always looked like a tie to savour. And so it proved. Early goals, flowing football and extra time heroics all gave way to the drama of a penalty shoot out. Avenue kept their nerve to edge past their old rivals Newmarket who pipped them to the league title last year.

The win was secured when Newmarket’s Seamus Lawlor struck his crucial spotkick over the bar. The miss, Newmarket’s third from five, ensured that Avenue’s three successful spot kicks were enough to guarantee passage to the third round of the Munster Junior Cup.

It had been an absorbing game. Avenue hit the front inside the first minute before the powerful presence of Stephen Kelly intervened to give Newmarket a 2-1 half time lead. Avenue were level minutes after the break when Dylan Casey teed up David Russell for a routine finish. Both sides had opportunities to win it but it was Avenue who came closest. David Herlihy missed two great chances in the final quarter while Barry Nugent’s stinging drive in the final minute of extra time was kept out by a flying save from Newmarket goalkeeper, Trevor O’Donnell.

Avenue, aiming to bounce back from last week’s league cup defeat to Lifford, made the perfect start. Mikey Mahony cut from the right wing, danced across the Newmarket box before unleashing a shot that deflected high into the net. 1-0 to Avenue and barely 40 seconds on the clock.

The goal didn’t unduly rattle Newmarket. Daithi O’Connell and Stephen Kelly both went close before the visitor’s drew level. Avenue had received plenty of warning about Newmarket’s danger from set pieces but could do little to prevent the equaliser. Stephen Kelly met Darren Cullinan’s perfectly flighted corner with a bullet of a header to make it 1-1 in the 24th minute.

Herlihy and the impressive David Smyth saw shots cleared of the line before Newmarket hit the front. Again Cullinan and Kelly were the main players; the latter heading the left back’s corner into the path of Daithi O’Connell who swept home.

The champion’s lead was gone by the 52nd minute. The youthful energy and drive of Smyth and Casey was at the heart of Avenue’s best passages of play throughout the 110 minutes of football.

And the duo combined to telling effect after half time with Casey’s teasing low delivery spilled by O’Donnell into the path of Russell who made no mistake. Avenue’s captain then hit the crossbar before John Healy produced a good save to deny Eoin Hayes.

The longer the half wore on, the stronger Avenue became. Herlihy spurned two chances the best of which was a missed header in the 86th minute.

No goal and nothing to separate the sides. Substitute Colm Mullen lifted over for Avenue in extra time before O’Donnell’s outstanding save denied Barry Nugent.

Time for penalties. Avenue’s Barry Nugent, Russell and Herlihy all converted from the spot. Likewise Kieran Devitt and O’Brien for Newmarket. Lawlor needed to score to keep Newmarket in the hunt. He couldn’t and Avenue were through.

CLARE’S Ladies Football U13 development squad travelled to their Munster blitz in Rathkeale last Saturday marking the culmination of their ten-week development program and a chance to match themselves to the rest of Munster. Two teams travelled to the Mick Neville GAA grounds and won four games over Cork (2), Tipperary and Limerick.

They also had a draw against another Cork team and conceded a marginal win to Kerry. Team mentors Eimear Considine (Kilmihil), Aine Kelly (Fergus Rovers), Johnny Hayes (Fergus Rovers) and Alan Copley (Banner Ladies) were very pleased with the progress of the panel during the LGFA Development programme which included a series of challenge games with Kerry, the Clare U16s and the Banner Ladies.

The Clare U14 trials now com- mence this coming weekend as the Marian Keane Tournament takes place over the next three weekends. Clubs from all over the county have been invited to send girls born 1998 to the trials from which the 2012 U14 panel will be selected to compete in the Munster Championships. Details will be forwarded to interested participants during the week.

Blitz particpants:

Kilmaley 3-13 – Feakle/Killanena 1-07 at Clarecastle

KILMALEY were crowned Minor B hurling champions for 2011 after an emphatic twelve point victory over Feakle/Killanena. Clarecastle was the venue on Sunday last for their impressive performance with their second half onslaught particularly pleasing for the Kilmaley faithful.

Considering the final score of 3-13 to 1-7 the closeness and competitiveness of the first half is rather surprising. Kilmaley raced out of the blocks with the first score of the encounter after twenty seconds. Darragh Gregan made no mistake after securing possession from a wonderfully judged pass by midfielder Conor Cleary. This would be the first of many contributions by the Miltown Malbay maestro who is equally as talented with a football for his native club. The East-Clare Combo quickly replied through a Todd Kelsey score within the opening minute to ensure that all spectators now expected an incredible clash to materialize. This pattern of each team matching each other score by score continued for twenty minutes with both sides’ respective free takers Kilmaley’s Paul Kennedy and Feakle/Killanena’s Oisin Donnellan opening their accounts. A quick-fire treble soon launched Kilmaley into the lead and the first meaningful margin between the teams was formed. Again though the amalgamation found an immediate positive response. Colin McNamara burst through the Kilmaley rear-guard far too easily before blasting his shot low into the corner of the goal to level the match with only a few minutes of the half remaining. This was a killer blow for the mid-Clare outfit but amazingly they would still have the last laugh before the half-time whistle. A minute into injury time Kennedy punished an equally generous Feakle/Killanena defence with his team’s first goal of the afternoon. His burst of pace was not halted and before the eventual reaction came from the helpless full-back line the green flag was being waved in the air. Feakle/ Killanena found the last score of the half through a long-range free from Eoin Tuohy to leave it at 1-7 to 1-5 but there is no questioning who now held the momentum at the interval.

The second half resembled a very different battle. A county final war zone became almost a training ground challenge game for Kilmaley. Their gulf in class could no longer be prevented as they steamrolled their shocked competitors after the restart. Five minutes in and this tie was over as a contest. Three points in a row was bad enough but the concession of a second goal meant the faith of this title was well and truly sealed. Michael O’Malley used all of his attacking instincts to skilfully flick the sliotar past the onrushing goalkeeper to ensure the parish of Kilmaley would be celebrating long into the night. Before the jubilations could really kick off however the remainder of this final had to be played out. With three-quarters of match done and dusted another net buster was on the cards. Kennedy signed off a man of the match performance with a second goal after being set up by a terrific side-line cut by captain fantastic Eoin Enright.

The points kept coming as fast as the minutes of the game surpassed with Tomas “Tombo” Lynch grabbing the last with normal time just concluding. Kilmaley overall dominated in all sectors with Aidan McGuane also deserving a mention for his hard-working performance in the middle of the park. For Feakle/Killanena the disappointment of losing a county final no matter what the level or grade is always hard to stomach and this will be no different. The harsh reality is though with a mere two points both from frees in the second half they never had a chance.

Kilmaley
Eoin Meehan, Shane Lynch, Kevin Conlon, Shane O’Malley, Cian Moloney, Eoin Enright (0-3, 2f), Darragh McMahon, Conor Cleary,Aidan McGuane,Tomas Lynch (0-1), Cillian McNamara, Darragh Gregan (0-2), Barry Lynch, Paul Kennedy (2-5, 2f), Michael O’Malley (1-1)

Subs
Michael Keane for O’Malley, Michael O’Loughlin for Lynch, Peter Lawlor for Gregan, Padraig O’Connor for Lynch, Brian Coote for O’Malley

Feakle/ Killanena
Eibhear Quilligan, Evan McMahon, James Noonan, Eoin McMahon, Paul McArthur, EoinTuohy (0-2f), Martin Glynn, Padraig Brady (0-1), Shane McGrath, Colin McNamara (10),Todd Kelsey (0-1), Con Smyth, Gavin Fox, Oisin Donnellan (0-3f), Justin Nelson

Subs
Andrew Flaherty for Fox, Eric Conway for Donnellan, Paddy McNamara for Nelson

Man of the match
Paul Kennedy (Kilmaley) Referee Johnny Healy

Crusheen/Tubber 2-11 – Corofin 1-09 at Clarecastle

A BLISTERING start was the key to victory for the Crusheen/Tubber amalgamation in this derby final played on Saturday afternnon.

They led by 2-4 to 0-1 after the first 15 minutes, with goals from Kevin Fawl and Evan O’Donoghue putting them on their way to victory, while the point-taking of Lorcan O’Grady was also key in this start.

Corofin were shell-shocked but a goal from Gearóid Kelly and points from Declan Stack ensured that the game was back in the melting pot at half-time as they trailed by 2-5 to 1- 4.

The second half was evenly contested as Corofin’s comeback continued as they reduced the margin to the minimum, but crucially Crusheen/Tubber never lost their lead and kicked on at the end to claim the honours with five points to spare.

Best for Crusheen/Tubber on the day were full-back Youen Horner, centre-back Paddy O’Connor, mid fielder Rory Halpin, centre-forward Evan O’Donoghue and corner-forward Lorcan O’Grady.

Gearóid Kelly and Declan Stack were prominent for Corofin at midfield while Liam Corbett also im- pressed in attack.

Crusheen/ Tubber
Dylan Naughton, Mark Perrill,Youen Horner, Anthony Rodgers, Barry Monaghan, Paddy O’Connor, Francis McCormack, Kevin Fawl, Rory Halpin, SeanWeir, Evan O’Donoghue,Aidan Forde, ColinVaughan, Neil O’Loughlin, Lorcan O’Grady.

Corofin

THE cash-strapped Clare County Board is going to have to come up with “substantial funds” to finish its centre of training excellence in Caherlohan near Tulla, last Tuesday’s meeting of Clare GAA was told.

And, if the board can’t muster the finances to pay for the facility that has already has nearly € 4m pumped into it, it will remain closed and won’t open – that was the stark message delivered by county board secretary Pat Fitzgerald as he challenged club delegates to decide where “the priority is” when it comes to spending of Clare GAA infrastructure.

“It is important that clubs would be aware, that there is an onus on the board to ensure that Tulla (Caherlohan) is properly dealt with,” said Fitzgerald.

The debate rose after it was revealed by Fitzgerald and county board chairman, Michael O’Neill, that substantial also needs to be spent on Cusack Park. However, Fitzgerald hinted that Caherlohan and not Clare GAA headquarters should become the main priority.

“There is going to have to be a substantial sum of money that his board is going to have to invest if we are going to open Tulla. That is going to have to be one of the priorities.

More serious than Cusack Park, I think, is that we have a facility in Tulla.

“We have invested € 1.8m that Croke Park has given, in fairness to them. Only because of the money we got we would be in dire straits today. But it is going to cost substantial more money if we are going to be able to open that. I think that is a decision the board is going to have to make – where they priority is.

“We can leave it closed and develop some place else. At the end of the day the county committee is the overall governing body – it is important, it is incumbent on us as the managers of county board to put those issues in front of you. It is important that you know about them. I can assure you that they are not trivial,” he added.

It sparked some stormy exchanges between county board chairman Michael O’Neill and Doonbeg del egate over how much it was going to cost to finish the Caherlohan facility.

“We’re stuck outside in Tulla and we haven’t the money to finish it. Where is the money going to come to finish Tulla,” said Neenan. It looks like that it’s not just the coaching structures that have suffered from bad planning, but with Cusack Park too,” added the outspoken Doonbeg delegate.

“We’re moving forward,” interjected Michael O’Neill.

“You keep saying you’re moving forward, but it’s bad planning Mr Chairman,” responded Neenan.

“It’s not bad planning. As far as I remember it was a decision made here by the county committee, to buy the land out in Tulla and development it,” said O’Neill.

“You said that Mr Chairman, where is the money going to come from to finish Tulla,” said Neenan.

“I did no such thing say,” hit back O’Neill. “Withdraw that comment.”

“I won’t withdraw that comment.”

“The question (about where the money is going to come from to finish Tulla) was answered. Michael (Neenan), you are telling lies.”

“I am not telling lies,” said Neenan.

“Tell us the figure that you have to finish Tulla then,” added Neenan.

“It has been said three times. How many times do you want to hear it.”

“Be transparent and tell us,” said Neenan.

“There is nobody up here not being straight about anything. If you want to call off the meeting, we will get it called off,” said O’Neill.

“Well, we’re going nowhere with the meeting. I’m just asking the question, how much is going to cost to finish Tulla,” asked Neenan.

“Anybody here think the county board is misleading anybody about anything,” asked O’Neill.

“No,” went a chorus from the floor.

No figure was given, before chairman Michael O’Neill closed the debate on the subject. .

THERE were heated words at last Tuesday night’s November monthly meeting of the Clare GAA when the top table was questioned by Doonbeg delegate Michael Neenan as to why a number of coaching programmes put before the board over the past decade were not implemented.

The stormy exchanges were sparked during a lengthy debate that arose out of the findings of the Clare ‘Club Forum’ that was organised by Bord na nOg Peil and took place in the West County Hotel on October 25.

“I’m afraid all this has been done before and unless we are going to implement it and help the club going forward with coaching structures, these recommendations won’t mean one iota whatsoever,” said the Doonbeg delegate in opening the debate.

“There have been plans put before the county board and they were never acted on. There was a fantastic play put by Noel O’Driscoll, coaching officer. Michael O’Doherty put a fantastic plan and had structures with schools and clubs and it wasn’t implemented, wasn’t worked on, wasn’t carried forward.

“I’m amazed how we are going back again to this. Why haven’t the previous plans been acted on, Mr Chairman. Is it a lack of funding? There is no word of funding here. A lot of people I spoke to said that this won’t make any difference whatsoever. Where did previous plans breakdown. Was it lack of leadership. Was it lack of money,” he added.

These comments provoked a series of verbal exchanges between Mr Neenan and board chairman Michael O’Neill.

“It is time to move bloody well forward,” said O’Neill. “Forget about reports that were done in the past. We have one now – let’s move on it and let’s work it and let’s do the best we can on it.

“We will certainly endeavour to make it work, but it is up to the people in the clubs and ourselves to get it going. I can’t guarantee that is going to work, but I will strive to make it work,” he added.

“But the previous plans were way past where we are tonight with this plan,” responded Neenan. “What happened to those plans?” he added.

“I wasn’t chairman at the time,” responded O’Neill, “but I will endeavour to ensure that that plan is implemented as much as possible. That’s all I have to say on it.”

“Can I ask the question of Pat (Fitzgerald) then,” said Neenan. “You were there when Michael O’Doherty put forward his plan – he had structures for clubs and schools and he had bodies out there, but it fell down. Could you put a bit of light on it? Why did it fall down?”

“From what I know of it, that was a coaching and games plan,” responded Fitzgerald. “He put the structures together and they were there for a long time. In fairness people like Seamus Clancy and those got involved but there was nobody take up the cudgels afterwards.

“Sean O’Halloran is beside you and he’ll tell you Bord na nÓg Iomáint find it impossible to get people involved. It’s not about money, it’s not about structures. The structures are there. Michael O’Doherty’s plan was a great plan and he got the people and they got tired after a number of years. That’s what happened as I see it. It’s just a question of physical resources.

“After couple of years things do fall down, but there are certainly good structures in place now that weren’t there ten years ago. But we have to look at that to see if it’s good enough to bring players where we want them to be in hurling and football at senior, minor and under 21 level.

“It is time to go forward,” said Tom Downes. “We have a plan. Eamon (Keane) and his committee have put a lot of time into it and have got it out to the clubs. Different areas are broken down, who is responsible for everything. We are all responsible in the football to carry this through. There is a terrible responsibility on the clubs. That was pointed out at the end of the meeting the last day by Gordon Kelly.

“This is an excellent plan and there are four or five areas where responsibility falls into. The clubs. The county board. Bord na nÓg. Let’s go forward now,” added the Munster Council delegate.

CLARE GAA should embark on a public relations offensive to win the support of the grassroots on the association in the county, one delegate claimed in a colourful contribution to the November monthly meeting of the county board on Tuesday last.

Kildysart delegate, John Meade, who is also a match day steward in Cusack Park, proposed that a series of regional meetings between the board and clubs take place.

“There’s an attitude out there that the county board and the executive of the county board are away from the grassroots of the GAA,” said Meade.

“I see it in my own club – they don’t realise that the clubs are the county board. Maybe it’s time to have regional meetings and meet the clubs and maybe. There is an awful stigma out there with the officers of the county board,” he added.

“Everybody involved in the county board and county board are very or- dinary people,” said board chairman, Michael O’Neill. “We all come from the background of a club,” added the Ballyea clubman.

“I know that,” said Meade, “but that’s what’s out there. I told you last year people were saying to me ‘what the f**** are you involved with that shower of c****’,” he added to roars of laughter from fellow delegates.

In contributing to the debate, board secretary Pat Fitzgerald said, “I know people are saying ‘you are being paid by the board’. But what they don’t realise is that I’m putting in another 45 hours. I have no problem if someone gives me a job and I will still do my 45 hours.”

CUTTING the number of senior clubs in hurling and football will be one of the radical topics on the table for discussion by the new county board committee charged with responsibility for coming up with a new blueprint for club structures.

The possibility was sounded out by O’Curry’s delegate, Michael Curtin, who is the brainchild behind the seven-member committee that has been put together by county board chairman, Michael O’Neill.

The move to cull the number of senior clubs – from 20 in hurling and from 16 in football – was first broached on the hurling front by outgoing senior hurling boss Ger O’Loughlin when he addressed the September meeting of the Clare County Board at the end of his twoyear term.

In the course of his address to delgates about the terms of reference of the new committee, Curtin said it would “start a process with the objective of getting down to the number of senior teams, both hurling an football right down along the line”.

And, in making his comments, Mr Curtin appealled to delegates to back the committee, by ensuring that their efforts to “think outside the box” that their final deliberations, findings are implemented instead of being reducing the whole exercise to a talking shop.

“We are looking at giving all of our players the opportunity of playing games over the summer period and it’s going to take a leap of faith to do this,” said Curtin of the committee, seven members of which were ratified at last Tuesday night’s county board meeting.

The six drawn exclusively from either football or hurling clubs are: Padraig Boland (Broadford), Rosaleen Monaghan (Tubber), Denis Tuohy (Whitegate), Nuala Shanahan (Doonbeg), Gerry O’Neill (Kilmihil) and Colm Browne (Kilrush Sham- rocks).

“What I would suggest is that all the clubs embrace this to the extent that it is going to be a very open forum whereby clubs would be allowed to make submissions and also meet the committee themselves,” added Mr Curtin.

“In other words, nobody’s hands are tied. You go along and decide what’s best, not necessarily for our clubs at the time, but what’s best for the promotion of our games and our competitions in the county.

“I would also say that when the final proposals are made that it would be binding. It’s vital. There’s no point in having a talking shop here. What- ever comes back has to be binding, at least for a year.

“It’s for the clubs. Going back with things I was involved years ago, the thing was it only succeeded when clubs talked about it, embraced it and came in with good ideas.

“It’s time to move on and incorporate what’s best for the county in both hurling and football. It’s a waste of time having another talking shop,” he added.

“It’s very open ended,” said chairman Michael O’Neill of the committee, “and every club will be written to in the coming weeks. There will be one more member added from a dual club,” he added.

CLARE GAA has to get its financial affairs in order – that was the stark admission delivered by board treasurer Bernard Keane to club delegates last Tuesday when he “put on record” that were the county financially “is not good enough”.

The treasurer made his comments when revealing that county board income strands have been hit right across the board, a fact, he says, that threatens to become worse in 2012 “if we keep going the way we’re going”.

It was revealed that expenditure on county teams was reduced by € 145,000 in 2001, but those savings were swallowed up by plummeting income returns in areas such as county final attendances and intercounty fixtures.

“In all the seven schedules of income this year, we’re down on every one of them. Equally our gates were very, very disappointing, both our local gates, county games and indeed our county finals,” revealed Keane.

“So all in all, the report that comes back won’t make for very pleasant reading. On top of that we had a meeting with our own auditors, reviewing the past year and more importantly trying to project for 2012.

“Taking into account our present position and teams going forward and with Caherlohan (new Clare training headquarters) coming on we are going to be in an awful lot worse position next year if we keep going the way we’re going.

“Hence the problem, we need to generate more finance, other than the regular forms of finance that we’re doing. We are going to have to get our heads around that, as a board and as a unit and as an association in county Clare, because what we’re doing at the moment, unfortunately, is not going to be enough.

“Where we are at the moment is not good enough. I want to put that on the record here tonight,” Keane added.

Continuing, the county board treas- urer said that the onus was on everyone involved in the GAA in Clare to improve this financial situation.

“I think at this stage it’s about generating greater revenue as a unit,” he said. “Individually Pat Fitzgerald, Michael O’Neill or anyone won’t be able to generate the type of money that we need. As unit, both within the clubs and within the county board we will have to come up with new ways to generate money.

“The county board fundraising draw is one of the only means we have of generating money – that didn’t really materialise, even though I would thank the Newmarkets and the Cratloes and other clubs that really put their shoulder to the wheel, but there were an awful lot of other clubs didn’t. If they had it would have been a great help to us at this moment in time. That didn’t happen,” he added.