Sports
Kennedy comes up trumps for Clarinbridge boys
Clarinbridge 0-16
Kilnadeema/Leitrim 0-13
CLARINBRIDGE hurlers turned on the style in the second half in Salthill on Sunday to win a third county minor A title and the club’s first since 1998. The warriors of Kilnadeema/Leitrim left nothing out on the field in this hotly contested and enjoyable final replay but the ’Bridge’had too much quality in their ranks.
A third of the Clarinbridge starters featured on the Galway squad that won this year’s All-Ireland minor title but it was a lesser known player, Mark Kennedy, who really stole the show. Kennedy, who is just 15, showed maturity beyond his years and gave an exhibition of hurling, tormenting the Kilnadeema/Leitrim defence to finish with a haul of six points, five from play.
Kennedy was one of the few bright sparks for the winners in the opening half, when things weren’t going all Clarinbridge’s way; and he stepped it up again when it matter after the break with an energetic display that deservedly earned him the man-of-the-match accolade.
Of course, there were others among the winners’ ranks, who caught the eye, none more so than Patrick Foley, captain Evan Niland and Ian O’Brien and overall, as a team, Éanna Ryan’s charges looked to possess a marginally superior natural hurling ability and skilfulness throughout. Kilnadeema/Leitrim can be mighty proud of their efforts, too.
Though it’s no consolation, the East Galway outfit contributed handsomely to an entertaining spectacle, which was rich in quality and filled with superb scores from both sets of players. The outsiders certainly took the battle to the ’Bridge in the opening half. They didn’t give an inch, showed no shortage of hunger, commitment and work ethic and threw everything at the favourites right from the off, with Dylan Towolawi, Conor Molloy and Mikey Lynch particularly prominent.
The big problem for mentor John Flanagan and Co was their team’s dominance wasn’t reflected on the score board. Kilnadeema/Leitrim, for all their endeavour, needed to be more than one-point to the good at the break. That they hurled so well, and had managed to nullify some of Clarinbridge’s attacking threats in the first half hour, and yet were still only 0-9 to 0-8 in front, must have been deflating.
But Kilnadeema/Leitrim stubbornly refused to lie-down after half-time and despite Clarinbridge getting a foothold at puck-out time, and dominating the battle in the middle third of the field between the two half-backlines, they clung on thanks in the main to tenacious defending from the likes of Conor Bohan, Ciaran Connor and Mark Lawless.
The final quarter proved decisive, however. The dam didn’t burst but the relentless pressure from Clarinbridge told in the end as they outscored their opponents by four points to one in the last 15 minutes.
Full match report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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