Sports
Galway athletes shine at Connacht Cross Country Championships
DAY two of the Connacht Cross Country championships took place at a muddy and technical course at Westport last Sunday. The setting of Westport House provided a superb backdrop to an exciting day’s competition.
Ava McKeon won the U11 girls title for Ballinasloe and District AC, with a great run in the first race of the day. The Craughwell AC team took team silver on 66 points, with Caoimhe Connolly, Emily Miskella, Saoirse Moore and Rebekah Flynn comprising the scoring team. GCH girls Emma Moore, Gillian McGrath, Leah O’Connell and Eabha Brennan took the team bronze.
The U11 boys were next into battle in their 1500m race where Adam Stewart did excellently to take a fine individual silver medal for Craughwell AC. Athenry AC won took the bronze club team medal, with Calum Healy, Darragh McNelis, Mark O’Halloran and Adam Molloy scoring. Galway won the county section.
In the U13 girls event, the GCH girls team took the silver team medal via the efforts of Kara McCleane, who came home fourth overall, Eimear Rowe, Mairead Flynn and Ella Tomczak. Galway won the county event.
Craughwell AC had a strong team performance in the U13 boys 2500m with Kyle Moorhead in 11th place, Gavin Lee in 13th, Sean Cotter 15th, Sean Cannon 16th, Liam Leen 17th and Finbar McFadden in 25th. Their score was good enough to take both the club and the county silver medals – all six featured as the scorers on the county team.
In the U15 boys 3500m, Oisin Lyons of Craughwell AC put in a great effort at the front to battle it out for the lead but eventually had to settle for 2nd place and the silver medal. Oisin was followed home by William Fitzpatrick in 6th. With Conor Lee in 8th place and Luke Finn and Gavin Forde in 19th and 20th respectively, it helped win silver medals for the Craughwell AC team with 35 points. Galway boys won the county event.
In the U17 girls 3500m, Craughwell’s Dearbhaile Walsh put in a strong last lap to take 5th place, followed closely by clubmates Caron Ryan in 6th, Grainne McDaid 8th and Ciara O’Boyle 12th. Their performance was good enough to take club gold with 31 points. All four also scored for the county team which won the gold medals as well. Ballinasloe’s Brian Burke won bronze at U17 boys level.
Ciara Greene of Craughwell AC had a terrific run in the U19 girls event as she took the individual silver medal, with Veronica Burke of Ballinasloe in third. Craughwell’s Damian O’Boyle and GCH’s Eoin Lyons took second and third respectively in the U19 Boys race with strong runs over an increasingly muddy course.
For more, read this week’s Galway City 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.
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.
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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