Sports
Gold medals for McGuire and O’Boyle at National Juvenile finals
GALWAY athletes competed in huge numbers in the National Juvenile Track and Field Championships last Saturday and Sunday in Tullamore – the first of two weekends of competition.
Evan McGuire of Galway City Harriers took top billing in the championships, winning gold in the Under 19 400 metre hurdles in 54.45 and taking second in the 400 metre flat in the same category, running PBs and a championship best in the hurdles in the process.
His clubmate Maebh Brannigan also took two medals, with a bronze in the U17 800m in 2.21 and 2nd in the U17 400m in 59.67. GCH sprinters were in the medals too, with Cillian Greene who took silver in the U16 Boys 100m, running 11.79, and James Mitchell, who won a bronze medal with a time of 11.58 in the U18 100m
Other GCH athletes who captured medals included Laoise Geraghty, silver in the U13 Girls 600m, and Sean Kilmartin, third in the U15 Boys 250m Hurdles. Samuel Samson ran twice, securing a bronze in the U17 300m Hurdles and just missing out in the 400m flat, with an agonizing fourth place. James Fleming took a bronze in the U18 Boys 110m Hurdles in a time of 16.94
Craughwell athletes secured a great medal haul, and their star female athlete Sineád Treacy broke the club’s senior long jump record of 5.32m in Tullamore with a fine leap of 5.39m on her 6th and final jump in the U17 event. Sinead’s jump carried her to the bronze medal in a high quality long jump field where the top six jumpers all broke 5m.
Her record-breaking day continued into the sprints where she broke her own club record of 12.62 which she set at the recent Galway Juvenile Track & Field in Dangan. Sineád recorded an impressive 12.56 to place 2nd in the semi-finals of the U17 100m and went on to to take bronze in the final in a time of 12.71.
She was matched with two medals by clubmate Damien O’Boyle who continued his best year ever with an eight-second victory in the U17 2000m Steeplechase in a time of 6.31.91. and, on the second day, took bronze in the U17 800m in a time of 2.01.79 – that makes it six National medals this year for Damien.
Craughwell AC athletes had five podium finishes and eight more top-eight finishes last Sunday. The distance races proved to be the most lucrative for the club with a bronze medal in the U19 3000m for Neil Greaney in a time of 9.12.12. Nicholas Sheehan had another big performance in the U18 800m to take third. John Cormican ran an impressive 2.01.20 to take 5th place in the same race, an outdoor PB.
For more, read this weeks 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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