Sports
Maree deny local rivals to complete Division 1 double
Maree 83
Titans 60
MAREE basketballers completed their first ever Cup and League double with Saturday night’s clear-cut Division 1 National League win over Titans in the Jez.
They travelled to Dublin Sunday with the title in the bag, and beat runners-up Kubs in the last game of the League, to take the title with nine points to spare. The Galway side finished the season with a 17-1 win-loss record, ahead of Dublin’s Kubs who tied with Killorglin on 14-4, while Kilkenny finished on 10-8.
This is the Oranmore-Maree team’s second National League title in three years. Galway basketball is having a great year, with NUIG Mystics also on course for a women’s cup and league double
The Jez derby held real banana skin potential for Mare , as perennial rivals Titans, though sitting bottom of the table, were clearly a better team than this season’s form suggested. They’d beaten Kilkenny a few weeks previously, and were eager to rain on Maree’s parade.
Peldzius hit the first nine points of the game to give Maree a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. A tense, at times tetchy first half ended with the lead limited to 35-27. However, Maree’s pace, passing, power and depth told in the third quarter, as they raced to a 61-42 lead going into the final period.
It wasone they never looked likely to surrender, winning somewhat easily in the end. Enda Walsh (17 pts) had a huge game in the paint, as did Cathal Finn (14) on the point, while Paulus Peldzius (21) posed a threat every time he touched the ball.
Ken Hansberry took some big rebounds, and Colm O’Hagan put trademark pressure on the Titans guards in midcourt. The athleticism and aggression of Darren Callanan was evident, and the pace of Pádraig Burke impressed. Big Sergi Marti played honest and smart.
Young Eoin Rockall improves every game and scored on some nice drives. Charlie Crowley was comfortable on the ball and youngsters Stephen Cummins and Ciarán Blaney look to have what it takes, while Adam Cox sat out injured. For Titans, this season’s American Cory Starkey was best with 23pts.
Just 20 hours later, in Dublin’s Carroll Arena, a tired but happy Maree came from five down with one minute to go, in a topsy turvy clash with second-placed Kubs, to win by twoand end the campaign in style with their 15th straight league win of the season, and 19th consecutive win overall.
Coaches John Finn, Mike Lynch and Manager Mary O’Hagan somehow contrived an amazing double for Maree, despite the difficulty associated with three of the team commuting all season from Dublin, and one – Darren Callanan – from England. It will be a hard act to follow, even for Maree.
Remarkably, Maree have lost just four games in three entire National league seasons, finishing champions in 2014 and 2016, and runners-up in 2015 (despite the still keenly felt tragic loss of 22 year-old Donie Greene).
For seven players, 2016 brought a second MNL title; Ken Hansberry, Cathal Finn, Colm O’Hagan, Darren Callanan, Charlie Crowley, Enda Walsh and Pádraig Burke.
Although Maree lost 2014 starters Liam Conroy to Canada and Matt Hornbuckle home to the USA, along with Con Crowley, James Brophy, Ciarán Harte, Dave Hansberry, Jan Stec, and Brian Kelly, the indepth strength of the club is evidenced by the progression onto the squad of local young guns Eoin Rockall, Ciarán Blaney and Stephen Cummins.
With classy veteran guard Paulus Peldzius and smart, solid big man Sergi Marti also joining this season, Maree had the deepest team in the league and it showed. The 2016 National Cup and League add to the 2014 League title, the 2010/11/12 Under 20 Men’s National Cup three-in-a-row, the 2008/09 Under 18 Men’s National cup two-in-a-row, and the Under 18 Women’s National Cup.
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.
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.
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.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
