*Feakle/Killanena’s Keith Smyth holds off Matthew Corbett and Evan Maxted of Clooney/Quin. Photograph: Ruth Griffin CLARE HURLING followers can look forward with confidence to more titles for the Banner county on the inter county front in the coming seasons if this weekend’s games in the under 21 championship are an indication.
*Tommy Liddy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill. SIXMILEBRIDGE were “second to everything” as they lost their first Clare SHC final since 2011.
The concluding A3 graded 525 yards contest was the feature event on Thursday night’s card at Galway Greyhound Stadium on an eight race card that also featured the opening round heats of the Liam Brussels Memorial A4 525.
*Feakle celebrate. Photograph: Ruth Griffin FEAKLE are Clare SHC champions for the first time since 1988 after powering past the challenge of Sixmilebridge in Monday’s final.
*Lorcan Fitzpatrick, David Kennedy and Jason Loughnane celebrate. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill Giorraíonn beirt bóthar and Stiofán Fitzpatrick and Tommy Liddy wasted no time in shortening the road to the TUS Senior Hurling Championship final, the pair are in their first season as joint managers of Sixmilebridge.
*Oisin Donnellan in action against Barry Fitzpatrick. Photograph: Ruth Griffin CLARE’s senior hurling championship final has been refixed to take place on Bank Holiday Monday.
Friday night’s Galway card featured the semi-finals of the Paul McKenna Memorial A5 525 yards stake which commemorates one of the great gentlemen of the game who raced his dogs at the track for many years and who won most of the leading competitions at the track throughout this career.
*Sixmilebridge goalkeeper, Derek Fahy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill. WHILE specialised role of goalkeeper is a pivotal cog that is difficult to settle on for a number of clubs, Sixmilebridge have been extremely fortunate to have such a distinguished lineage of stoppers over the past 35 years.
*Fr Harry Bohan. Photograph: Eamon Ward. TRADITION has hurling on par with religion in the village of Feakle according to Fr Harry Bohan.
*Páidi Fitzpatrick. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill WHETHER or not you believe in omens, there’s no denying that Clare’s All-Ireland winning exploits also seem to stir something special in Sixmilebridge.
