*Leah Minoge and Amber Nolan.
Favourites Diarmaid Nash and Colin Crehan were pipped in a tie breaker in the All-Ireland senior doubles handball final in Croke Park on Saturday evening.
The Clare pair recovered from a poor start which saw them lose the opening game, 17-21 to level the tie when winning the second 21-14. The tie break was a thriller which the Cork pairing of Daniel Relihan and Michael Hedigan won by the minimum margin 11-10.
There was also disappointment for Clare in the golden masters B doubles when Wexford’s Damian and Eugene Kelly defeated Clare’s Seamus Ryan and Michael Kenneally, 21-15 and 21-11.
Defeat was also Clare’s lot in the men’s junior B doubles final when Glen Murray and Kevin O’Callaghan went down to Tyrone’s Jack Campbell and Caolan McCartan, 21-19, 18-21 and 11-2.
However the Clare junior doubles pairing of Leah Minogue and Amber Nolan gave Bsnner county followers reason to celebrate when they were crowned All-Ireland champions with victory over Wexford’s Holly Hynes and Cora Doyle on a 21-8, 14-21 and 11-5 scoreline.
Munster championships:
Clare players enjoyed success in a number of Munster finals in the past week. The results are.
Junior A: Sean Coughlan defeated Waterford’s Anthony Fitzgerald 3-21, 21-6, 11-3; Donnacha O’Connor Cork defeated Conor Downes 21-08; 21-08
Minor: Cian Dunning Cork defeated Matthew Coughlan 21-08, 21-08
U21: David Considine defeated John Cronin Cork 21-04, 21-19
O35: Darren O’Neill bt Cork’s, Padhraic Egan 17/21, 21/8, 11/5
Silver Masters B: Mike Baker beat Tadhg Murphy Cork 21/8, 21/14
Juvenile Finals:
U11 Cup: Sophia Moroney, Newmarket beat Saoirse Frost, Kilkishen.
U11 shield: Ava Considine, Clarecastle beat Sophia Treacy, Toonagh
U11 Plate: Coley Sweeney(Clarecastle) beat Noah Healy (Clarecastle)
U12 Cup: Holly Farmer, Clarecastle beat Ayda Ryan, Clooney.
U12 Shield: Beibhinn Slattery, Clarecastle beat Elisa Kidney, Tulla.
U13 Shield: Sarah Brodie, Clarecastle beat Clara Vaughan, Clarecastle.
U14 Cup: Jane Hogan, Kilkishen beat Maisie O’Malley, Toonagh.
U15 Cup: Ella Crotty, Tuamgraney beat Aoife Molloy, Tuamgraney.
Boys finals:
U12 Cup; Dara Brohan (Clooney) beat Ben Fahy(Clooney)
U12 Shield; Ronan Davy (Kilkishen) beat Leo Danagher (Tuamgraney)
U13 Cup; Patrick Sweeney(Clarecastle) beat Ruairi Frost (Kilkishen)
U13 Shield; Finn Elingstad(Clarecastle) beat Blake Corbett (Kilkishen)
U14 Shield: Kieran Sheridan (Clarecastle) beat Ronan O’Leary (Clarecastle)
U14 Plate: Gavin Hassett(Toonagh) beat Danny Griffin (Toonagh)
U14 League: Micheal Cooney(Kilkishen) beat Patrick O’Brien (Tuamgraney)
U14 Group Final: Adam Casey (Clarecastle) best Darragh Drennan (Clarecastle)
U15 Cup Final:Ronan Murray (Tuamgraney) beat Jamie Moroney (Kilkishen)
U15 Shield Final: MJ Buckley(Tuamgraney) beat Brian Conheady (Tulla)
U15 Plate Final: Luke Donnelly (Clarecastle) beat Dan Moroney (Kilkishen)
U16 Cup Final: Paddy Sweeney (Clarecastle) beat Ciaran Collins (Kilkishen)
U16 Shield Final: Jack O’Halloran (Toonagh) beat Eoin Hegarty (Toonagh)
U17/18 Cup Final: John Sweeney (Clarecastle) beat Martin Sweeney (Clarecastle)
U17/18 Shield; Cillian McInerney (Toonagh) beat Lachlann Carey (Clooney)
U10/11 handball:
Blitzes for boys and girls U10 and U11 took place across the weekend in all venues, with over 100 children travelling to Tuamgraney, Tulla, Clooney, Kilkishen, Newmarket, Toonagh and Clarecastle.
All-Ireland Juvenile A Finals:
Saturday in Croke Park sees the end of the championship in Juvenile A grade. Clare will be well represented on the day, taking part in 5 finals as follows
U14 Boys Singles Jack Cahill, Clooney v Galway’s Bertie O’Donoghue
U15 Girls Singles; Ellie Frost, Kilkishen v Kilkenny’s, Shauna Hayes
U16 Girls Singles; Claire Minogue, Tuamgraney v Galway’s, Stephanie Walsh
U16 Girls Doubles; Isabelle McInerney and Tara Lucas, Toonagh v Kilkenny’s Niamh Drennan and Orla Duggan
U16 Boys Doubles; Paul Rodgers, Tuamgraney and Liam Murphy, Kilkishen v Kilkenny’s, Conor Manogue and Timmy Corr
All-Ireland Singles Championship:
Diarmaid Nash will begin his singles championship on Monday March 18th against the winners of round 1, Rory Grace, Tipperary and Tyrone’s Barry Devlin who play on March 16.
The ladies singles also commences with Leah Minogue fresh from doubles success in Senior action on Thursday 14th at 2pm in Claregalway against one half of the senior doubles winners in Niamh Heffernan.
Amber Nolan will hope to continue her good run of form in the junior singles with an opening day outing in Cashel against Wexford’s, Cora Doyle.
Also on March 16, Chloe Philpott of Kilkishen will travel to Nenagh against Limerick’s Aishling Shannahan. In Tuamgraney on Saturday Limerick’s Evan Murphy will play Galway’s Seamus Conneely.
Club action:
Kilkishen have, over the last four weeks, held a parish team league for children 10-15 while they have also held fun blitzes for 8 to 10 year olds.
Clooney began their parish league on Monday and this will run mid week every evening for two weeks. Tulla have also commenced a parish league for children in mixed teams 11-16yrs.
Tuamgraney will host an adult tournament for players within the club for the MacLysaght Cup which is 75 years old this year, making it one of, if not the oldest handball club tournaments in Ireland/ This year’s edition takes place on Bank holiday Monday, March 18, starting from 11.00am.
The cup was donated to Tuamgraney Handball Club by the late Edward MacLysaght, on whose grounds the handball alley was built, and it was first played for in 1949. The MacLysaght family have always had very strong ties to the handball club. Edward’s late son William was Honourary President of the club for many years, a position now held by William’s son Cian.
For decades the best handballers in Tuamgraney and the surrounding community have fought for the honour of being MacLysaght Cup champion, from the very first winners John & Peter Tuohy, on through the era of the famous Kirby brothers right up to the likes of Haulie Hogan, PJ Counihan and more recent winners like Diarmaid Nash and current holder Conor Downes.
County, Munster and All-Ireland champions will be on show on Monday and this year for the first time Ladies players are included and will be looking to be the first female winner of the MacLysaght Cup in its 75-year history. There will also be a drop-down Plate competition.
Tuamgraney handball club’s annual fundraising 10km sponsored walk/run takes place on Easter Monday April 1 at 12noon.
Club Adult Singles and Doubles Competitions:
This is the first year for Clare to run adult singles and doubles championships with 25 entered in singles and 12 pairs in doubles, there is great interest. The competition will be run over 5 weeks and finals will be in 3 divisions.
