Clare V Fermanagh preview

Following their walk-over win over Carlow last
weekend the Clare Ladies senior county team are on the road again
this weekend when they travel to Tubberclare in the county Westmeath
to face Suzuki Division 3 table toppers Fermanagh. Sunday’s game
is eagerly awaited by all involved with the ladies game in Clare
as there is now a well founded optimism within the sport in the
county that the Banner’s fortunes have turned the corner and that
significant progress has been made. 

Although officially idle last weekend with the cancellation of
the Carlow game, team manager availed of the opportunity by arranging
a replacement game against Galway’s Junior championship team.
The Clare outfit scored an emphatic 3 – 21 to 0 – 8 victory in
this game against a Galway side that included many of last year’s
All Ireland minor winning team. By all accounts Eithne Morrissey,
Áine Kelly, Louise Henchy, Niamh Keane, Lorraine Kelly
and Moira Daly showed splendid form and the whole team played
really well as a unit. This can only augur well for Sunday’s game
and all will be hoping for a repeat performance.

Fermanagh will be difficult opponents. To date they are unbeaten
in the Suzuki League with victories over Leitrim, Offaly and Carlow.
They will want to keep their unbeaten record intact so Clare can
expect a tough challenge right from the outset. Team manager is
hoping for a committed display by her charges right from the throw
in. “If we can be competitive from the start, work hard and
settle down into a rhythm we can make life very difficult for
Fermanagh” stated Murphy who went on to stress that the girls
must give it their all for the full sixty minutes. “We cannot
afford the lapse in concentration and fitness that happened in
the Leitrim game where we were punished by two late goals when
still well in contention” she added.

However Murphy is confident that her team will not let her down
on Sunday and expects a very good performance. “We are still
building but I am happy with the work the team has put in to date
and I know they will play well”. ” A win would be great
and hopefully this is what will be achieved” added the Liscannor
stalwart. Hopefully Clare will emerge on the right side of the
scoreline on Sunday.

For anybody travelling to the game Tubberclare is on the N55
road towards Glasson and is approximately 6 miles from Athlone.

Munster Ladies Minor Football Championship

Clare ladies will take on the mighty Kingdom in the first round
of the Munster Championship in Miltown Malbay on Saturday next,
April 8th at 2.00pm. The Kerry ladies will no doubt be strong
favourites for this game and the recent inclement weather hasn’t
done James Pender’s Clare team any favours as their opportunity
to train has been very restricted due to pitch closures and so
on. However James and his team of selectors Majella Lillis, Seán
O’Neill and Bernie Regan did get an opportunity to see their players
in action last weekend when they defeated a Miltown senior selection
on a 4 – 14 to 2 – 12 scoreline in Miltown. Some girls produced
very good performances in this match and these included Laura
Hanrahan, Eimear Greene, Niamh Cavanagh, Tara Glynn, Lorraine
Griffin, Ashling McCaw, Marie Raftery and Regina Fennessy. If
this octet can again find their form on Saturday the Kerry girls
may not have things as much their own way as they might have liked.
The Minor Panel for Saturday is as follows: Niamh Cavanagh, Marie
Raftery, Mary Tierney (The Banner), Laura Hanrahan, Eimear Greene,
Niamh Greene, Fiona McMahon (Coolmeen), Amanda Perill (Crusheen),
Karen Galvin, Lorraine O’Halloran, Fiona Sexton, Rebecca Glenny
(Kilmurry – Ibrekane), Tara Glyn, Lorraine Griffin, Sandra Malone,
Edel Hynes, Aisling McCaw, Niamh Coyne, Sharon Rynne, Claire Curtin,
Marie Lenihan, Helen Burke (Miltown), Lisa Fahy (Newmarket), Edel
Fitzpatrick, Helen Crowley, Maura Kerrigan, Catherine Moran (Shannon
Gaels), Stephanie Regan, Regina fennessy, Mary Alice Cleary, Ciara
hannon (Wolfe Tones).

Clare .v. Galway U – 14 Challenge

Clare U – 14’s will play Galway in Cooraclare @ 12.00 midday
on Sunday in a challenge game ahead of their upcoming Munster
Championship clash with Waterford on April 22nd. Following the
Clare Féile Competition team manager James Lafferty has
added four more players to the county panel and all have been
training well in recent weeks. Their last outing resulted in a
narrow defeat away to Mayo and while Galway will probably be much
stiffer opponents a good performance is again expected of the
Clare girls. The panel for Sunday’s game is as follows: Eimear
O’Connor, Niamh O’Dea, Megan Hough, Laurie Ryan, Aoife Davoren,
Marion Conway, Louise Woods, Cathy Hayes, Laura Brennan (The Banner),
Tiana Flanagan, Katie O’Brien (Burren Gaels), Sally Glynn, Shauna
Coughlin (Cooraclare), Lisa Loughnane (Clooney-Quin), Niamh O’Connell
(Coolmeen), Rachel Ryan (Doonbeg), Aoife Murphy (Doora-Barefield),
Shauna Keane (Eire Óg), Laura Meaney (Fergus Rovers), Ailish
Considine, Miriam Frawley (Kilmihil), Siobhán Talty, Katie
Curtin, Sinéad Sexton, Niamh Pender, Ciara Burke (Miltown),
Sarah Bohannon (Shannon Gaels), Catherine Danagher, Leona Regan,
Tatiana Duarte (Wolfe Tones).

Last Weekend’s Results Intercounty Challenge & Minor Trial

Clare Ladies 3 – 21 Galway Juniors 0 – 8

Clare Minors 4 – 14 Miltown Snr Selection 2 – 12

Dr. Paul McKenna, PRO Clare Ladies Board.