NEWS IN BRIEF
TAILTEANN GOLD: Adamstown’s Ryan Carthy-Walsh, representing Good Counsel College, exceeded his own expectations and put his stamp on the historic and prestigious Tailteann Games in Morton Stadium, Santry, with a second qualification standard for the European Youth Olympics in the high jump with a strong leap over 2.03m.
Ryan took the gold medal and was chosen as the best male athlete of the games.
LIZ AMONG WINNERS: Crossabeg trainer Liz Doyle was among the winners at Limerick on June 19, 2015, courtesy of Annie Irish (12/1) who landed the Ballyduane Stud Handicap in thrilling fashion.
Having finished third at Roscommon in her previous race when an unconsidered 40/1 outsider, she confirmed the promise of that display as she stormed down the outside under Ross Coakley to beat Apache Gold by half a length.
BRACE FROM BYRNE: Wexford began life in the ladies’ football Leinster Intermediate championship with an excellent five-point win over a resilient London side in Ruislip (2-7 to 1-5).
The game was still in the melting pot with seven minutes left after the hosts had netted through Fiona Morrissey, but Wexford top scorer Maria Byrne grabbed her second goal with five minutes left to see them home.
Wexford: Bríd Byrne; Maeve Quill, Marica Cullen, Georgina Hearn; Ciara Neville, Niamh Mernagh, Ciara Denton; Róisín Murphy (capt., 0-1), Kellie Kearney; Ellen O’Brien, Maria Byrne (2-3), Marcella Cullen; Chantelle Martin (0-1 free), Caitríona Murray (0-2), Niamh Moore. Subs. - Mairéad Moran for Marcella Cullen, Katie Redmond for Moore.
RACKARD RULERS: Piercestown claimed back-to-back Rackard League Roinn ‘A’ hurling titles when they defeated old rivals Gorey C.B.S. by 4-7 to 2-5 in the final in Wexford Park.
David Codd and Jamie Berry were joint captains of the formidable winners, who had already denied the same opponents a remarkable eight in a row of football crowns earlier in the season.
Aodhán Byrne captained the Castlebridge boys to their narrow 1-9 to 1-8 victory over Ferns in the Roinn ‘ B’ decider, while James Reilly and his Kilmuckridge colleagues had to work hard before accounting for Ramsgrange by 2-10 to 3-4 in the Roinn ‘C’ final.
TOM HOLDS ACES: Local player Tom McGrath retained his ‘A’ singles crown when Hillbrook played host to the finals of the county Senior open tennis championships.
He had a resounding 6-0, 6-0 win against Wexford’s Shane Jenkins in the final, and then teamed up with club Chairman Noel Devereux to beat Shane and Bjorn Jenkins 6-2, 6-4 in the doubles decider.
Club coach Ashley Wynne defeated another Hillbrook player, Shinagh Downey, in the ladies’ ‘A’ singles final on a 6-0, 6-3 scoreline.
Ashley and Conor Gormley prevailed in the ‘A’ mixed doubles, defeating Dick McCarthy and Helen McGrath from Waterford 6-3, 6-2.
PACKING A PUNCH: Boxers Dean Walsh and Adam Nolan advanced to the quarter-finals of the inaugural European Games in Baku with some hard-earned victories in the early rounds.