SPORT ROUND-UP
Rovers’ Lillie is named in ROI U-17 panel
Alice Lillie, a defender with the Sligo Rovers U-17 women’s team who has also featured at U-19 level, has been named in the Republic of Ireland U-17 women’s squad for two friendlies away to Portugal.
This evening, Thursday, the Republic of Ireland play Portugal at EstadioNacional do Jamor (6pm), with the second friendly scheduled for this Sunday, October 2, at Cidade do Futebol (5pm).
Lillie, a student at Sligo town’s Ursuline College, is one of 22 players chosen by head coach James Scott. This week’s games in Portugal will form part of the preparations for upcoming UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championship qualifiers.
Connacht Cup season starts for local teams
Three teams from the Sligo-Leitrim and District Soccer League will begin their Connacht Football Association Junior Cup campaign on Sunday week, October 9. Competing in the provincial competition’s first round are Benbulben FC, who are away to Mayo’s Fahy Rovers, Strand Celtic Reserves, whose task is an away game against St Bernard’s FC (Galway) and Ballygawley Celtic, who host Galway’s Tuam Celtic.
Calry Bohs Reserves and Ballymote Celtic were drawn in the first round but both received a ‘bye’ in the second round, as did Glenview Stars. Sligo-Leitrim Super League teams enter in round three. Games in the Connacht Junior Cup are decided on the day – if still a draw after full time plus extra-time (10 minutes each way) then FIFA rules on penalties to apply.
Bourne takes first place in coastal run
Graham Bourne won last Sunday’s Sligo Coast to Coast, a 10 mile road race that started at Strandhill and finished in Rosses Point.
Bourne, who was also the first Male 40 finisher, clocked 58:03, although he was pushed for first place by runner-up Donal Egan, whose time was 58:15.
In third place was Eimear O’Brien, who was the leading female runner. She ran the distance in 59:51. Connor Martin
CONNOR SMILES: Rory and Caoimhe Connor after Drumcliffe-Rosses Point won the Sligo LGFA Minor Championship ‘A’ Cup final at Kent Park on Wednesday last. Caoimhe captained the winning team against Tourlestrane and her dad, Rory, was part of the team’s management.
was fourth (59:52). The top five was completed by Alan Wallace, whose time was 1:00:35. The second female finisher was the sixth-placed Heather Foley, who completed the 10 miles in 1:00:41. This event featured 287 runners and 46 walkers.
Sligo LGFA hold county finals at Quigabar
Two of Sligo LGFA’s adult championship finals are taking place this coming Saturday, October 1, at west Sligo’s Quigbar. The first game at the home of Enniscrone-Kilglass GAA Club is the Sligo LGFA Connacht Gold Junior ‘C’ Championship decider involving St Mary’s and west Sligo’s St Patrick’s (1pm start). This game is followed by the Sligo LGFA Connacht Gold Junior ‘B’ Championship final at 3pm – Coolera-Strandhill take on Curry.
Meanwhile, the Sligo LGFA Connacht Gold Junior ‘A’ Championship showdown between Drumcliffe-Rosses Point and Shamrock Gaels takes place on Saturday week, October 8. Drumcliffe-Rosses Point were semi-final winners over CT Gaels last Sunday, winning by four points, 3-8 to 3-4.
Muldoon and Farrell are in a LGFA initiative
Lorraine Farrell and Laura Muldoon are the Sligo participants in the LGFA’s Leading Provincial Females
programme. Farrell (St Patrick’s) and Muldoon (St Mary’s) are among the 87 participants selected from 29 counties to take part in an initiative designed for females aged 18+. The purpose of the programme is to develop the participants and help them lead teams, through their role, either in the LGFA or GAA. The programme is a joint-initiative between the LGFA and GAA, with the women involved already in varied roles in their clubs or counties from administration, coaching, officiating and PR. Participants will develop their leadership skills as well as work on aspects of coaching, officiating, administration and PR/media.
FAI Schools’ big games at a Sligo town venue
MacSharry Park, the headquarters of the Sligo-Leitrm and District Soccer League, that has a 4G astroturf pitch, is being used as a venue for national semi-finals in FAI Schools competitions.
These are Minor and First Year grade games between the Connacht and Ulster champions from the 2021-2022 season. The Sligo town venue hosted the FAI Schools Minor (U-15) Boys National Cup semi-final that saw Donegal Town’s Abbey Vocational School lose 3-1 to St Joseph’s College (Galway).
MacSharry Park then hosted the FAI Schools Minor (U-15) Girls National Cup semi-final between Deele College (Raphoe) and Athenry’s Presentation College – a game won
3-1 by the Galway side.
Also played at the SLDSL base was the 3-1 win for Glenamaddy Community School (Galway) over Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair (Donegal) in the FAI Schools Minor (U-15) ‘B’ Boys National Cup semi-final. Meanwhile, on Thursday next, October 6, MacSharry Park is the venue for the FAI Schools First Year (U-14)
Boys National Cup semi-final between Milford’s Loreto Community School and St Joseph’s College, Galway (kick-off 1pm).
On Tuesday, October 11, the FAI Schools First Year (U-14) Girls National Cup semi-final between Scoil Mhuire (Buncrana)
and Presentation College, Athenry, goes ahead at MacSharry Park (1pm start).
Second XV lose out to Loughrea in Curley Cup
Sligo RFC’s second XV were beaten 19-12 by Loughrea’s first XV last Sunday at Strandhill’s Hamilton Park in a Curley Cup Pool ‘A’ fixture. The hosts led by two points at halftime, 7-5, thanks a converted try compared to Lough
rea’s solitary five-pointer. In the second-half a converted try from the Galway club put them back in front, 12-7, with Sligo’s second try of the game making it 12-12. A third try for the visitors restored their lead and would prove the difference.
Sligo finished third in the four-team Pool ‘A’, with one win and two losses. They are away to the first XV of Claremorris this Sunday in the Shield section – this semi-final has a 2.30pm start. The other Curley Cup Shield semi-final involves Ballinrobe (first XV) and Tuam (second XV).
Golfer Burke competed at Mid-Amateur
Tubbercurry Golf Club’s Mark Burke – also well-known as a former Sligo hurler – was a competitor in the men’s entry at the Irish Men’s and Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship that took place at Wicklow’s Blainroe Golf Club last weekend. Burke posted a score of 162 for the first two rounds (83, 79) and missed the cut for Sunday’s final round. The mid-amateur competition is open to players aged 30 years or older. It started on Friday last and comprised of 54 holes, with a cut after 36 holes (two rounds) on Saturday evening.
Peter O’Keefe (Douglas
Golf Club) won the men’s title with a score of 207 from three rounds (72, 69, 66) and the women’s competition was won by Jessica Ross (Clandeboye Golf Club). Ross posted a score of 221 (74, 75, 72).
St Mary’s and DRP teens will contest ‘A’ final
North Division rivals Drumcliffe-Rosses Point and St Mary’s will face each other in this year’s Expert Electrical
Sligo U-17 ‘A’ Football Championship final.
In last Sunday’s semi-finals, Drumcliffe-Rosses Point were 3-12 to 2-11 winners away to Shamrock Gaels, with St Mary’s having two points to spare in their defeat of Eastern Harps, 2-9 to 2-7, at Fr Kevin Brehony Park, Keash. The county final is scheduled for mid-October (Saturday, October 15 or Sunday, October 16).
The Shield final of this grade was held last Sunday, with St Molaise Gaels having five points to spare over Easkey-St Farnan’s, 3-9 to 1-10, at the Sligo GAA Centre of Excellence.
The Expert Electrical Sligo U-17 ‘B’ Championship Cup final, between Coolera-Strandhill and Castleconnor, goes ahead on the weekend after next. St Patrick’s and Tourlestrane will meet in the U-17 ‘B’ Plate decider and the U-17 ‘B’ Shield final will be between Curry and St John’s.
Outhalf Fowley is on form for Galwegians
Drumcliffe’s Nicole Fowley continues to impress for Galwegians in the Energia All-Ireland Women’s Division. The outhalf, who captains Galwegians, scored a try and kicked nine points (three conversions and a penalty) in her side’s 29-5 defeat of Belfast side Cooke at Crowley Park. Galwegians, who led 14-5 at half-time, scored four tries in all. After three rounds of the competition Galwegians are second in the standings, a point behind leaders Old Belvedere.
Fowley, the former Ireland women’s rugby international, leads the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division scoring charts with 41 points from three games.
Meanwhile, Sligo RFC’s senior women’s team are due to host Our Lady’s Boys Club (Galway) this Sunday in Pool ‘B’ of the Connacht Women’s Invitational Cup. This game is set for Hamilton Park, Strandhill, with a 1pm start.
Sligo were awarded the points from their scheduled game against Tuam-Oughterard, with the Galway side having been unable to fulfil this round two fixture. Sligo have already beaten Galway Corinthians in this competition, scoring nine tries in a 45-0 win last month.
Cup final for two ex-Rovers academy stars
Two former Sligo Rovers Academy players, Gurteen’s Roisin Molloy and Muireann Devaney (Manorhamilton), helped Athlone Town qualify for the Evoke.ie FAI Women’s Cup final.
Athlone were 3-0 winners against the holders, Wexford Youths, at Athlone Town Stadium last Sunday. A Maddison
Gibson hat-trick propelled Athlone into their first-ever FAI Women’s Cup final at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday, November 6 (kick-off 3pm). Gibson’s third goal was created by Muireann Devaney. Athlone’s opponents will be Shelbourne, last season’s SSE Airtricity Women’s National League champions. Shelbourne, who were beaten by Wexford Youths in last season’s decider, were 1-0 winners over Bohemians in last Sunday’s other semi-final. Bohemians knocked Sligo Rovers out of the FAI Women’s Cup last month at the quarter-final stage, winning 3-1. This was Rovers’ inaugural season in the competition.
Sligo Junior ‘B’ semi-finals are on Saturday
The Connacht Gold Junior ‘B’ Football Championship semi-finals go ahead this Saturday. St Patrick’s play Tubbercurry at Kent Park (4pm), with John Gilmartin as referee. The Sligo GAA Centre of Excellence, Scarden, is the setting for Coolera-Strandhill’s clash with Eastern Harps (4.30pm). Joe Hynes is the referee for this fixture.
Rovers women prepare for a home game
The Sligo Rovers senior women’s team are back in SSE Airtricity Women’s National League action this Sunday – they host Limerick’s Treaty United at The Showgrounds (kick-off 2pm). This is Rovers’ 24th game of the season, with just Wexford Youths (away), Shelbourne (away) and DLR Waves (home) to play after this Sunday’s fixture.
Treaty United are currently bottom of the table, with zero wins from 23 games, while Rovers are eighth in the standings – they have six wins, one draw and 16 losses.
Meanwhile, Rovers’ away fixture against Wexford Youths on Saturday, October 15, will
be televised by TG4 – the eighth SSE Airtricity Women’s National League game to be broadcast live by TG4 this season. It has a 4.30pm start. This is the second time this season that Rovers will feature on
TG4 – the TGA cameras were at The Showgrounds on July 30 when Rovers beat the then leaders Shelbourne, 3-2.
Annual draw could top the €60k mark
It is anticipated that the Sligo Rovers annual draw could generate approximately €60,000. Last weekend the club said that the fundraiser had raised €57,000. The draw takes place during the half-time interval of this Saturday’s
SSE Airtricity League Premier Division fixture between Rovers and Shamrock Rovers at The Showgrounds (kick-off 7.45pm).
The first prize is €5,000 in cash and their are nine other prizes on offer. Fans can buy tickets online at srfcdirect.com/annual-drawticket-2022/.
Tough results for Bit O’Red teen teams
It was a weekend to forget for the Sligo Rovers Academy sides, as only one point was recorded and one goal scored between the six teams.
The Rovers U-19 men’s team fell to a 3-0 defeat away to Shamrock Rovers on Sunday afternoon last.
The Bit O’Red U-17 men’s team hosted Drogheda United, playing out a 0-0 draw with the Louth side.
The Boys U-15s representing Rovers had a Friday night trip to Galway United where they lost 3-0, while the Boys U-14s endured a 7-0 defeat against St Patrick’s Athletic.
The U-19 women’s team lost 3-0 away to Athlone Town, while Rovers’ U-17 women’s team had a 2-1 loss against Donegal, with Anna McDaniel getting on the scoresheet.
Athletics fest for primary schools
Today, Thursday, sees the 18th annual SuperValu Primary Schools Athletics Festival taking place at the ATU Sligo running track at Ballinode. Organised by Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership, this event will feature over 40 primary schools from Sligo town and county and approximately 1200 participants. This year’s athletics fest, which features relay events, falls within the European Week of Sport, which began on September 23 and concludes tomorrow, Friday. Sponsored by SuperValu, the athletics fest is supervised by officials from County Sligo Athletics Board. This is an inclusive event according to Kate Frahill, Community Sport Development Officer with Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership. She said: “The popularity of the event continues to grow each year and this can be attributed to an emphasis on fun,
enjoyment and the fact that schools encourage children of all athletics ability to take part.”
She added: “This event is firmly established on the primary schools sports calendar.”
Boxer Clancy wins gold in Sarajevo
Sligo town’s Dean Clancy won a gold medal for Team Ireland at last weekend’s Mustafa Hajrulahovic Memorial Tournament that took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Clancy, a member of Manorhamilton’s Sean McDermott Boxing Club, was the best competitor in the 63.5kg weight category – he defeated Romania’s Samuel Roman in the decider, winning 3-0. The 20-year-old, who has represented Ireland on multiple occasions, was one of two Irish gold medal winners at this international event – his team-mate Sean Mari (Monkstown BC, Dublin) topped
the 51kg section.
RUNNER: Karen Rouxel, Sligo AC, was one of the participants in last Sunday’s Sligo Coast to Coast, a coastal road race from Strandhill to Rosses Point.