SPORT ROUND-UP
U-19 ‘B’ final is taking place next week
The Sligo U-19 ‘B’ Football Championship decider between Tubbercurry-Cloonacool and Shamrock Gaels is now taking place on Wednesday next, August 31, at Markievicz Park (6.30pm). It had originally been scheduled for last night, Wednesday, at the Sligo town venue. This is the first year that Sligo GAA has held an U-19 competition. The ‘A’ and ‘C’ finals have already taken place, with titles going to Eastern Harps (‘A’) and Calry-St Joseph’s (‘C’).
WNL defeat for Molloy and Athlone
There was no joy for Gurteen’s Roisin Molloy or Muireann Devaney of Manorhamilton, with both on the losing side as Athlone Town lost
2-0 at home to Dublin club Peamount United in the SSE Airtricity Women’s National League on Saturday last.
This game at Athlone Town Stadium was televised live by TG4. Athlone, who host Sligo Rovers this coming Saturday (kick-off 7pm), are third in the standings – six points behind leaders Shelbourne.
Carbury FC will take on Calry Bohs
The curtain-raiser to the new Sligo-Leitrim District Soccer League (SLDSL) season takes place this coming Saturday, August 27, when Carbury FC, last season’s Super League champions, play Calry Bohs, who won the Premier League in the 2021-22 campaign. This Champions Cup fixture, which is sponsored by The Blue Lagoon, Riverside, is scheduled for all-weather pitch of MacSharry Park, the SLDSL headquarters (kick-off 7.30pm).
The match referee is Terry Butler, who will be assisted by Rolf Zoschke, Colm Gunning and Stephen Fallon. The entrance fee is €5 – children and OAPs are admitted free of charge. There is no charge on both clubs for the use of the astroturf pitch, but Carbury and Calry Bohs must pay the match officials (50-50 split). Meanwhile, clubs in the Sligo-Leitrim District Soccer League are reminded that the deadline for submission of entries to this season’s Connacht
Junior Cup is Tuesday next, August 30.
Kenny goes on loan to Queen’s Park
Riverstown’s Johnny Kenny, the Glasgow Celtic striker, has gone on loan to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Championship. Ex-Sligo Rovers forward Kenny made his debut for Glasgow outfit Queen’s Park, Scotland’s oldest club, in their 2-1 away defeat of Arbroath on Saturday last. The 19-year-old came off the bench in the 89th minute, replacing goalscorer Scott Williamson.
Queen’s Park, who are managed by Owen Coyle, the former Republic of Ireland international, are currently fourth in the Scottish Championship, one point off leaders Ayr. Their next game is this Saturday’s hosting of Cove Rangers.
All-Stars are saddened by Sean’s passing
Sligo All-Stars Basketball Club have extended sympathy to the McGowan family following the death of Sean McGowan, Highfield Road,
GOALMOUTH CHAT: Referee Gavin Cawley, talks to one of his umpires, Pat Conway, during last Sunday’s Homeland Senior Football Championship Group Two fixture between Drumcliffe-Rosses Point and Coolaney-Mullinabreena at Markievicz Park. Drumcliffe-Rosses Point won by three points, 0-14 to 2-5.
AWARD WINNERS: SSE Airtricity Sponsorship and Marketing Manager, Leanne Sheill, presents the SSE Airtricity Women’s National League Player of the Month award for June and July to Emma Doherty (Sligo Rovers) and the SSE Airtricity-Soccer Writers Ireland Player of the Month award for July to Aidan Keena (Sligo Rovers) at The Showgrounds on Thursday last.
Sligo town, who passed on Thursday last.
A former player, Sean was later a coach with underage teams and in recent years he worked at the table for club games. “He will be sorely missed – condolences to Ciara, Kelvin, Colin and extended family,” said a statement posted by the club on its Facebook page. Sean’s dad, John, a legendary figure with Sligo All-Stars Basketball Club, died at the end of last month, Sunday, July 31.
The club’s annual general meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday last at The Blue Lagoon but it was called off as a mark of respect following Sean’s death.
Gaels field three teams in adult c’ships
Shamrock Gaels GAA Club made club history last weekend when they fielded three male team in adult championships. There were 52 players involved from Gaels in the games against Easkey (Connacht Gold Junior ‘B’ Football Championship), St Molaise Gaels (Connacht Gold Junior ‘A’ Football Championship) and St Mary’s (Homeland Senior Football Championship). Gaels won one of these games, the Junior ‘B’ clash with Easkey last Friday, which was a 39-point win, 6-25 to 0-4. The other fixtures ended in defeats as Gaels lost to St Molaise Gaels last Sunday,
1-11 to 1-10, and St Mary’s,
1-14 to 1-12, on Saturday last. John Paul Henry was the top scorer in these three games,
bagging 2-5 in the Junior ‘B’ fixture. Johnny Kenny, whose son, also called Johnny, is on the books of Glasgow Celtic, scored two points as a substitute in the Junior ‘B’ game.
Liam Kerrigan scores his first Serie B goal
Tubbercurry’s Liam Kerrigan scored for Como on his Serie B debut last Sunday.
The former Real Tubber, Sligo Rovers and UCD player, a second-half substitute in Como’s away game against Pisa, netted in the 77th minute to put the northern Italian side 2-1 ahead. But the home side levelled in the 89th minute.
This was Kerrigan’s first appearance in Serie B, he was an unused substitute the previous week when Como were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Cagliari.
The 22-year-old, the first Sligo man to join a Serie B club, previously featured for Como – as a second-half substitute – in their Coppa Italia defeat to Spezia earlier this month.
Three finals for McSharry at European level
Olympian Mona McSharry finished seventh in the women’s 50 metres breaststroke final on Wednesday last at the LEN European Aquatics Championships in Rome.
The Grange native posted a time of 31.15 seconds, having been seventh in her semi-final
on 30.90 seconds. This race was won by Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte, the world record holder from 2013-2017, who posted 29.59 seconds. Current world record holder Benedetta Pilato, an Italian swimmer, was second – her time was 29.71 seconds.
McSharry, an Olympian last year in Tokyo, featured in three finals at the European Championships.
She contested the women’s 100 metres breaststroke decider as the third seed and finished fifth on 1:07.14. “I put high expectations on myself and that [fifth] is not really where I wanted to be, it would have been nice to go another 1:06, but that’s the way the cards fall sometimes, and I did all I could,” said McSharry, who was speaking to RTE afterwards.
McSharry reached the final of the women’s 200 metres breaststroke and was seventh – her time was 2:26.96. McSharry, who studies at University of Tennessee in Knoxville, turned 22 years of age last Sunday.
Golfers play in the Irish Close
Four Sligo golfers – Sean Flanagan, TJ Ford, Aodhagan Brady and Alan Gaynor – competed in the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship at Headfort Golf Club in Kells, Co. Meath. This competition was played from Saturday, August
13, until Wednesday last, August 17.
After two rounds of stroke play qualifying, the top 64 progressed. Three of the four Sligo golfers missed the cut – TJ Ford, Aodhagan Brady and Alan Gaynor, all members of County Sligo Golf Club, didn’t make it into the matchplay phase. TJ Ford’s score was 152 (78, 74), Brady shot 154 (76, 78) and Gaynor’s tally was 162 (81,
CHAMPIONS: The Western Gaels U-17 hurling panel that claimed the Táin Óg U-17 Hurling League Division Three Cup on Saturday last.