SPORT ROUND-UP
Alice Lillie helps ROI reach next qualifiers
Sligo Rovers Academy player Alice Lillie, a defender with the club’s U-17 women’s team, was part of the Republic of Ireland women’s U-17 squad that has progressed to the second phase of qualifying for next summer’s UEFA European Women’s Under-17 Championships in Estonia. This Republic of Ireland team, whose head coach is James Scott, were beaten 1-0 by Austria but then defeated both Finland (3-2) and Northern Ireland (1-0). All three games took place at Seaview, the north Belfast home of Crusaders FC, an NIFL Premiership club.
Lillie, one of 20 players selected for these qualifiers, was an unused substitute for the games against Austria and Finland. She started at leftback against Northern Ireland on Thursday last and was replaced after 68 minutes.
O’Rourke play is a fundraiser for golf club
Castle Dargan Ladies Golf Club are holding a fundraising event on Sunday week, November 13. They are hosting a performance of ‘The Handyman’, a new play from Seamus O’Rourke, at Castle Dargan Hotel (7pm start). Tickets for the gig cost €15 each – bookings at 087 6855525.
Finn is a finalist in Third Level handball event
Ballymote’s Cormac Finn, who won two All-Ireland handball singles titles this year, was a runner-up at the recent Irish Collegiate Handball Association’s 60x30 Intervarsities tournament that took place in Wexford.
Finn, representing Dublin City University, teamed up with fellow DCU student Davy Doyle from Wexford in the Men’s Open Doubles category – they were beaten finalists, losing 2-0 to the Munster Technological University pairing of Conor Walsh and Adam Walsh.
Finn was also a beaten semi-finalist in the Men’s Open Singles section – he lost to the eventual champion, Galway’s Diarmuid Mulkerrins (UCD), in two games.
Gaels want submissions for 50-year book
Shamrock Gaels GAA Club are welcoming submissions for the publication that will mark the club’s 50th anniversary. Those who wish to make a submission should contact Andy Kearns on 087 1472786. This book, which will look at the club’s 50-year history (1972-2022), will be published next year.
Meanwhile, the club are looking to make improvements for the year ahead – to assist this process they’ll be asking teams and parents for their feedback via surveys in the coming weeks.
SSRP to get funding for initiatives
Sligo Sport & Recreation Partnership (SSRP) are to benefit from Sport Ireland funding issued through the Dormant Accounts Funding. The SSRP will receive a total of €90,000 for Community Sports and Physical Activity Hubs and €20,000 towards Volunteer Supports.
For its Sports Inclusion Disability Projects (SIDP), SSRP will be given €25,000. There is a grant of €45,000 for the SSRP’s
RUNNERS: Isabelle Sheridan, Aoife Cullinan and Grace Foley finished in the top 10 of the Junior Girls category at the recent County Sligo Primary Schools Cross Country Championships held at Rathcormac National School.
MEDAL WINNERS: Looking forward to the presentation of the Connacht GAA U-20 Football Championship medals to the Sligo squad on Friday week, November 11, at the Clayton Hotel were three members of that successful team, Canice Mulligan (St Patrick’s), Joseph Keaney (St Molaise Gaels) and captain Jack Lavin (Ballymote).
Urban Outdoor Adventure Hubs. The local organisation’s Girls Get Active programme will be boosted to the tune of €13,000.
Kenny gets minutes for Queen’s Park
Riverstown’s Johnny Kenny was a second-half substitute for Queen’s Park – the club where he is loan from Glasgow Celtic – in their 2-2 home draw with Dundee in last Saturday’s Scottish Championship. An 87th minute equaliser from Dundee denied Queen’s Park top spot – Kenny’s current club are third in the standings, one of four teams tied on 21 points. The 19-yearold striker, who has yet to score for Queen’s Park, was brought on in the 74th minute.
Sligo rugby youngsters play in Aviva event
Sligo RFC were among the participating clubs in the Aviva Mini Rugby Festival that took place at Mayo’s Westport RFC on the Saturday before last. The Aviva Mini Rugby Provincial Festivals, which cater for boys and girls, were launched earlier this year by Munster and Ireland legend Ronan O’Gara, who has north-west connections through his dad, Sligo native Fergal.
Similar events were held last month at Bangor RFC (Ulster), Old Cresent RFC (Munster) and Kilkenny Rugby Club (Leinster).
Teams are honoured at county finals
Successful club and county teams from the past were honoured at recent county finals held at Markievicz Park. At the Sligo LGFA Connacht Gold Senior Championship final, there was recognition for the Sligo LGFA adult team that won the LFGA National Junior League title and the Connacht LGFA Junior Championship in 1995. The Curry team that won the Owen B Hunt Cup in 1972 were guests at the Homeland Senior Football Championship decider. Meanwhile, during the half-time interval of the Sligo Senior Hurling Championship final – which took place on the Sunday before last – members of the Sligo hurling team that won an All-Ireland U-16 title in 1971 were introduced to the attendance.
Sligo GAA to present medals to U-20 winners
Sligo GAA are holding a special presentation dinner on Friday week, November 11, to honour the Sligo U-20 panel and management that won the Connacht GAA U-20 Football Championship title in April – a first for the county. Easkey’s Dessie Sloyan managed the team and Jack Lavin, Ballymote, was the captain. This function, at which the players will be presented with their provincial medals, takes place at the Clayton Hotel. Tickets are priced at €40 each and are available to purchase from www.sligogaa.ie/tickets.
Documentary on Connacht Rugby team
A new documentary has been released on Connacht Rugby. Entitled ‘Relentless: The Connacht Way’, this hourlong documentary looks at the progress of Connacht – from the perspective of three players– as they reached the last 16 of European Rugby’s Champions Cup during the 2021-22 season. The documentary follows three Connacht rugby players, Bundee Aki, Niall Murray and Tom Farrell.
Produced by Red Bull Media House, ‘Relentless: The Connacht
Way’ was aired on RTÉ One last night, Wednesday. It will be streamed on Red Bull TV from Thursday, November 10. Red Bull is the official energy drinks partner to Connacht Rugby.
Carrabine and McDonagh win in London SFC
Sligo natives David Carrabine (Castleconnor) and Daniel McDonagh (Tubbercurry) were part of the St Kiernan’s team that retained the London GAA Senior Football Championship title last Sunday. Carrabine started at wingback and McDonagh was the winners’ goalkeeper. St Kiernan’s won their third London SFC crown with a replay defeat of Fulham Irish, 0-13 to 0-8, at McGovern Park, Ruislip. Marcus Mangan, named Player of the Match, scored 0-4 for the winners,
Next up for St Kiernan’s is a Connacht GAA Senior Football Championship fixture at home to the Leitrim champions, St Mary’s Kiltogher (who defeated the Eamonn O’Hara-managed Mohill in the Leitrim county final) on the weekend after next. The winner of meeting of St Kiernan’s and St Mary’s Kiltogher will take on Sligo champions Tourlestrane in the provincial semi-final on November 20.
Paul and Simon combine for victory
Paul Hedderman (Ballymote Handball Club) and Simon Cavanagh (Collooney Handball Club) teamed up to win the doubles title at the recent Michael Hannon Memorial Tournament, a competition organised annually by Ballymote Handball Club.
The final went to a tiebreak,
which Hedderman and Cavanagh won 11-6 after being pegged back by fellow finalists Ollie Cassidy (Swinford) and Cuileann Bourke (Belcarra). The Plate was won by
Joe Dowling (Ballaghaderreen) and Anthony O’Flynn (Manorhamilton) – they overcame Mark Murphy (Castleconnor) and Lorcan Conlon (Bofield).
Meanwhile, Ballymote Handball Club are honouring one of their rising members, Cormac Finn, this coming Saturday at Doddy’s pub, Ballymote (8.30pm start). Finn won two national singles titles this year. A presentation will be made to Finn by Dessie Keegan, GAA Handball president, on behalf of the club.
Sligo basketball fans can avail of a new app
Basketball Ireland has agreed a long-term deal with digital scoresheet provider NBN23. Live scores, game and player data is now available for this season’s national adult competitions via the Swish All-Hoops app. EJ Sligo AllStars compete in the Basketball Ireland InsureMyVan.ie Men’s Super League. Basketball Ireland CEO, John Feehan, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with NBN23, as we digitise the sport. It will make basketball easier to follow for media, fans, clubs, coaches, players and more.
“The digital scoresheet has already been successfully implemented in the National League, with thousands of people already actively using the Swish All-Hoops app to follow every game live.” He added: “This complements our new streaming service, basketballireland. tv, where you can now watch every game from the InsureMyVan.ie
and MissQuote.ie Super League and Division One.”
Games will be digitised by scorekeepers using the in-game app, with NBN23 providing cloud-based storage. Basketball fans will be able to follow games through the Swish All-Hoops app, which can be downloaded on mobile and tablet through the Google Play or Apple Store.
NBN23’s digital scoresheet is used globally, including the Swiss and German federations, as well as regional leagues in Spain, USA and Mexico.
An excellent result for Sligo RFC’s U-16s
Sligo RFC’s Boys U-16 team were 17-15 winners away to Galway Corinthians last Saturday – a result that moved them to the top of Division
One in the Connacht Boys
U-16 League.
There were two tries for Sligo at Corinthians Park, one in each half. The team’s number eight Kamsi Mojekwu scored a first-half try and also crossing the line was centre Riccardo Gambi-Whelan, who scored his five-pointer in the second-half. Outhalf Cillian O’Neill converted both tries and also landed a penalty from long-range.
Sligo are next in action on Saturday week, November
12, when they host Loughrea at Hamilton Park, Strandhill (2.30pm start).
Sligo RFC teens deliver seven tries in Creggs
Sligo RFC’s Girls U-16 team won their second game of this season’s Connacht Girls U-16 League. On Sunday last they were 45-26 winners away to Creggs, scoring seven tries in this Division One fixture. Sligo, who led 17-7 at halftime, notched three tries in the first 20 minutes of the firsthalf – the scorers included Lara Clinch and Sophie Pearman, who was making her debut. Three more tries from the Lauren Hunter-captained Sligo put them in control in the second-half with a 38-14 lead. One of these tries was a fine score by Lara Clinch, who finished off her own chip forward, with scrumhalf Mollie Ronan’s telling pass setting up the move.
SMILING RUNNERS: Competitors from Ransboro NS who competed at the recent County Sligo Primary Schools Cross Country Championships
Local links to the relegated Finn Harps
There were several Sligo links to the Finn Harps’ first team that has been relegated to next season’s SSE Airtricity League First Division.
The assistant manager of the team that finished bottom in this year’s Premier Division is Sligo native Gavin Dykes, a former FAI Cup-winning captain with Sligo Rovers – Dykes also held a variety of coaching, management and administrative roles at The Showgrounds.
This year the Finn Harps first team squad featured four ex-Rovers players – Regan Donelon, Gary Boylan, Ryan Connolly and Jesse Devers. Donegal outfit Finn Harps were last in the League of Ireland’s second tier in 2018. That season they earned promotion via the play-offs.
Since then they’ve flirted with relegation – they survived the relegation play-offs after finishing ninth in 2019 and were eighth ( just outside
the bottom two) in 2020 and 2021. Finn Harps go into their final game of the season – Sunday’s away fixture against Drogheda United – on the back of 27 wins from 125 top flight games (2019-22). UCD, the team that defeated Finn Harps 3-1 last Friday at Finn Park finished ninth and will attempt to stay up via the relegation/ promotion play-offs.
BORST award for goalscorer Aidan Keena
Sligo Rovers striker Aidan Keena was chosen by the
Bit O’Red Supporters Trust (BORST) as their Player of the Year. He was presented with the Mark Brindley Memorial Award by Susan Brennan and Catriona Oates following the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division game between Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic at The Showgrounds on Friday last. Keena’s converted penalty separated the sides as Rovers won 1-0.
Earlier that night Keena, 23, was presented with the Senior Men’s Player of the Year award by the club’s CEO Colin Feehily. The Mullingar native has scored 20 goals this season, with one game left to add to his tally.
‘Men on the Move’ initiative comes to Sligo
The Men on the Move programme has started this week in Sligo. Supported
STUDENT: Bit O’Red U-19 men’s team member Sean McAteer, will be scholarship student at Atlantic Technological University through its partnership with Sligo Rovers.
by St John’s GAA Club, and overseen by the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership, this is part of a national initiative supported by the HSE which aims to get inactive men active, whether they fell out of sport or physical activity, or have never been active before. This programme is for men of similar ability, to allow them to get active in a safe and non-judgemental environment. Taking place over six weeks at Stenson Park, Cuilbeg, and Carraroe Community Centre, the programme caters for males over the age of 35.
Doherty and Feeney are shortlisted
Sligo Rovers senior women’s striker Emma Doherty and the senior women’s team manager, Sligo native Steve Feeney, are among the nominees for the 2022 SSE Airtricity Women’s National League Awards.
Donegal’s Doherty, who scored 11 goals for Rovers in their inaugural WNL campaign, is one of three players shortlisted for the SSE Airtricity WNL Young Player of the Year award. She is up against Manorhamilton’s Muireann Devaney, who plays for WNL runners-up and EVOKE.ie FAI
Women’s Cup finalists Athlone Town, and Shelbourne’s Jessie Stapleton, a WNL title winner this season.
Steve Feeney, who guided Rovers to eighth place in the standings in the club’s first year in this national competition, is in the running for the SSE Airtricity WNL Manager of the Year prize – also nominated are Noel King and Tommy Hewitt, the managers of Shelbourne and Athlone respectively.
The awards ceremony take place on Thursday, November 24, at Dublin’s Gibson Hotel. On the night the WNL Team of the Season will be announced along with the Players of the Year at U-17 and U-19 level.
Long-term deal for McAteer at Sligo Rovers
Promising local midfielder Sean McAteer has committed his long-term future with Sligo Rovers as part of his sports scholarship at Atlantic Technological University. McAteer, named the club’s U-19 Men’s Player of the Year for 2022, will remain at The Showgrounds for at least another three seasons. He has been part of the Sligo Rovers Academy for the last four years. He previously played with Merville United.
YOUNG FANS: These Sligo Rovers supporters were at The Showgrounds last Friday night for the final home game of this season’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division as Rovers defeated St Patrick’s Athletic 1-0.