SPORT ROUND-UP
Quinn named in ROI women’s squad for Spain
Birmingham City player Lucy Quinn, the Republic of Ireland women’s national team member who has Ballymote connections, is in Vera Pauw’s 26-strong squad for an eight-day training camp in Marbella, Spain.
This will include an international friendly against Morocco. The training camp began on Monday of this week and the fixture against Morocco is scheduled for Monday next, November 14 (kickoff 5pm Irish time).
Sligo GAA are looking for a GDA
Sligo GAA are recruiting a Games Development Administrator. According to the job description given by Sligo GAA, the Games Development Administrator (GDA) will be responsible for “overseeing the implementation of agreed GAA games development policies and programmes in clubs, schools and other units of the GAA in County Sligo”.
The GDA, who’ll be required to work 39 hours per week, which will include weekends and evenings, will report directly to Sligo GAA’s Games Development Manager (Liam Óg Gormley).
Connacht Cup ties for three local clubs
Three clubs from the second tier of the Sligo-Leitrim & District Soccer League are involved in round two of the Connacht FA Junior Men’s Cup this coming Sunday, November 13.
Ballymote Celtic are away to Galway’s Merlin WoodsMedtronic
FC, with Glenview Stars also on the road for their clash with Mayo side Ballyglass FC.
Calry Bohs ‘B’ travel to Co. Galway for a game against Colemanstown United. Sunday’s Connacht Juniuor Cup games all start at 2pm.
Arrow Harps teenagers get a test in Meath
Arrow Harps have progressed to the third round of the national stage of the FAI Youth Cup. In the last 32 of this Boys U-18 competition, Riverstown outfit Arrow Harps have been drawn away to Stamullen FC, a club based in Gormanstown, Co. Meath. Third round games must be played on or before Sunday, November 20.
Kenny is unused sub in Queen’s Park setback
Riverstown’s Johnny Kenny was an unused substitute for Queen’s Park in their 2-0 away loss to Cove Rangers in a Scottish Championship fixture played last Friday night at Balmoral Stadium. Queen’s Park, who would have drawn level on points with leaders Ayr had they won, drop to fourth place – on goal difference – following this loss.
Kenny’s club, where he is on loan from Scottish Premiership giants Glasgow Celtic, is one of three on 21 points, just three off the current leaders.
Zola runs in her dad’s memory at Dublin event
Calry AC’s Zola Flynn ran the Irish Life Dublin Marathon on the Sunday before last in memory of her dad, Ray, who died unexpectedly in April of this year. Zola was
REMEMBERING RAY: Zola Flynn, Gerard Higgins and Linda Rooney ran the recent Irish Life Dublin Marathon in memory of Zola’s dad, Ray, a Calry native and athletics legend who passed in April of this year.
REPRESENTATIVE SQUAD: The Sligo-Leitrim Youth & Schoolboys/Girls League Boys U-12 panel for last Saturday’s SFAI Boys U-12 Inter-League Championship game against Donegal. It finished 1-1, with Danny Feeney on target for Sligo-Leitrim.
accompanied by Linda Rooney and Gerard Higgins. Flynn and Rooney, both competed in the Female 35 age group, with Higgins running in the Male 55 age group.
Calry’s Ray Flynn was known both nationally and internationally through his involvement in athletics, was a competitor, coach, administrator and pundit.
Shane O’Meara, who is head coach of the EJ Sligo All-Stars senior men’s basketball team, and America Greg Poleon, one of the team’s outstanding players, have been honoured by Basketball Ireland. O’Meara is the Basketball Ireland InsureMyVan.ie Men’s Super League Coach of the Month for October and Poleon is the Player of the Month for a period that saw EJ Sligo All-Stars return to the top flight and win three of their five fixtures.
Jinks and Keaney get coaching roles
The Sligo Rovers Academy has appointed two new coaches – both from Sligo – for the 2023 campaign. Colm Jinks, a former Rovers player, has been chosen as the Boys U-14 team head coach. He is ATU Sligo’s FAI Football Facilitator and also head coach of the ATU Sligo senior men’s team. In recent years he was assistant manager of Rovers’ U-17 men’s team. Sligo native Darryl Keaney is the new head coach of the Bit O’Red Boys U-15 team.
Trials were held last weekend for the club’s Boys U-14 and Boys U-15 panels. Meanwhile, the academy are looking to recruit a new head coach for the club’s U-17 women’s team. The ideal candidate must hold – as a minimum – a current valid UEFA ‘B’ coaching
licence.
The closing date to apply is this coming Monday, November 14. Applicants must email their CV, along with a cover letter, to Connor O’Grady, Head of Academy, Sligo Rovers, at ogrady.27@hotmail. com.
This year’s Rovers U-17 women’s team was overseen by Aaron O’Connor – they were beaten semi-finalists in the main competition of the EA SPORTS Women’s U-17 National League of Ireland.
October awards won by O’Meara and Poleon Bit O’Red’s Duffy plays for ROI U-16s
Emma Duffy, a Sligo Rovers Academy player, was part of the Republic of Ireland U-16 women’s squad that played Switzerland in two friendlies last week at Whitehall, Dublin. The midfielder, a secondary school student at Castlebar’s Davitt College and part of the Rovers U-17 women’s team this year, started in the game on Tuesday, November 1, a fixture Switzerland won 3-2. Duffy was a second-half substitute for last Thursday’s fixture one that the Republic of Ireland won 3-1.
Results from a cross-country gig in Ballymote
The results from the County Sligo Athletics Cross Country Championships that took place in Ballymote are detailed below.
GIRLS U-11 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP 10): 1, Ciara Schmidtmeier (North Sligo AC); 2, Grace Foley (Sligo AC); 3,
Aoife Cullinan (Sligo AC); 4, Arwen Hunter (Sligo AC); 5, Sally Doohan (Corran AC); 6, Amelia Devins (North Sligo AC); 7, Amy Hynes (Sligo AC); 8, Orla Molloy (Corran AC); 9, Laina McCormack (North Sligo AC); 10, Emily Jane Norton (Sligo AC).
GIRLS U-11 – TEAM (TOP
THREE): 1, Sligo AC 16pts (2, 3, 4, 7); 2, North Sligo AC 34pts (1, 6, 9, 18); 3, Corran AC 40pts (5, 8, 13, 14).
BOYS U-11 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP 10): 1, Moss Deacy (Sligo AC); 2, Lucas Ballantine (Sligo AC); 3, Jack Ivers Brehony (Corran AC); 4, Timmy Brennan (Sligo AC); 5, Oliver Foley (Sligo AC); 6, Jamie McMorrow (North Sligo AC); 7, Oran Dolan (North Sligo AC); 8, Donnacha Cullinan (Sligo AC); 9, Daniel Brennan (North Sligo AC); 10, Oisin Oogan (Corran AC).
BOYS U-11 – TEAM (TOP THREE): 1, Sligo AC 12pts (1, 2, 4, 5); 2, North Sligo AC 34pts (6, 7, 9, 12); 3, Corran AC 37pts (3, 10, 11, 13).
GIRLS U-13 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP 10): 1, Willow McMorrow (North Sligo AC); 2, Tara Carroll (North Sligo AC); 3, Emma McAndrew (North
Sligo AC); 4, Eva Sheridan (Sligo AC); 5, Mollie McCann (North Sligo AC); 6, Caoimhe McNulty (North Sligo AC); 7, Crissie Doohan (Corran AC); 8, Lucy Coulter (Tireragh AC); 9, Laura Oogan (Corran AC); 10, Sophie McDermott (Corran AC).
GIRLS U-13 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP TWO): 1, North Sligo AC 11pts (1, 2, 3, 5); 2, Corran AC 37pts (7, 9, 10, 11).
BOYS U-13 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP 10): 1, Donal McDermott (Corran AC); 2, Noah McAndrew (North Sligo AC); 3,
Niall Tormey (Corran AC); 4, Darragh Molloy (Corran AC); 5, Ross O’Callaghan (North Sligo AC); 6, Barra Conheady (Corran AC); 7, Fionn McNasser (Sligo AC); 8, Niall Gordon (Tireragh AC); 9, Sean O’Dowd (North Sligo AC); 10, John Joe Norton (Sligo AC).
BOYS U-13 – TEAM (TOP
THREE): 1, Corran AC 14pts (1, 3, 4, 6); 2, North Sligo AC 27pts (2, 5, 9, 11); 3, Sligo AC 50pts (7, 10, 15, 18).
GIRLS U-15 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP THREE): 1, Emma Carroll (North Sligo AC); 2, Caoimhe Daly (Sligo AC); 3, Sophia Nicholson (North Sligo AC). BOYS U-15 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP FIVE): 1, Ross Campbell (Sligo AC); 2, Evan O’Gara (Corran AC); 3, Ryan Whelan (Sligo AC); 4, Thomas Sexton (Corran AC); 5, Thomas Ivers Brehony (Corran AC).
BOYS U-17 – INDIVIDUAL (TOP THREE): 1, Shay Davis (North Sligo AC); 2, Colm Egan (North Sligo AC); 3, Rian Kelly (North Sligo AC).
Good results for Gurteen and Strand
There were excellent wins for teen teams from Gurteen Celtic and Strand Celtic last Saturday.
Gurteen’s brilliant comeback saw them overturn a
2-0 deficit to beat Galway’s Ballinasloe Town 3-2 in the Connacht Boys U-18 Cup.
Goals from Conor Walsh and Ollie Nerney brought Gurteen level and Thomas Sweeney, who also plays for the club’s first XI, bagged the winner in this away fixture.
In the FAI Boys U-17 Cup, Strand Celtic progressed to the third round with a 3-1 home defeat of Letterkenny Rovers. The hosts were a goal up at half-time thanks to Ólan Goulding’s first-half goal. Further goals from Patrick Murphy, who netted from distance, and Oran Harte left Strand 3-0 ahead with 52 minutes played.
Letterkenny’s Ethan Ferry scored what proved to be a consolation strike in the 89th minute. In the same competition, Arrow Harps lost 3-0 to Donegal’s Ballyraine FC – a game played at Dromahair’s all-weather pitch.
Sligo RFC Boys U-14s score five tries
Sligo RFC’s Boys U-14 team won their third game in this season’s Connacht Boys
U-14 League Division One on Sunday last. Impressive Sligo scored five tries in their 31-7 home defeat of Galwegians at Hamilton Park, Strandhill. Wind-assisted Sligo led 10-0 at half-time thanks to a brace of unconverted tries in the first-half.
Sligo, against the elements in the second-half, enhanced their advantage to lead 31-0 with 10 minutes left. Galwegians bagged a converted try in the closing stages – this was only the third try that Sligo have conceded in three fixtures. Sligo, who have also beaten Buccaneers (10-7) and Westport (38-5), are at home to Galway Corinthians Blue on Saturday week, November 19. This Corinthians team currently lead the standings ahead of Sligo on score difference.
Masters claim Ruddy Cup in Crossmolina
The Sligo Masters (over-40) Gaelic footballers defeated their Mayo counterparts by three points, 1-11 to 1-8, in the Ruddy Cup final at Crossmolina last Saturday. The Sligo team, who led 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time, was captained by Brian Óg Murphy from Drumcliffe-Rosses Point GAA Club.
In attendance was former GAA president Dr Mick Loftus. Michael Moyles, the ex-Sligo Minor Gaelic football team manager and an Enniscrone-Kilglass player in recent years, was on duty for Mayo. The Ruddy Cup, which honours the memory of a Sligo native, Brian Ruddy, was an annual pre-season fixture between the senior teams of Sligo and Mayo – now it has been taken up by the counties’ masters teams.
The Sligo Masters squad for last Saturday’s game was as follows: Jonathan Cassidy, Barry Doyle, Karol O’Neill (Coolera-Strandhill); Brian Óg Murphy (c), Paddy Gormley (Drumcliffe-Rosses Point); Damien Kelly (St Molaise Gaels); Greg Regan (Enniscrone-Kilglass); Peter Lyons, Nigel Clancy (Ballymote); Alan Bowens, Shane Dunne (Tourlestrane); Martin Nealon (Easkey); John McGowan (Coolaney-Mullinabreena); Patrick Murphy, Trevor Sweeney (Owenmore Gaels); Ian Rossiter (St John’s).
Second XV win at Strandhill’s Hamilton Park
Sligo RFC’s second XV defeated Galway Corinthians second XV by 10 points, 17-7, in last Sunday’s Connacht Junior League Division 1B fixture at Hamilton Park.
This was a second win of the campaign (from three games) for the home side, who scored two tries here. Sligo defeated Corrib’s first XV in the opening round, 22-11, but were overwhelmed by Ballinrobe’s first XV in round two, losing 43-10. Next up for Sligo is this Sunday’s home fixture against Ballina RFC’s second XV (Hamilton Park, 2.30pm).
Top places for Francis and Darragh
Connacht Athletics held the Connacht Cross Country Even Ages Championships at Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, last Sunday. Three of the Sligo competitors involved won races at this.
The Sligo town- based Francis Donoghue, South Sligo AC, took first place in the Boys U-16 category and Enniscrone’s
Darragh Mulrooney, whose club is Moy Valley
AC, was first in the Boys U-18 event.
Laura Hunter (Sligo AC) was second in the Girls U-12 race, with Gearoid Tuohy (Sligo AC) the best of the Sligo competitors in the Boys U-14 category – Tuohy was sixth.
Bridget O’Reilly (Sligo AC) was the only Sligo runner in the Girls U-18 event – she was fifth (from seven participants. Each of the age groups (U-12, U-14, U-16 and U-18) also had club and county sections.
The senior men’s race was won by North Sligo AC’s Eamon Murphy, who was the first Male 50 competitor – Thomas Kelly, also of North Sligo AC, was third, and Conal Sexton (Sligo AC) was fifth. Sligo topped the senior men’s county section with a score of 32 points – their six scorers were all in the top 10, including the aforementioned Murphy, Kelly, Sexton, along with the Sligo AC trio of Paul Barr (sixth), Myles Kavanagh (eighth) and Fintan Whelan (ninth). Sligo AC’s Finley Daly was second in the Male Senior category
Mari Johnson, Sligo AC, was third in the senior women’s race. This Female 50 runner led Sligo third place in the county standings. Caroline Coulter, Tireragh AC, was fourth overall and Marita McMorrow (North Sligo AC) was seventh.
Schoolchildren competed at Rathcormac
The results from the recent County Sligo Primary Schools Cross Country Championships, held at Rathcormac, are detailed below.
JUNIOR GIRLS INDIVIDUALS – TOP 10: 1, Ciara Schmidtmeier (Rathcormac NS); 2, Grace Foley (Scoil Ursula); 3, Aoife Cullinan (Ransboro NS); 4, Kate Gillogley (Ardkeeran NS); 5, Ella Johnson (Strandhill NS); 6, Amy Hynes (Strandhill NS); 7, Sally Rene Nic Con Rua (Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré); 8, Sally Doohan (Moylough NS); 9, Annalise Higgins (Scoil Ursula); 10, Isabelle Sheridan (Ransboro NS).
JUNIOR GIRLS TEAMS – TOP THREE: 1, Strandhill NS 47pts; 2, Scoil Ursula 66pts; 3, Ransboro NS 68pts.
raise the trophy after their team’s success in last Sunday’s Sligo U-21 ‘A’ Football Championship final against St Molaise Gaels at Kent Park.
SENIOR GIRLS INDIVIDUALS – TOP 10: 1, Laura Hunter (Rosses Point NS); 2, Tara Carroll (Rathcormac NS); 3, Freya McCaffrey (Rathcormac NS); 4, Eva Sheridan (Ransboro NS); 5, Niamh Ní Conmara (Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré); 6, Emma McAndrew (Carns
NS); 7, Emily Jane Norton (Calry NS); 8, Amelie Pearman (Strandhill NS); 9, Lucy Faul (Carraroe NS); 10, Shannon Moran (Calry NS).
SENIOR GIRLS TEAMS – TOP THREE: 1, Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré 46pts; 2, Rosses Point NS 57pts; 3, Rathcormac NS 74pts. JUNIOR BOYS INDIVIDUALS – TOP 10: 1, Moss Deacy (Strandhill NS); 2, Darragh Steels (Cliffoney NS); 3, Daniel Brennan (Rathcormac NS
‘A’); 4, Donnacha Cullinan (Ransboro NS); 5, Oran Dolan (Grange NS ‘B’); 6, Jay Gethins (Strandhill NS); 7, Oliver
Foley (Scoil Ursula); 8, Timmy Brennan (Strandhill NS); 9, Eoin Fogarty (Rockfield NS); 10, Ayden Aldridge (Strandhill NS).
JUNIOR BOYS TEAMS – TOP THREE: 1, Strandhill NS 25pts; 2, Ransboro NS 51pts; 3, Rathcormac NS 88pts.
SENIOR BOYS INDIVIDUALS – TOP 10: 1, Oscar Rene Mac Con Rua (Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré); 2, Lucas Ballantine (Ballintogher NS); 3, Noah McAndrew (Carns NS); 4, Ross O’Callaghan (Rathcormac
NS); 5, Cian Flaherty (Carraroe NS); 6, Matthew Ó Croidheain (Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré); 7, Fionn Prunty (Strandhill NS); 8, Daire Fenton (Strandhill NS); 9, John Joe Norton (Calry NS); 10, Fionn McNasser (Calry NS).
SENIOR BOYS TEAMS – TOP THREE: 1, Strandhill NS 42pts; 2, Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré 64pts; 3, Rathcormac NS 64pts.
Bamber and Platt score for Ireland
Sligo RFC players Ambrose Bamber and Arann Platt each scored a try for the Ireland Under-18 Clubs team in their 43-10 defeat of the Italy Under18s in a friendly played in Rome last Saturday.
The winners, who led 29-3 at half-time, scored six tries in total – three of these came in the closing stages of the opening period. Ambrose Bamber’s five-pointer was an intercept try in the 29th minute.
Arann Platt’s try, Ireland’s fifth, came in the 64th minute of the second-half. Flanker Bamber was in Ireland’s starting XV and Platt, a prop, was brought on in the second period. Dylan Hicks (Bantry Bay RFC) converted five tries for Ireland and also landed a penalty.
SCORE: Sam Carnegie on his way to scoring a try for Sligo in their Connacht Boys U-14 League Division One defeat of Galwegians on Sunday last at Hamilton Park, Strandhill. Sligo won 31-7, scoring five tries in all.