Sligo-Leitrim clubs will play in Connacht
Junior soccer clubs from the Sligo-Leitrim and District Soccer League have been tough draws in the next stage of the Connacht Football Association competitions. In the fourth round (last 16) of the Connacht FA Men’s Connacht Junior Cup, Cartron United and Carbury FC, both of the Sligo Southern Hotel Super League, have been given home ties. Cartron will be up against Mayo’s Castlebar Celtic and Carbury’s opponents are Galway side Mervue United – these fourth round ties are scheduled for Sunday, February 25.
In the Connacht FA Men’s Connacht Shield second round (last 16), Sligo-Leitrim’s representatives are Calry
Bohs Reserves, Dromahair FC and St John’s FC. Calry Bohs Reserves and Dromahair, both of the Sligo Pallets Premier League, will face each other, with the Calry side having home advantage. Super League outfit St John’s are away to Tuam club Dynamo Blues. The Connacht Junior Shield games also go ahead on February 25.
McCann’s big win in Club Sligo draw
The Club Sligo members draw for December – known as a ‘super’ draw because of the increased cash prizes – was held on the Sunday before last at Markievicz Park during the half-time interval of the Allianz Football League Division Three game between Sligo and Wicklow. The winner of the top prize, €5,000, was Ballisodare’s Terry McCann. The Drumcliffe-based Michael Kilcoyne scooped the second prize of €500. There were five other prize-winners (each receive €100) as follows: Bernardine McGauran (Calry); David Quinn (Riverstown); Francis and Ann Taaffe (Ballintogher); John and Ailish Murphy (Tubbercurry). David Quinn, incidentally, was part of Sligo’s matchday squad for that AFL game. The draw was overseen by Sligo GAA County Board treasurer Cormac Kearns.
National test for Sligo’s surf lifesavers
Juniors (ages 14-18) and master (over 30) members of Sligo Surf Lifesaving Club will be in action this weekend in the National Stillwater Championships at the University
WINNING RUN: Sligo AC’s Lucas Ballantine on his way to taking gold in the Boys U-13 1500 metres race at last Sunday’s 123.ie National Intermediate, Masters and Juvenile ‘B’ Cross Country Championships at the DKiT campus, Dundalk, Co. Louth.
of Limerick pool. Since last November they’ve been attending weekly lifesaving skills classes at the Sligo Regional Sports Centre. This weekend’s competition will test the speed and lifesaving skills of all participants.
Meanwhile, stillwater training for Sligo Surf Lifesaving Club’s nipper age group (ages 8-14) commenced last month. The club’s youngest members are being introduced to many lifesaving techniques and swimming skills. Nipper members based out of the Enniscrone centre have been doing their training at the Ballina pool while all other members attend the Sligo Regional Sports Centre pool in Cleveragh. Sligo will host the regional stillwater championships Saturday, March
16. Teams from Mayo, Galway and Donegal will be taking part in the regional event. The national championships will then take place on April 6 in Limerick.
Sligo-Leitrim Girls U-16s reach a final
The Sligo-Leitrim Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League Girls U-16 representative side are through to a national final. On Sunday last they were
2-1 winners away to Carlow in the SFAI Girls U-16 InterLeague Championship Shield semi-final. Sligo-Leitrim’s two goalscorers were Amy O’Donohoe and Tara Howard.
Also last Sunday, Sligo-Leitrim’s Girls U-14s were unfortunately beaten 4-3 by NECSL in the SFAI Girls U-14 Inter-League Championship
Cup semi-final that was played in Navan. On target for Sligo-Leitrim, who were 2-0 up at one stage, were Ava Hallinan, Katie Hession and Katie O’Brien.
Sligo-Leitrim Girls U-14 squad: Aoibhinn Doherty, Sophie Edwards (Arrow Harps); Ellen Sweeney (Ballymote Celtic); Elsie Yewlett (Benbulben
FC); Bláthnaid Kilroy (Boyle Celtic); Anna Trench Wilson, Caragh Guckian, Mona Lowe, Katie O’Brien (Carrick Town); Erin Farry, Amber Stenson (Coolaney United); Ava Hallinan (Kilglass-Enniscrone United); Nessa Fox (Manor Rangers); Ava Colreavy (Merville United); Katie Hession (St John’s FC); Mae Fenton, Ivana McMahon (Strand Celtic); Emily Dunne, Hope O’Brien (Yeats United).
Sligo-Leitrim Girls U-16 squad: Chantelle Kielty, Tara Howard (Ballymote Celtic); Shauna McGrath, Anna Carty, Annie O’Connor, Amy O’Donohoe (Boyle Celtic); Niamh Murphy, Tara Flynn, Ciara Murphy (Calry Bohs); Lucie Maye, Eibhlin Guckian (Carrick Town); Maebh Murray, Tara Arthur (Kilglass-Enniscrone United); Sarah Mulvaney Kelly (Manor Rangers); Arlin Barrett (Real Tubber); Kate Golden (Strand Celtic); Emma Carty, Ceola Vogt, Ciara Ní Bhroin (Yeats United).
All-Stars are holding an AGM next month
The annual general meeting of Sligo All-Stars Basketball Club is taking place on Thursday, March 7, at the Sligo Park Hotel, Sligo town.
Next month’s AGM has an 8pm start – new members are welcome.
St Attracta’s to face St Mary’s in LGFA clash
St Attracta’s Community School, Tubbercurry, will take on St Mary’s College, Naas, in next month’s LGFA All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior ‘B’ Championship semi-final. This game for the Connacht Senior ‘B’ champions is scheduled for Thursday, March 7 – venue and throw-in time to be confirmed. St Attracta’s won the Connacht LGFA Post Primary Schools Senior ‘B’ title last month with a dramatic one-point defeat of Mount St Michael Secondary School (Claremorris).
Upcoming opponents St Mary’s were crowned Leinster Senior ‘B’ champions last December when they overcame Our Lady’s Bower Secondary School (Athlone), winning 4-15 to 3-10, at the facilities of St Loman’s GAA Club, Mullingar. St Mary’s, who were Leinster Senior ‘C’ winners in the 2022-23 season, have a number of players that featured for Kildare in last year’s ZuCar All-Ireland U-18 Championship ‘A’ final against Galway, including team captain Eimear Glancy, who also captained the Lilywhites in that nine-point loss to Galway. St Mary’s player Alannah Prizeman, who has played for Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division, was named Player of the Match in that Leinster PPS Senior ‘B’ final.
Sligo AC’s Lucas Ballantine wins gold in Dundalk
Sligo AC’s Lucas Ballantine won gold at the 123.ie National Intermediate, Masters & Juvenile ‘B’ Cross Country Championships that took place at Dundalk Institute of Technology in Louth on Sunday last. Ballantine (Sligo AC) was first home in the Boys U-13 race, a distance of 1500 metres.
Also competing in the Boys U-11 race, a 1,000 metres challenge, were West Sligo AC athletes Matthew Coen and Brendan O’Meara as well as Keelan Derrig (Sligo AC). Coen was 14th, O’Meara was placed 27th and Derrig was 31st overall. In the masters men race (7,000 metres), the best of the Sligo contingent was North Sligo AC’s Eamon Murphy. He was placed 52nd overall on a time of 29:31. He was the second athlete in the over-50 age group. Also running from North Sligo AC in the masters race were Craig Brennan,
Alan Wallace and Jimmy Currid.