30/03/2023: There’s so much happening at the club at every level with most teams back training and taking part in matches and blitzes and we hope this update gives a bit of flavour of what's happening this week:
Fixtures: there's plenty of football this weekend with all three adult teams in action on Saturday and Sunday. However, the underage kick-off the weekend on Friday (31st March) when the Kildysart/Coolmeen U15s take on the Milesians of Cooraclare in the rescheduled opening round. Throw-in is at 6pm in Lees Road. The Kildysart/Coolmeen U9's take part in the first blitz of the season on Saturday morning at 9:30 at the Kildysart Astro Turf where they will play against Banner, KIB & Doonbeg.
The Cusack Cup round 2 throws up a local derby when Kildysart Seniors take on Clondegad on Saturday at 2pm in Ryan's Field, Clarecastle GAA Grounds. The team is hoping for a repeat of last year's result when the Blues travelled to Ballynacally and edged out a 2-point win (3-11 to 2-10). This year's Cusack Cup Round 1 saw Kildysart break even with St. Breckan's and Clondegad had 7 points over Doonbeg.
The Junior Ladies are in a pivotal match on Sunday at 12:30 in Ryan’s field when they take on Burren Gaels 2 in a table-topping clash. Both teams had big victories in the opening 2 rounds so the teams should be well-matched. With only the top 2 teams in a field of 6 getting to the final, it’s all to play for.
Later on Sunday, the Junior Men are hoping to build on their success in Eire Og last week when they take on Michael Cusack’s at 4pm in Ryan’s Field. Following on from a very uneventful first half in their opening round, Kildysart rallied in the second half and won by a score line of 1-6 to 0-6, with debutante Colm Finucane bagging the goal.
The U16 Ladies are home to Liscannor on Tuesday (4th April) in round 2. The team suffered a loss v Wolfetones earlier this week. The time and venue will be confirmed when known.
Please check the Clubzap Games tab or the website fixtures listing for all up-to-date fixtures and results. The club wishes to thank our neighbouring clubs and the Clare County Board for facilitating us during our current pitch development.
National Recognition: Well done to Emmet McMahon who was named to the GAA Higher Education Team of the Year recently. Emmet captained the University of Limerick to a Sigerson Cup final and unfortunately UL was unlucky on the night. Emmet was also named on the Allianz Team of the Week last week for Clare. Emmet has been outstanding for Clare this year and we wish him the very best in the Munster Championship and look forward to his return to club football.
County Football: Well done to Fergal Ginnane who played a pivotal role on the Clare U20 team who retained the Liam O’Connor Cup with a home victory over Tipperary in mid March. Well done also to Anna Cleary and Erin O’Connor who are playing with the Clare U14s. Congrats to the Kildysart/Coolmeen U11s who played at half-time in the final round of the Allianz league last Sunday, when Clare had a comprehensive win over Limerick.
Field Development: The field development is progressing and time is needed now to let the grass grow strong and become embedded. The remaining aspects of the project are implementing additional drains near the road to stop the ingress of water, erecting a perimeter fence around the pitch, erecting a block wall on the western boundary, erecting new dugouts, and installing the backstops/nets and goal posts. The latest block of work has been delayed due to the bad weather but we hope to be starting the fencing and the wall in the next couple of weeks with volunteers. We have a tight budget to complete these works and then will need fundraisers to pay off the bank loan.
Race Night: The club will be holding its annual race night in mid-May and your support is very much appreciated. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
