•SPORTS PERFORMANCE: The Sports Performance Centre in Oranmore Business Park is offering individual athletes and teams of all sporting disciplines scientific based programmes. The centre is open for children from six years of age up at the initiation stage up to high performance stage for adults 19 years and over. There are four phases of development at the centre: 6 to 10 years old – Initiation Development Phase; 11 to 14 years old – Athletic Development Phase; 15-18 years old – Specialisation Phase; 19+ years old - High Performance Phase. During the four phases, all athletes learn how to optimise their general athletic motor skills. The programme includes coordination and balance, speed , general endurance (aerobic and progressive anaerobic from specialisation phase ), progressive anatomical adaptation for strength and power development, and flexibility and agility. New courses are starting early April and there are limited spaces on each course. For more information contact Sports Performance Centre, Unit 5 Oranmore Business Park, Oranmore, Galway. Email: [email protected]; or visit www.sportsperformance.ie
•CRAUGHWELL AC: Record numbers took part in the second running of Craughwell AC's 10-mile road race on Sunday, with 31 of the 590 runners completing the event in under an hour. The winner Sean Connolly of Tallaght AC posted a course record of 49:12, almost four minutes ahead of the second-placed runner Paul Buckley of Ferbane AC. GCH's Matt Bidwell was third in 53:20. The winner of the women's race was Olympian Pauline Curley who bettered her own course record to finish in 58:59, with Mary Scully of Mullingar Harriers on 59:16 and Donna Mahon of Rathfarnham WSAF on 60:53. The event also incorporates the Galway AAI Club Championships and the mens and women’s team events were both won by GCH, ahead of Athenry and Craughwell respectively. Matt Bidwell of GCH was first Galwegian home ahead of Rob Staunton of GCH and Brian O'Connor of Athenry AC. First Galway woman home was Regina Casey of GCH, closely tailed by Helen Corbett and Jean O'Connor.
•JES WIN CONNACHT TITLE: Colaiste Iognaid, Galway, were the winners of the Connacht Post Primary Schools’ Junior B final when they overcame Ballinamore Post Primary School by 3- 07 to 2-09. Evvie Lowndes scored the opening goal for the Galway school, but the only other score came from Fiona Power as the Jes trailed by 1-01 to 1-06 at the break. The second-half goals were scored by midfielder Ailbhe Finnerty and Cadhia Gillen, and when it looked like the match was heading for a replay, Fiona Power grabbed the winning point. JES, C Thornton, R Bradley, N Cunningham, C Kennedy, H Ruane, E Carey, C Clarke, R Kenny,A Finnerty, A. Hanahoe, S Leonard, G O’Donnell, F Power, E Lowndes, C Gillen Subs used D Lally.
• HANDBALL: Reigning minor singles champion Martin Mulkerrins from Moycullen surrendered his handball crown when losing the All Ireland semi-final to Munster’s Killian Carroll from Cork. Mulkerrins seemed to be cruising, winning the opening game and ahead by 13 - 5 in the second, but Carroll mounted a serious comeback, claiming the second 21-14 before finishing the third 21-12. Galway’s Morgan Darcy, Morgan Duggan and Mattie O’Fatharta were involved in all three semi-finals, but it was the Munster men who emerged the victors in all cases. Martin Conneely restored some pride, doing just enough to see off Clare’s Pat Donnellan in his golden masters A singles semi-final at Moycullen on Sunday, 21-13, 18-21, 21-17.
