•An Everton academy coach will visit the Power Soccer School of Excellence in Galway in January. Players interested in being coached by the Everton coach can enrol on the Everton Way through Power Soccer - an on-line-coaching tool designed for young players to develop their game. Players enrolled in the Everton Way through Power Soccer will be coached by the Everton Academy Coach for two 90-minute sessions in Galway city. For further information contact 091-865350. Fee:€90
•The Galway Bay Sailing Club held its annual laying up supper and prize giving at the weekend. During the year the dinghy fleets competed in 72 races, while the cruiser fleets held 52 races including the King of the Bay series. The junior section have had a very busy year, participating in training and sailing from April to November, while several of the junior members had successes on the national and regional circuit. Yannick Lemonnier, rear commodore dinghies, presented the prizes to the dinghy fleets. Pascal Lally, Vincent Jordan, and Gerry Drudy were the main winners in the mono-hulls, while Gerry Murray, Tony Murphy and Tim Breen won in the multi-hulls. The main cruiser winners were: Class 1, Joie de Vie, That's Life, and Catalpa; Class 2, Rocodor, Silver Foam, and Siamsa. The King of the Bay Trophy was presented to Glenn Cahill, owner of Joie de Vie. Pierce Purcell was presented with the Michael Donohue Trophy, having been voted the Club Volunteer of the Year by the members. Rear commodore of cruisers, Dave Vinnell, paid special tribute to the crew of Ireland West who won the Round Ireland Race. Presentations were also made to Ian Quinn, Kieran Moran, Eugene Burke, and Sheila Baynes, on behalf of her late husband David, who took on a mammoth fundraising task 21 years ago to clear the debt incurred by the club and thus saved it from folding.
•This year’s show jumping trophy at the Galway Bay fm Sports Awards went to amateurs Gary Higgins of Claregalway and Ardrahan’s Jacinta Fahey. Jacinta Fahey won this year’s National Championships in Ennis in tremendous style on her superb horse Chicken Wall, while Gary Higgins won the Farmers Journal A class in Mullingar, becoming the first Connacht rider ever to win the highly coveted event on board WCE Irish. Higgins’ success comes after a long battle to fight off a prolonged illness, having suffered a life-threatening fall at a point-to-point event 10 years ago.
