Search Results for 'Leo Smith'

Westmeath hurlers face a difficult Walsh Cup Group 4 assignment when hosting Galway at Mullingar on Sunday afternoon.

“Over the past few years we, as a panel of players, have made the life choice to devote ourselves completely to hurling and the effort that has gone in has been huge.”

Talking to Portumna captain Leo Smith is like charging a mobile phone.

This Sunday at Parnell Park in Dublin ( 2.30pm) Portumna hurlers will face Dunloy (Antrim) in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Bye bye Connacht. Leinster's about to get even more crowded. The rest of Connacht has proved itself to be so crappy at hurling that Joe Canning and co, like college graduates desperate to make the big bucks, are off east. About bloody time.

The most invaluable habit to acquire is a winning one. Portumna simply know how to emerge victorious, and yesterday at Pearse Stadium it wasn’t about being slick or stylish, what mattered was substance.

Greatness is often an over-used term in a sporting context. To some it's seen as the accumulation of titles, medals, and personal accolades over a sporting career. To others, it's the delivery of the perfect season or performance when the occasion demands it most. Whatever your defintion, Joe Canning certainly fits the bill. Even at the tender age of 20, Canning has already compiled a CV bulging with many of the game's highest honours. Yesterday was another demonstration of his extraordinary talent as his 0-10 assisted Portumna to their fourth Galway SHC title. However, it was a day when the current GAA All-Star and Young Hurler of the Year was outshone by his team-mates.

Portumna validated their credentials as Galway’s top hurling club when they claimed back-to-back titles and their fourth in six years.

There was sadness in Tuam and Galway this week with the end of an era for Galway football with the death of the great Frank Stockwell at the age of 80 after a long battle with illness. Frankie was the second member of a foot-balling double act, which was almost as famous and successful as Laurel and Hardy in their prime.

Since I packed in competitive football the most regular question that I have been asked on numerous occasions is: