ALTHOUGH disappointed not to be amongst the medals, Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC) can still be pleased to have qualified for her third major championship final inside a year at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul last week-end.
Prior to Sunday, the 28-year-old had already contested finals at the World Indoor and European Outdoor Championships.
In reaching the last eight of the 60m Hurdles, Lavin ran a sharp 7.99 to finish third in her semi-final. The time was just two hundredths of a second behind the personal best she set at the World Championships this time last year.
After a slow take-off, Lavin finished sixth in the weekend sprint hurdles final, in which Finland’s Reeta Hurske claimed gold (7.79).
GAELIC FOOTBALL:
EVEN with a merited draw (0-17 to 2-11) at home to Colm O’Rourke’s Meath, Ray Dempsey’s Limerick remain relegation threatened in Division Two of the National Football League.
Rejuvenated Limerick, who had been well beaten in their previous four league outings, produced a commendable display against the Royal County at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday, a result that keeps alive slim survival hopes in a Group of Death.
A stunning contribution of five points from James Naughton helped Limerick to lead 0-10 to 0-6 at the short whistle.
Two goals hauled O’Rourke’s side back into the reckoning in the closing-half, and in a toe-to-toe finish, during which the sides were level many times, the equaliser arrived from the boot of Monaleen’s Brian Donovan, his second of the afternoon.
A downside to the enjoyable encounter was the enforced departure through injury of Limerick midfielder Iain Corbett of county kingpins Newcastle West, which casts a doubt over his availability for upcoming fixtures against Kildare (home, March 19) and Clare (away, March 26.).
The outing with Kildare is listed as curtain-raiser to Limerick/Wexford in the NHL at the Gaelic Grounds.
In the ladies NFL, Limerick are through to the semi-finals in Division Four. Qualification was secured with a superb 2-7 to 0-4 defeat of Derry at Owenbeg. Both goals for Graham Shine’s side came from brilliant finisher Iris Kenneally of Old Mill.
SOCCER:
TREATY United will aim to collect their first brace of points of the First Division when Cobh Ramblers visit Markets Field this Friday (kick-off 7.45pm).
On the back of two wins from three starts, Cobh (third behind Galway United and Bray Wanderers in the league standings) will prove a difficult challenge for eighth-placed Treaty United, who earned their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw against newcomers Kerry at a sold-out Mounthawk Park.
In the Munster Derby in Tralee, Treaty’s first goal of 2023, not surprisingly, came courtesy of Enda Curran. His strike on the half-hour marked cancelled out the earlier effort of Seán Kennedy.
In goal for the Limerick outfit was Shane Hallahan (28), his first outing in the League of Ireland since he featured with Cobh Ramblers way back in 2016.
Meanwhile, Alban Hysa’s ladies side are away when Tready face Shamrock Rovers in the Women’s Premier Division on Saturday evening (5.30pm). The side were impressive in a 1-0 defeat to highly-rated Bohemians in their season opener at the Markets Field last weekend.
JUNIOR SOCCER:
LIMERICK flagbearers Ballynanty Rovers are through to the semi-final of the FAI Junior Cup.
This is after Rovers played-out a scoreless affair at Killarney Celtic, but advanced 5-4 on spot-kicks.
Adrian Power, Cian Power, Cian Fitzgerald, and Dermot Fitzgerald were clinical with their finishes before James Fitzgerald tucked home the winner.
Ballynanty now face Newmarket Celtic of Clare in the last four.
Ballynanty Rovers: Stephen McNamara, Darragh Hughes, Adam Costello, Thomas O’Connor, Josh Adams, Aidan Hurley, James Fitzgerald, Thomas Byrnes, Adrian Power, Conor Keane, Gbadebo Habideen. Substitutes used: Cian Fitzgerald, Cian Power, Dermot Fitzgerald.
