Claremorris RFC–Update #17

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

So they think it’s all over, well it is now as another Claremorris RFC season draws to a close.

The 13’s season finished a few weeks back while the 14’s have a Connacht plate final scheduled for Thursday night against Sligo RFC. A win here would complete a dream league and plate double for this excellent young team.

The 17’s season finished in disappointment as they lost out to Creggs in the Connacht league semi-final last weekend. Creggs were well in command and led 15-0 at the half time break. The second half was a much tighter affair but Creggs still ran out comfortable winners 22-5. It has been an unusual season for the 17’s were a glut of games before Christmas was followed by three game in four months. This meant it was hard to keep players together. The fixture imbalance is definitely something that needs to be looked at by the Connacht branch.

All in all it has been a successful season with the U14’s claiming league glory earlier in the season and so winning the club’s first ever youth rugby trophy. Hopefully other age groups will do something similar next year.

The mini rugby season finished with a bang as we finished up winning two trophies over the final week of the season. Firstly the U10’s claimed the Connemara cup which is hosted by An Ghaeltacht RFC in Carraroe. This is the second year in a row an U10 team from Claremorris has brought the trophy back to Mayo. After league wins against Galwegians and An Ghaeltacht Claremorris were in the final where they beat a tough An Ghaeltacht side to claim glory. This team is a credit to their coaches, Pearse Hahessy, Micheal Gleeson and Joe Gilmore. Also a huge well done to the Parents and supporters who travelled to Carraroe to cheer on the team.

The U11’s were not to be outdone as they also had some silverware to keep them company on the long journey home as the won the Joe Moran National U11 title held in Naas RFC. The winners of this tournament were decided not on victories but on sportsmanship, attitude, skill and behaviour. Traits that the Claremorris lads displayed in abundance from once they got off the bus to the final whistle in their final game.

They also played some great rugby throughout the day with wins over Cobh Pirates and Naas, draws against Malone of Belfast and Suttonians and the only defeat coming against Dublin powerhouse Old Belvedere. These lads had great support not just on the day but right throughout the season .To win a tournament of this nature is a great achievement and a huge amount credit must go their coaches Eddie McLoughlin and Fergal Leonard for the work they have done with this team throughout the season.

There was also a second Connacht winner of the day in Naas as the lads from Ballina RFC were awarded the runners up spot. There were 42 teams competing from right across the country in this competition and this can go down as another great day on the national stage for Connacht rugby.

To mark another excellent mini rugby season we held an end of season awards and disco last weekend. It was great to see so many players come along to the party. There were most improved player awards in all age categories and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. Hopefully our end of season will be ever bigger and better with even more players playing rugby with Claremorris RFC.

Thanks for listening to me all season @p_cunnane.

Here at HoR we are very grateful to Paul and everyone at Claremorris RFC for sharing their 2012/13 campaign with us.  They are doing youth, Connacht and indeed Irish rugby proud and we wish them all the best in the future, hoping of course they come back and check in with us from time to time! 

Claremorris RFC–Update #16

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

We are now in the home straight as we enter the final weeks of another hectic season of rugby.

The U13’s finished their season with a plate defeat to Ballinasloe RFC. Our lads just never got going and were beaten 32-7. It has been an interesting year for this group who have made the step up to the 15 a side game. Hopefully they will all return fit and ready for action in September.

The 14’s have been going from strength to strength. They have booked a plate semi-final spot with old foes Connemara after overcoming a tough encounter against Galwegians RFC in the quarter final.

The Plate semi-final game is scheduled for this weekend, which if they win will see them in their second final of the season. Regardless of the result this weekend an end of season trip to Ennis is on the cards for this bunch as coaches Pearse and Michael will have a busy weekend trying to keeping everyone in line!

The 17’s have had a real tough time of it of late with little sign of the league semi-final game been scheduled. The monthly Connacht branch youth meeting was due to take place last night so hopefully once the dust settles we’ll know exactly how we are fixed.

It was a very busy weekend on the mini rugby front as a number of teams brought their season to a close. The U7’s, U8’s and U9’s hosted Monivea in an end of season blitz where there was some fine rugby on display. Once the games were over it was hotdogs and drinks for all. The girls also finished up a hugely successful season on Saturday and it was great to see such a big crowd of players turn out for the final day of the season.

The mini rugby season is not quite done yet as the U10 team head to the Connemara cup next Saturday. The U11’s are also on the road as they hit for Naas RFC and their national U11 tournament. Finally the 12’s will finish up their season with a game against neighbours Tuam RFC. This will give our boys a proper taste of 15 a side rugby and set them up nicely for next season.

For the next few weeks we will be busy with our last few youth games of the season, while the last few mini rugby games of the season will be completed. We will also be recruiting volunteers to run in the West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon which is a 10km run taking place on Sunday May 5^th.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #15

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

It’s been a busy few weeks on the rugby front with our youths claiming Connacht league glory and our mini rugby players doing us proud in Connacht rugby blitzes and the Claremorris St. Patrick’s day parade.

The U13’s had a fine league win over neighbours Ballinrobe RFC last weekend. Our lads made a great start and were ahead at the half time break. The second half was just as exciting as the Colts held on for 17-10 win. Next up is a Connacht Plate semi-final date with Ballinasloe, scheduled for this weekend. A win here would put us in our first every Connacht Plate final.

The 14’s have been basking in Connacht League glory for the last week as we claimed our first every youth trophy 10 days ago. It was see-saw battle with the Galway men of Connemara as typified by a half time score of 17-14 in our favour. The second half was just exciting with the score level at 24-24 going into the final seconds, before a try with the last play of the game gave us our first ever youth rugby trophy on a score line of 31-24.

The victories team made a triumphant return to the town of Claremorris with cars beeping and flags waving to mark the historic achievement. A huge well done to the management of Pearse Hahessy and Micheal Smith and all concerned with this great bunch of lads.

The U17’s have been rather quite in recent weeks as we are still waiting for a date to be fixed for our league semi-final game with Ballinasloe. This game will hopefully take place over the coming weeks where a win would put us into our second youth league final of the season.

The mini rugby players have been busy over the last few weeks. I was in Corinthians with the U12’s last weekend where we took part in a busy day or rugby. We had five games in total on the day with our lads giving it their all in every game they played. Last weekend saw the girls head to Tuam RFC for a great morning of rugby where our girls had an action packed morning of rugby. The U8’s and U9’s were also on the road last week as both teams headed to Castlebar RFC for the Connacht blitz. Both teams had three games on the day and by all accounts a thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all who travelled.

We were also well represented in the Claremorris St. Patrick’s day parade. It was great to see so many red jerseys on show despite the wet conditions. Also big thanks to one of our coaches Micheal Toughey who put in a huge amount of effort coordinating the entire day for the Colts.

For the next few weeks we will be busy with our last few youth games of the season, while the mini rugby players will have training and blitzes as we approach the seasons end. We will also be recruiting volunteers to run in the Mayo Mini Marathon which is a 10km run taking place on Sunday May 5^th.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #14

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Tick tock the end of the season approaches but the magnitude of the games starts to get bigger.

The U13’s had a game against Tuam on Tuesday night. This was at tight affair with both teams doing their best to get the win. The opening exchanges were tight with but teams looking to establish dominance. As the game wore on our lads were eventually able to establish some attacking momentum and run out 23-10 winners. This was game was very useful preparation for our lads as the head to Monivea on Saturday and a Connacht Plate quarter final clash.

The 14’s have a big weekend ahead as they make the trip to Westport to play Connemara RFC in the final of the Connacht U14 league. This is a big weekend for us as this is the first ever youth final we have a reached. Considering this is only our third year of youth rugby this quite an achievement.

This game should be a close encounter despite our lads winning at home and away when the teams met in the league earlier in the season. Both games finished with one score in difference and it is hard to expect anything different this weekend.

The U17’s made the trip to Ballinrobe RFC last week to take on the hosts in the quarter final of the Connacht U17 Plate. Although our lads made a bright start it was Ballinrobe who got the opening try and they extended their lead further later in the half to leave us 14-0 behind at half-time.

Our luck didn’t change much in the second half despite the sterling effort put in by our lads. Although defeated 26-7 it was a case of if’s and but’s. Our 17’s season is drawing to a close but we still have a league semi-final with Ballinasloe which is scheduled for later this month.

Our mini rugby players are getting in to the business end of the season with Connacht blitzes coming thick and fast, Last week the U10’s made the trip to North Mayo and to Ballina RFC. We had two teams in action with tackles and tries a plenty. It was a great weekend of fun by all accounts. This weekend the U12’s are off to Corinthians for the U12 Connacht blitz, while all the other age groups will have training as normal.

For the next few weeks we will be busy as our youths will have league and cup action while the mini rugby players will be travelling around Connacht for the various blitzes. We will also be busy getting organised for the Claremorris St. Patricks day parade in which we will be participating in. We will also be doing our best to get as many entries as we can to our Sports Predictor Competition.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #13

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Hallelujah, some fine weather at last means training and games for all ages.

The U13’s got their Connacht cup challenge underway against a very strong Corinthians side. The Galway lads had just too much in hand and ran out comfortable winners. All is not lost however as we now have a date with Monviea RFC in the quarter finals of the Connacht plate scheduled for the weekend of Match 10th.

The 14’s have two very up and down weekends. Firstly they recorded a great Connacht league semi-final won over South Sligo RFC. In a titanic struggle our lads led 19-8 at halftime. However as the game entered the final seconds we were behind 20-19. Then up stepped Jack Ronayne to slot over the winning kick and put Claremorris RFC in our first ever final.

Last weekend did not go as well as we were beaten in the quarter final of the Connacht U14 cup by Westport. Our boys gave it their all but just came out on the wrong side of a 22-19 score line. No matter it’s now onto the plate quarter final against Galwegians.

The 17’s game time has been limited in recent weeks due to having to wait for outstanding league games by others to be played. This weekend coming sees us make the short trip to near neighbours Ballinrobe RFC. This Connacht plate clash just be a close encounter as when we played in the league earlier in the season we just edged it 31-24. Once this game is over a league semi-final awaits us against either Dunmore or Ballinasloe.

Our mini rugby players have a couple of good weeks training under their belt to get them ready for the various Connacht blitzes which are scheduled to take place throughout March. This weekend coming we have a home blitz for all boys and girls happening against Westport RFC

We have also undertaken a number of fundraisers initiatives in the last number of weeks, one of which is our Sports Predictor Competition, where you have to guess the winner of 12 sporting events throughout 2013. Entrants can win up to €500 with entries available from committee members or from info@claremorrisrfc.com

For the next few weeks we will be busy as games for all ages will be coming thick as fast. We will also be doing all our best to get as many entries as we can to our Sports Predictor Competition.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #12

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

The evenings are getting get longer but the rugby season is starting to get shorter as the final few weeks of the season are upon us.

The U13’s finally got some game time after a number of postponements when they travelled to Sligo for a challenge game. It was a tough game for our boys who gave it their all but were ultimately defeated. It was good preparation for our lads as they have a cup quarter final encounter with Corinthians this Sunday.

The 14’s played Corrib RFC in their final league game of the season last weekend and like most of the others it finished with a win. Right from the off we were in charge with a healthy half-time lead of 22-5. The second half continued in similar circumstance with our lads finishing on the right side of a 50-132 win. It’s now on a league semi-final date with South Sligo RFC this weekend.

The 17’s have been very quiet for the last few weeks with the weather playing havoc with our training and games schedule. A postponed cup clash with Corinthians now means we have a plate quarter final against Ballinrobe to look forward which is scheduled for the weekend after next.

Our mini rugby players had their first home blitz of the last season the weekend before last as our girls hosted Galwegians, Westport, South Sligo and Oughterard. These were very tough games for our girls but they displayed some excellent handling skills throughout and put in a huge amount of effort in all the games they played. There were some outstanding performances right throughout the day with Abbiegayle Ronayne putting in some excellent displays in all four games she played.

The boys were also in action as they hosted Ballyhaunis and An Ghaeltacht. The U8 had a very enjoyable game against their An Ghaeltacht with Brian Hett the stand out performer. The U9′s had a tough battle against Ballyhaunis with Aidan McGing putting in some excellent tackles in both games.

The U10′s also had games against Ballyhaunis and An Ghaeltacht. Both games were real tit for tat affair with neither teams able to establish dominance. The player of the day for the 10′s was Jarlath Judge who scored some excellent tries.

The U11′s only had one game that was against neighbours Ballyhaunis. This was a fine example of how rugby should be played with teams scoring some excellent tries and making some fine tackles with Thomas Kean getting the nod for player of the day. The U12′s had a great game with An Ghaeltacht and their 30 minutes of rugby was real end to end stuff. The Galway lads put some excellent displays of running rugby. The Claremorris boys showed that they too can play rugby with David O’Connor in particular catching the eye for his displays.

We would like to thank all the clubs for travelling to us. We also say a HUGE THANKS to all those who brought food and to all those who helped out on the day to ensure we all got fed and watered once the games were over. For the next few weeks we will be concentrating on getting the final round of the youth leagues completed while our mini rugby players will have a couple of weeks of training.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #11

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

It’s been a busy a few weeks on the rugby front with training and games coming thick at fast, up until last weekend that is, when the torrential rain meant all rugby activity had to be abandoned.

The U13’s have suffered more than most with the recent conditions and have had scheduled games cancelled twice in the last two weekends. The 13’s have now a number of league games left to complete in the next few weeks before a date with Corinthians in the Connacht U13 cup on the weekend of February 10^th.

The 14’s are still flying high and have guaranteed themselves top spot after an excellent away win in Connemara the weekend before last. This was a top of table clash and it was the hosts who started brighter and were 12-0 up at the half time break. The second half was a real treat for all as the teams shared 7 tries between them. Thankfully for us a last minute try secured a win us 29-24. There are a couple of more league games to play before its then onto the semi-finals, quickly followed by a Connacht cup clash with Monivea.

The 17’s rounded off their league campaign with an excellent win over Ballina. In what was a very close game our boys were 12-7 up a half time. Two more quick fire in the second half meant we clung for 24-19 win. It’s now onto the league semi-finals in early February. Before all that though we play Corinthians in round 1 of the Connacht U17 cup which is due to take place this Sunday 27th.

Our mini rugby players have had a real bad run of luck when it comes to blitz’s with yet another one called off last weekend due to the weather. Hopefully the weather gods will be kinder to us this weekend as we are due to play host to some local clubs.

It was a huge weekend for all our girls as they had the honour of playing at half-time during the Heineken Cup clash between Connacht and Zebre. Despite the rain our girls battled on bravely and did the club proud. It was a brilliant night and well done to all the coaches involved. Their highlight of the night was without doubt meeting Dan Parks once the game was over. He was a big hit with all the girls.

For the next few weeks we will be concentrating on getting the final round of the leagues completed and the start of the cup games with our youth teams. Our mini rugby players will hopefully have an exciting weekend of rugby in our first home blitz of the season.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #10

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Now that Christmas has come and gone we are down to the serious business of playing games and possibly winning trophies.

The U13’s have been pretty quiet for the last few weeks but are back in league action this weekend against near neighbours Ballinrobe. The U13’s have had an excellent season so far with one league defeat to date.

The 14’s are flying high and currently top their league after playing 10 games. This weekend they make the long trip west to Clifden to play Connemara. This will be a tough game for our lads as Connemara are second in the league and gunning for top spot.

The 17’s are also in action this weekend meaning it’s a busy weekend on the youth front. This weekend it’s a home game against Ballina in the final round of the league. A win this weekend will guarantee a playoff spot so a win is a must as defeat means we will more than likely miss out on the playoffs.

The Connacht youth cup draws were made last Monday night with some interesting draws for our lads. These games are due to begin at the end of January so we will have more on this in the next few weeks.

Our mini rugby players started back last weekend. It turned out to be a busy day as our U11 team were playing at half-time during the Connacht and Newport Gwent Dragons league game in the Sportsgrounds.

Thomas Kean breaks through the Oughterard tackle as Cian Quinn & Adam Killeen look on.

The lads were full of nerves and excitement at the thought of playing on the hallowed turf. It was an excellent evening for our U11 team and no doubt they won’t forget about playing in the Sportsgrounds anytime soon.

The Colts squad with Connacht mascot Eddie the Eagle.

For the next few weeks we will be concentrating on getting the final round of the leagues completed with our youth teams. Our mini rugby players will have one more training session before three weeks of games.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #9

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

It’s finally here, the Christmas break has arrived, which also marks the mid-point in our season. We have just one game left to play before we can kick back and relax.

The U13’s were the only youth team in action last weekend. They kept their winning run going as they had a fine win over a tough South Sligo. Our boys made a flying start and were 19-0 up at half time. South Sligo were much improved in the second half and got back into the game with a well worked try. This was the jolt our boys needed as they ran out 39-7 winners. The U14’s have now secured top spot in the Division and are guaranteed a playoff place which will decide the overall league champions. There are two rounds left before the playoff games are played.

The U17 team will wrap up 2012 by playing Castlebar in round 5 of the U17 Connacht league on Thursday night. We are currently in second spot in the table with the top two teams going into the semi-finals where they will playoff against the top two from the south Division to decide the league champions.

The mini rugby season for 2012 finished with a bang as Santa Clause paid a visit to mini rugby training. Santa was a huge hit with all the players and coaches. He even handed out sweets and drinks to all the players. We will like to thank Santa for taking time out of his busy schedule to pay us a visit. We would also like to thank Ryan’s Londis in Milltown for sponsoring all the sweets and treats that were given out by Santa.

Our mini rugby season will resume on Saturday January 5^th with training at 10am. While also on the 5^th our U11 team will make the trip to Galway where they will play at half time during the Connacht V Dragons Rabo Direct league game.

For the next few weeks we will be concentrating on Christmas. The club shop will also be open on Saturday 22^nd from 12-3pm for those last minute stocking fillers.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #8

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

The countdown to Christmas is on, but there has been no let up on the playing side with our youth teams doing very well in their respective Connacht leagues.

The 13’s had a rare weekend off but are due to play Corrib RFC next weekend. It’s been an excellent season so far with only one defeat from the 5 league games they have played.

The U14’s have had a fine season to date with last Sunday’s home game against Ballaghaderreen RFC no exception. Our boys were just two strong and were well in command at half-time. As second half progressed our lads were well on top and recorded a fine 32-14 win and continue to top their division. It’s on to NUIG rugby next weekend in what will be a very tough away trip.

The U17 team travelled to near neighbours, Ballinrobe RFC in round 4 of the Connacht league and came away with a fine with. We were under pressure early doors but our defence held strong. Once we started to get a rhythm going we got two tries on the board for a half-time lead of 12-7.

The second half was another tight affair, with neither team able to establish a real advantage. The game was finally won in the last 15 minutes with two well taken tries to seal a fine 31-24 to put us into second place in the league

It was another busy weeks on the mini rugby front as we had two more training sessions ahead of our next blitz on Saturday against Sligo RFC.

As we head towards the Christmas break the youths will busy in Connacht league action and the mini rugby players will take on Sligo in a blitz. The club shop will also continue to open every Saturday.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC–Update #7

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Another busy two weeks have flown by with three of our four youth teams in action, as well as our mini rugby players who were in training action. I must admit I was away for a week to get some sunshine so I cannot take credit for any of the last weekend’s victories.

The U13’s played their fourth league game ‘at home’ in Ballyhaunis against Connemara RFC and duly bagged their third win to get maintain their unbeaten start to the season. It was a tight affair right throughout the game but our boys came on top against the lads from Galway on a score line of 20-14

The U14’s have had games galore this season and last weekend made the trip to near neighbours Dunmore RFC for round 6 of the Connacht U13 league. It was a rather one-sided game as we had the game wrapped up before the final whistle to win 35-10.

The U17 team also had a home game in Ballyhaunis as we played hosted to Sligo. This really was the game of the weekend however it was not good for the heart. We made an excellent start with two early trys before back came Sligo with two tries of their own to leave us 19-17 in front at half-time. Sligo upped the ante in the second half and our boys were made to work for the win which they only secured in the final minutes with a fine try from David Mellet to win it 38-36.

It was another busy weeks on the mini front as we had two more training sessions ahead of our first home blitz in Claremorris this Saturday against Ballina RFC. Fingers crossed the weather improves or it could be arm bands and not rugby balls we will need this weekend.

For the next couple of weeks the youths will continue to be in Connacht league action and the mini rugby players will take on Ballina in a blitz. The club shop will also continue to open every Saturday.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC : Update #6

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Its games games games as our 4 youth teams and all our mini rugby players have been action over the last two weeks. The youths have been particular busy with 4 teams playing over the weekend just gone by.

The U13’s played their second league game against Tuam RFC and were unlucky not to come away with a win. Having lead 24-17 a second league win looked to be on the card however the Galway boys would not give in and a late converted try meant it finished all square at 24-24.

The U14’s have been our busiest team so far as they played their fourth league game of the season also against Tuam RFC on Saturday last. Our boys will keen to back to winning ways having lost last time out and duly did with a fine team performance. It was one-way traffic for the entire 60 minutes as we claimed a fine 30-0 win.

Unfortunately for our U15 team player numbers are low so games are hard to come by. But last weekend we had an excellent 8 a side game against Tuam RFC. Our boys were mad for some game time and it showed as we recorded a good win by 10 tries to 6. It looks as if 7’s rugby will be the way to go with these lads for the next few months so hopefully there will be some other clubs in the same position that we can get games against.

The U17 team travelled to Westport last Sunday for round two of the league and bagged an impressive win. Right from the off our boys were in the ascendency as we lead 14-0 at half time. The second half was all about free flowing rugby as we got five more tries to record a fine 47-7 win.

Our boy’s mini rugby teams had their first games of the season as the U7, U8, U9 and the U10 teams travelled to Castlebar while the U11 & U12 teams went to Westport.

The U7 team had some excellent performance but Brian Hett must get the award for player of the day. For the U8 team Barry Gleeson deserves special mention for his all round play.

The U9′s had two teams in action with Daniel Noone and Jack Melvin the stand out performers. The U10′s also had two teams with Adam Gleeson and Mark Gibbons leading by example.

Best for the two U11 teams were Dylan Morris and Eoin O’Connor, while the U12 award goes to Michael McHale. We would also like to thank both host clubs for their hospitality once the games were done and dusted.

Meanwhile last Saturday our girl’s teams travelled to Westport for the second Connacht rugby blitz of the season. Our girls did us proud with some excellent performances despite the rather wet and windy weather.

Finally our club had the honour of having one of our own players 9 year old Kyle Leonard as the Connacht rugby mascot at last weekend’s Rabo Pro 12 game against Benetton Treviso. There were about 35 Claremorris supporters at the Sportgrounds to cheer on Kyle and the Connacht team. Here is Kyle pictured with his favourite player John Muldoon.

For the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on mini rugby training for our boys and girls. The youths will continue to be in Connacht league action. The club shop will also continue to open every Saturday.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC : Update #5

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

The season is in full flow with games a plenty for all teams. The youth teams have been very busy on the games front with the U13, U14 and U17 teams getting their Connacht league campaigns underway.

The U13 team started their season with an excellent away win against NUIG rugby on Saturday last. It was a tight affair early on but we went in with a 17-0 lead at half time. Our lads extended that lead as the second half progressed and it finished up 25-5 to us. It was an excellent way to start the U13 league season for our lads.

It’s been a solid start for the U14 team who lost narrowly to Ballaghadereen in their opening game but bounced back to record a fine win in round two over NUIG rugby. Round 3 on Sunday saw our lads make the trip to Ballymote to face South Sligo. Our lads played some excellent rugby and lead 15-7 at the half time break. An early try in the second half extended our lead to 20-7, but back came South Sligo who won the game late on 26-20.

Our U17 team also got their league season underway as we played Connemara. As we have no pitch of our own we have to rely on our near neighbours Ballyhaunis RFC to host all our youth games. Our boys played some excellent rugby in the first half and lead 5-0 and 8-7 at times during the first period. Connemara got the last score of the first half for a 14-8 lead and didn’t look back from there. They ran out 38-8 winners but our lads showed particularly in the first half that we can compete at the highest level of U17 rugby.

Our mini rugby teams had their final training session this weekend as they get ready to do battle with the boys of Castlebar and Westport next weekend. All our players are now registered for the new season with our membership increasing from last season.

Our club shop opened its doors in the last two weeks with plenty of shoppers coming in to try a bag a bargain. The shop opens every Saturday from 11-2pm with a full range of Colts merchandise for sale.

For the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on playing our youth league games and the mini rugby players will get ready for their first games of the season. The club shop will also continue to open every Saturday.

Click here for the club's website

Claremorris RFC : update #4

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Things are starting to crank up a notch now with training and games coming thick and fast for all our teams. We held two very successful registration nights with close to 200 players across mini and youth rugby signed up for the new season. We will probably pick a few more players along the way so I would imagine we should have a final total of just over 200.

All the Youth teams have been back on the pitch for the last few weeks. Some challenge games have been lined up by the various team mangers so the work on the training pitch will be severely tested over the coming weeks. The Connacht Youth leagues are scheduled to start by the end of the month.

The mini rugby season had really taken off in the last few weeks. The two open days were a great success with a number of new players who tried out rugby during these open days signing up for the new season. It was all hands on deck last weekend as our girls headed for Ballina and the lads got down and dirty at training.

The Girls headed to Ballina, and by all accounts it was a thoroughly enjoyable day in North Mayo for our girls. Indeed we would like to thank all Ballina for hosting our teams and look forward to having them visit us later in the season.

Off the field we have an exciting development ahead with the opening of our club shop happening. The plan is to open the shop on Saturday mornings and possibly Friday evenings. The shop will stock all our club merchandise and it will also be a place for people to buy our pitch development tickets which are currently on sale. The shop will be run by committee members and hopefully it will generate income for the club and also boost the profile of the club locally.

For the next couple of weeks we will be concentrating on getting all our youth teams playing their first games of the season while our mini rugby players will have a busy two weeks of training as the new season is officially up and running. The club shop will also open its doors in the coming weeks.

Click the above price list to visit Claremorris RFC website

Claremorris RFC : Update #3

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

It’s busy busy as our season is officially up and running. All our youth teams have made it back on the pitch with the numbers looking very encouraging for the new season. We are back on the pitch for the last two weeks so the majority of lads are getting to grips with and oval ball after a summer of soccer and GAA.

We are still awaiting official confirmation of our fixtures for the season but after talking to the various teams managers it looks like the leagues in all age groups will be staring in the next three to four weeks.

Our mini rugby programme has started with a bang with two open days over the last two Saturdays going excellently. We aimed the open days at new players and our existing players under the banner of ‘Give rugby a try’ (see what we did there with “try”, marketing gold, ok maybe not). We found that this was a great way of introducing players would not normally play the game and more importantly this was at no cost to parents or players.

Registration for the news season for all ages takes place on Wednesday September 26^th and again the following Wednesday October 3^rd. All registered mini rugby players will receive the official club jersey while all youths will receive the official club shorts and socks.

Again it was a busy couple of weeks on the meetings front with two of our committee attending the IRFU strategic review for 2012-2016 which was held in Galway. The majority of Connacht clubs were represented at this very interesting discussion with two of our lads even getting time to chat with IRFU chief executive Philip Browne, so well done lads.

For the next couple of weeks we will be concentrating on getting our youths fully up to speed on the training pitch while also trying to get all players registered as Claremorris Colts for the new season ahead.

Click here for the club's website