Posted by Hannah Coen in Sport.


Claregalway Basketball Club has had a very successful season this year with many teams competing in the local Galway Leagues and Cups for U10 boys and girls up to Senior men and women. Our Annual All-Star Awards Night was a huge success again in the Claregalway Hotel. A massive thank you to the Claregalway Hotel for facilitating the night and their continued support, and all who donated spot prizes. Your continued support is greatly appreciated in the Club. A huge thank you goes out to all volunteer coaches who each year give their time to coach our your athletes, the parents for all your supports driving to games and supporting the club it is greatly appreciated. Here’s a wrap on this season and we hope to see you all back in September for the new 2014–15 season.

U10 Boys and Girls pictured in Westside in April.

Claregalway Basketball Club travelled to Gort recently where the U10 girls, U12 girls and U12 boys played a series of games the U10s girls playing their first ever competitive match battled hard against a much bigger Gort team and performed really well and gained some valuable experience with Ruby Duggan, Alenah Keohane, Laoise Concannon, and Katie Duggan doing well.


The U12 Girls have just completed their League recently played well in both games and ran out easy winners with all twelve players getting good court time with Kiera Kearney, Maoliosa Walsh, Kate Nevin, Rebecca Moylan, and Ava Murray doing well. Like the girls, the boys played well and overcame Gort in both matches in two very enjoyable games with all twelve players getting time with Jonathan King, Ryan Kearney, Darren Melody and Brendan Hardiman playing well. Finally after all games, all players from clubs took part in a shooting competition in which Ava Murray from Claregalway took silver. Most important was all kids had a good day and many thanks to our hosts Gort Basketball Club. A return visit is on the card early next season.

The U12 Girls after participating in a tournament in Gort.

Having trained Mondays nights in numbers all throughout the year, the U12 girls had a great season winning three of their four League matches that were played before the tournament on March 23rd. The girls travelled out to Killanin last weekend to compete in the U12 Girls tournament where they met Maree and Corrib Falcons in the group games. They qualified for the semi-finals on the day were they lost out to Titans. They qualified for the Finals on Saturday 5th April at 9:30pm in NUIG, where they lost out to a strong Corrib team. The girls also travelled out to Gort in April and had a great day of basketball. Well done girls and best of luck.


The U12 Boys are coached by Liam and Catríona and they came together slowly at first for the 2013–14 season. We have a great bunch of lads who are now coming to training regularly, and who have worked very hard during the season. Catríona and I have really enjoyed working with the squad and all of the lads have made great progress. There were a number of League games we competed in during the season, and though we didn’t take the honours in any of them, we are very proud of the lads, who all tried their best and were very gracious in defeat. They are a credit to their parents and the club.

U10–12 Boys pictured after playing a tournament in Gort.

This spirit again came out in the way that the team voted for the winners of awards tonight. We wanted the lads to think about more than just who gets the most baskets or has the coolest dribble, but add to that, the other important things that make a team, and kept the heads up, especially when the going got tough. We are delighted for all the lads chosen by their teammates and who receive awards tonight on their behalf. Finally, we hope all the players have enjoyed the season and that we see them back again next year.


U14 Girls trained Friday evenings with David Hansberry and after a long season qualified for the U14 B Final on Saturday the 5th of April v Corrib—a team that Claregalway know all about. They lost out on the day but showed great fight and spirit throughout the game and never gave up. The girls showed great commitment and enthusiasm throughout the season and hopefully they will pull off the win next weekend to make it a memorable one.


U15 Boys pictured after winning the B League Final.

U15–16 Boys competed in the leagues and the U15 Boys reached and won the B Final. John Paul Mc Loughlin, Conor Harte, John Melody and Mark King were all part of the West Inter Regional Team. Congratulations to Conor Harte who was part of the Calasanctius College Oranmore U16 team that took the A League and Cup Titles a few weeks ago.


U15–16 Girls competed in very tough leagues this year. Showing great improvement throughout the year the girls fell short for the finals in NUIG. The numbers registered continue to grow each year and we hope that this will continue into next season in September. We hope you all enjoyed playing this year.


U17 Girls have had a tough season—with only four teams in the League this year the games were few and far between. But with some of the ladies playing up with the senior women they gained some valuable experience. The girls competed in the B League Finals on Sunday 6th of April in the Jes at 11:30am v Titans. This game was all for the taking with each team having beaten the other once already this season. However Claregalway came firing out of the blocks and went eleven points to three up at the end of the first quarter and they didn’t look back. They won the game comfortably.


Senior Men have had a good run at the League—they were runners up in the Men’s Division One League and also the Division One Cup, great credit to the lad’s week in and week out continue to get the wins and work hard.


Senior Women registered fourteen players this year including some new faces to the team. For the last few years Claregalway ladies have been competing in the Galway Women’s Division One Cup and having major success with it, but it all turned around when they lost to Maree in NUIG in April 2009. In 2010 Claregalway bounced back beating them in the League and also a cracking Cup final that year in Claregalway, and they’ve never looked back since in the Cup or the League. With 61 League games in the last five seasons, Claregalway Basketball Club Ladies boast 53 wins and 8 losses since 2010. Something to be very proud of.

Back Row: Emer Glynn, Georgina Ní Hasa-Martin, Hannah Coen, Lauren Murray, Sinead Harte, Helen Moran, Orla Sands, Moya Dunleavy, Karen Campbell, Mike Murray, Michelle Murphy. Front Row: Kate Lyons, Mary Kate Killilea, Shannon Cullen Emily Keane, Una Daly.

They have racked up a total tally of 2974 points. The road to the Cup each year has consisted of fifteen games to date which boosts the girls overall record to 68 wins and 8 losses since October 2010. These include the five Cup titles in a row and 4 League titles, with the last three years doing the Division One Cup and League double, with only two losses since the 2010–11 season. The highlight of the League to date was in 2011–12 when the ladies went undefeated 16–0 and scored a whopping 868 points that year and did the double for the first time. League 2010 (448 points scored), 2011 (418 points scored), 2012 (868 points scored), 2013 (700 points scored).