Irish Tug of War

Any clubs wishing to host a round of the national indoor championships for the coming season should put their request in writing to the secretary. Please state the name, address and dimensions of the venue. Please state the weight category you would like to host. The permit fee for hosting an indoor championship is EUR800. Note: it was passed at the recent AGM that the indoor championships would be completed by Christmas for the coming season.

Any clubs or festival committees wishing to host a round of the 2012 national outdoor championship should also put their request in writing to the secretary. Please state the name and address of the venue and the weight category you would like to host. The permit fee for hosting an outdoor championship is EUR1,500. Secretary’s details available on the Contacts page.

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The Thatch Bar club hosted the third round of the ladies 405kg & 435kg leagues at the GAA pitch in Ballygar yesterday. We were treated to some top class pulling despite the difficult conditions due to the dead heat. The clubs who attended were Ballinagh, Ballinastoe, Boyneside, Brideswell, Canavans, Connemara, Gills, Killoughey, Lavalley, Saddlers Inn, Renvyle, Taughmaconnell & Thatch Bar.

Thatch Bar, winners of round 3 of the ladies 405kg league

Five teams took part in the 405kg league. There were no surprises in this round as the ever impressive hosting club picked up the 7 points without loosing a single end. Once again it was Boyneside who finished in second position with Ballinagh third as those three teams look set to collect the gold, silver and bronze medals at the final round which is to be held in Edenderry on the 14th of August. The third round of the 435kg league was very exciting with very little between 5 of the 7 teams who competed and many contests going to third ends. Connemara showed a huge improvement on their disappointing performance in round 2 in Ballina as they entered the last pull of the day needing 1 point from table toppers, Thatch, to secure top spot. The Leitir Mor women continued their dominant performance picking up the straight end victory to win round 3 with a maximum 18 points adding 7 points to their total to bring them back into contention with 16 points. Boyneside & Thatch finished level on 12 points each but Boyneside take the 6 points as they defeated Thatch on the rope.

Connemara, winners of round 3 of the ladies 435kg league

The Thatch remain on top of the table with 19 points with Boyneside a close second on 17. This all points to a very exciting conclusion to the 435kg league in Edenderry. If any two teams finish level on points after the final round the medal placings will be decided on who picked up the most points against each other over the four rounds. Six teams took part in the non-championship men’s 640kg novice competition as Ballinagh picked up a straight end victory over Taughmaconnell in the final. Six teams also competed in the men’s 680kg event as Taughmaconnell once again lost out in the final, this time to Killoughey from Co. Offaly who picked up the gold. There was very little between the two teams who took part in the mixed 4×4 600kg competition as Ballinagh narrowly defeated Brideswell in the final.

Well done to the Thatch team on hosting an excellent championship and many thanks for their kind hospitality

Click here to see the ladies league tables after round 3.

Click here to see photos from yesterday’s championship in Ballygar.

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The novice 640kg & catchweight titles were contested today in cold wintry conditions at Ballyhooly, Co. Cork. Nonetheless there was a good turnout of clubs and spectators who enjoyed a good competitive day of action. The clubs who attended were Ballinagh, Ballyhooly, Binnian View, Boyneside, Burren, Canavans, Cappoquin, Cuan Rithe, Glenhill, North Clare, Mill, Taughmaconnell, Three Counties, Saltmills, Stapeltons  & Rockies.

Glenhill, national champions at 640kg novice

Nine teams took part in the novice 640kg championship which was run in one group. The semi-final line-up was Binnian View versus Stapeltons and Glenhill versus Rockies. Both contests were hard fought but it was Glenhill & Binnian View who progressed to face each other in the final. Again, there was very little between the teams in the final but it was the men of Glenhill who had a slight edge winning the gold medal in straight ends to take the title back to Watergrasshill. Rockies defeated Stapeltons to win the bronze medal.

Saltmills, national champions at novice catchweight

Eight teams competed in the catchweight championship and again it was pulled on one rope. The semi-final pairings in this competition were Canavans versus Cuan Rithe and Saltmills versus North Clare. Canavans produced a powerful display to qualify for the final in straight ends as Saltmills had to dig deep to overcome the challenge of North Clare in a third end decider. The final was another entertaining affair but it was the men from Saltmills, Co. Wexford who added the catchweight title to the 720kg title they won in Ballycullane and the 680kg tiles of 2010. Cuan Rithe won their second bronze medal of the season by defeating North Clare in the third place pull-off.

Rockies, winners of round 3 of the youth 420kg league

Four teams took part in round 3 of the youth league. The last pull of this round robin between Cavan rivals, Ballinagh & Rockies was to decide who bagged maximum points in this round. This was a great battle which went to a third end. Ballinagh looked like taking the points as they began to win some rope only to be disqualified for receiving their third caution which meant that Rockies took the maximum 7 points. Ballinagh take 6 points and they remain on top of the league with 19 points.  Boyneside took the 5 points after finishing in third position.

Click here to see the youth league table after round 3.

See full results on our Results page.

Click here to see photos from today’s national championship in Ballyhooly (note: there are 2 pages of photos).

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The Ballina Agricultural show was the venue today as Lakehill hosted the national 680kg championship along with the second rounds of the ladies and youth leagues. The championship was well supported with 24 clubs taking part and despite the heavy rain at the beginning of the day the large crowd were treated to a great day of action. The clubs who attended were Ballinagh, Ballyhooly, Ballinastoe, Boyneside, Binnian View, Boley, Canavans, Cleggan, Connemara, Clonmines, Gortletteragh, Killoughey, Killylough, Lakehill, Lavalley, Lough Arrow, Mountain View, Rockies, Renvyle, St. Pats, Saddlers Inn, Slaneysiders, Saltmills, and Thatch Bar.

Boley, national senior champions at 680kg

11 teams competed in the senior 680kg competition which was run in one group. Boley looked very sharp and finished top without loosing a single end. The teams who joined them in the semi finals were Lakehill, Gortletteragh & Mountain View with Killylough just missing out in fifth position. Gortletteragh put up a good fight against Boley in the first semi final but it was the Wexford team who qualified for the final with a straight end victory. Lakehill enjoyed a hard fought straight end victory over Mountain View to reach their third final in a row. Once again it was arch rivals Boley and Lakehill who faced each other in one of the most memorable and hard fought finals between these two heavyweights in recent years. It was Lakehill who got off to a good start winning a hard fought first end in a time of around five minutes. The second end was a bit of a stalemate with very little movement in the rope but it was the Mayo team who began to show cracks picking up 3 cautions and a disqualification. The third and deciding end was another great battle with both teams attacking. It was Lakehill who took a slight advantage of around a meter but once again picking up 2 early cautions was their downfall as they received their third caution and second disqualification of the match handing the title to the resilient men from Boley. Mountain View defeated Gortletteragh to win the bronze medal.

Clonmines, national Div 2 champions at 680kg

Two Wexford teams qualified for the Div 2 final as Clonmines faced Slaneysiders. This was another great battle as the gutsy Clonmines team went on to take the title and the gold medal rounding off a great day for the teams from the south east. Five teams took part in the 680kg non-championship competition as Ballinagh from Co. Cavan were victorious over Boyneside from Co. Offaly in the final.

Thatch Bar, winners of round 2 of the ladies 405kg & 435kg leagues

6 teams took part in round 2 of the ladies 405kg league as Thatch Bar continued where they left off in Clarinbridge topping the league and the table with a maximum of 14 points. Boyneside finished in second place and Ballinagh were third. 8 teams competed in round 2 of the ladies 435kg league as Saddlers Inn from Boyle, Co. Roscomman made their debut at national level. Once again it was the Tatch women of Ballygar who showed their superiority finishing in first position and also top the 435kg league with maximum points. Boyneside pulled very well to finish in second place as did Canavans from Belclare who finished third.

Boyneside, winners of round 2 of the youth 420kg league

6 teams competed in round 2 of the youth 420kg league as preparations continue for the forthcoming GENSB Games in Switzerland. There was great pulling in this competition as Boyneside who didn’t feature in the top 3 after round one produced and outstanding display to finish in first position picking up the 7 points. Ballinagh finished in second place and they retain top spot in the league with 13 points. Binnain View were third.

See results on our Results page.

Click here to see the updated ladies/youths league tables after round 2.

Click here to see photos from today’s national championships in Ballina. Thanks to John McManus photography for the photos. All photos are available for purchase.

Watch out for this week’s Foinse, free Irish language magazine with Wednesday’s Irish Independent, who will feature a short piece on the championship in Ballina in this week’s edition. Short reports on national championships can also be found in Tuesday’s Irish Examiner and Saturday’s Evening Herald.

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