The Clonmines club will host the senior, Div 2 & novice 720kg championships on Sunday next the 23rd of June at St. Leonards, Ballycullane, Co. Wexford (same venue as last year). The first round of the U23 and ladies leagues are also set to take place.
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The outdoor season got up and running in glorious weather conditions at yesterday’s Clonakilty show in west Cork. The turnout of teams was a little low but nonetheless the large crowd in attendance were treated to some good competition.
Lakehill, national senior catchweight champions
The clubs who attended were Araglin, Boley, Boyneside, Burren, Clonmines, Lakehill & The Shop. All seven teams competed in the senior catchweight competition. Boley and Lakehill were very strong and they were joined in the semi finals by the Burren and the Shop. Lakehill defeated the Burren while Boley defeated the Shop to set-up an inevitable final between these two world class teams. Lakehill dropped in low and hard in the first pull and pushed well on a very tight rope to edge the first end. The same tactic was used by the Mayo team in the second end as they won almost 3 meters of rope but the crafty Boley team broke them down and responded to take the contest to a third and deciding end.
Boyneside, national Div 2 catchweight champions
The toss for ends favoured Lakehill and it was the Mayo team who powered home to win the gold medal and retain the catchweight title. The Burren also needed a third end to defeat the Shop in a very entertaining bronze medal pull-off. Boyneside who were the dominant team in the novice division during 2012 are now competing in Div 2 and found themselves in the final where they came up against Cork team, Araglin. Boyneside lead by John Coyle were too strong for the Cork team as they got their first outing in Div 2 off to the perfect start.
The Shop, novice catchweight champions
The Shop from Co. Tipperary and Araglin were the only two teams to contest the novice title. The Shop who are now coached by former ITOWA president, Anthony Pender were too strong in this contest as they won the gold medal with a straight end victory.
See full results on our Results page.
Click here to see photos from yesterday (Thanks to Tracey & Pat Lee for the photos).
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The closing date for applications to host an Indoor National in 2013 is the 21st of June.
This is to allow the executive schedule dates as early as possible. Applicants should state the hall they intend to use and the weights they are seeking to host. All applications should be emailed to the secretary.
Indoor clubs are also advised to please contact their provincial delegate with proposals for an Indoor national team coach and selectors for the coming year.
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Click here to see notes from the ITOWA Executive.
All queries must go through the Secretary.
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The final round of the indoor championship was hosted yesterday by the Rockies club in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan. The clubs who attended were Ballinasloe, Ballyhooly, Canavans, Clonmany, Cockhill, Hillview, Rathkeale, Rockies, Stapeltons & Streamstown.
Cockhill, national senior champions at 580kg
Five teams competed in the senior/Div 2 580kg event as Cockhill were hoping to complete the clean-sweep of senior titles and Rockies were hoping to win their fourth Div 2 title. These two clubs were quite comfortable in their divisions as Cockhill qualified for the final with a comfortable win over Ballyhooly in the semi final. Clonmany B had to dig deep to defeat Rockies in the other semi final. The final, a repeat of last weekend’s 600kg final proved to be another comfortable contest for the impressive Cockhill club who won the gold medal and clean-sweep of national senior titles with a straight end victory.
Rockies, national Div 2 champions at 580kg
Rockies defeated Ballyhooly to win the bronze medal. These same two clubs also qualified for the final of Div 2 and again it was Rockies who won the gold medal, their fourth title of the season. The final of the novice 580kg event was contested by Streamstown and Ballinasloe. These two teams have performed well over the season but on this occasion it was the Streamstown club from Co. Westmeath who won the gold medal and their second national title of the season with a straight end victory. The Clonmany B novice team who made their debut in Tullamore last weekend had a great result in the third place pull-off as they defeated Rathkeale in a three ended contest to win the bronze medal.
Clonmany B, winners of the youth league
The final round of the successful youth league was also held in Kingscourt today. This was an exciting event as Clonmany B & Rathkeale were tied on 13 points each at the start of the day. On this occasion it was the young lads from Clonmany in Co, Donegal who edged it taking the maximum 7 points on offer to top the league and win the overall gold medal. Rathkeale from Co. Limerick had to settle for a well deserved silver medal pipped to the title by just 1 point. Hillview take the overall bronze medal. The finale of the ladies 6-a-side league was also an anticipated showdown as Canavans & Streamstown were also deadlocked on 13 points each.
Streamstown, winners of the mixed 600kg league
However it was the Streamstown team who drafted in some experienced pullers during the league who just edged Canavans to the maximum 7 points on offer to win the overall gold medal as Canavans had to settle for silver. The overall result was the same in the mixed 600kg league as Streamstown take the gold medal with a maximum 21 points and Canavans win the silver medal.
Final league results are available on our League Tables page.
See full results from Kingscourt on our Results page.
Click here to see photos from Kingscourt (note: there are 2 pages of photos). Thanks a million to Padraic Kellet from the Tug of War shop for providing the photos.
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The penultimate round of the national indoor championship was held yesterday in Tullamore Co. Offaly. The clubs who attended were Ballinasloe, Ballycommon, Ballyhooly, Clonmany, Cockhill, Four Lakes, Killoughey, Rathkeale, Rockies, Streamstown & Stapeltons.
Cockhill, national senior champions at 600kg
Six teams took part in the senior 600kg championship. The ever improving Rockies club pulled very well in this competition and it was obvious that they are now feared by the top clubs as Cockhill brought on the talented Gary Conway before their meeting. Nonetheless, Cockhill had to dig very deep especially in the second end to defeat the Kingscourt team. The Rockies club were dealt a cruel blow in their second end against Clonmany B having worked their opponents back to within a foot of the line only to run out of mat giving Clonmany the opportunity to recover and win the pull.
Rockies, Div 2 600kg national champions
Clonmany B & Rockies faced each other again in the semi final and the Donegal team had to work just as hard on this occasion to win qualification to the final with a straight end victory. Cockhill easily defeated Stapeltons in the other semi final. The final between the two neighboring Donegal clubs was a good even contest but it was the Cockhill team who always had the edge and the power to stamp their authority on the match-up winning their fourth national senior title with a straight end victory. Rockies and Stapeltons faced each other in what was a combined senior bronze medal/Div 2 final. The experienced Rockies team were too strong in this contest and went on to win both sets of medals with a straight end victory.
Killoughey, national champions, novice 600kg
Seven teams competed in what was a very entertaining and evenly balanced novice 600kg competition. The teams who qualified for the semi final were Ballinasloe, Four lakes, Killoughey & Streamstown. Well done to the local Ballycommon club from near Tullamore who made their national championship debut in this event. Killoughey defeated Four lakes in the semi final to qualify for the final. They were joined in the final by Streamstown who defeated Ballinasloe in the second semi final. The final was a repeat of last weekend’s 640kg championship in Ballygar. The very impressive Streamstown team who were pulling with 7 men put up a strong challenge in the final but it was the experienced Killoughey club from Co. Offaly who won sweet revenge for last week’s defeat as they went on to win their first indoor title of the season with a straight end victory. Ballinasloe faced Four lakes in the bronze medal pull-off. The Galway team who were left very disappointed after last weekend 640kg in Ballygar found themselves in a deciding end once again with a medal up for grabs. It was to be third time lucky on this occasion for the Ballinasloe team as they dug deep to win the deciding end and a well earned bronze medal.
See full results on our Results page.
Click here to see photos from Tullamore (note: there are 2 pages of photos).
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The national indoor championships continued yesterday in Ballygar, Co. Galway. The clubs who attended were Ballinasloe, Canavans, Clonmany, Cockhill, Cuan Rithe, Four Lakes, Hillview, Killoughey, Mountain View, Streamstown, Stapeltons, Rathkeale & Rockies.
Cockhill, national senior champions at 640kg
Five teams competed in the senior 640kg event. Once again, Cockhill were very strong and they qualified for the final with a comfortable win over Stapeltons in the semi final. Mountain View had to dig deep to get past Rockies to book their place in the final. The final, a repeat of the previous two senior finals this season was once again a one sided affair as the Donegal based Cockhill team were always in control winning their third senior title with a comfortable straight end victory. The teams who qualified for the Div 2 final were Rockies & Stapeltons. The Cavan based Rockies team who have steadily progressed over the past few seasons produced a controlled display winning the gold medal with a straight end victory.
Streamstown, national champions, novice 640kg
Six teams competed in the novice 640kg competition. The Streamstown club from Co. Westmeath produced a fine display to qualify for the final by defeating Cuan Rithe from Co. Cork in the semi final. Killoughey from Co. Offaly had to dig very deep to defeat Ballinasloe in a three-ender to book their place in the final. The impressive Streamstown team went on to produce a great performance in the final to win the gold medal and their first ever national title. The local Ballinasloe team were once again left disappointed as Cuan Rithe produced a gutsy display to defeat them in another three ended contest to win the bronze medal.
Clonmany B, winners of round 2 of the youth league
The second round of the youth league was another good success as five teams competed once again. On this occasion it was Clonmany B who produced a fine display as they topped the round robin without loosing a single end taking the maximum 7 points available. Rathkeale finished in second place and pick up 6 points. This leaves these two teams tied on 13 points each which sets things up for a very exciting finale in Kingscourt on the 16th of December. Canavans and Streamstown battled it out once again in the second round of the ladies league. This was a very entertaining contest as Streamstown took the first.
Streamstown ladies, winners of round 2 of the ladies league
Canavans dropped in hard in the second end and leveled the match but it was Streamstown who went on to take the 7 points available with a 3 ends to 1 victory. This means that these two teams are also locked on 13 points each as we await the finale in Kingscourt. Streamstown rounded off a great day for their club by winning the second round of the mixed 4×4 league to put them in a dominant position with one round remaining.
Updated league tables can be found on the League Tables page.
See full results on our Results page.
Click here to see photos from yesterday’s competition in Ballygar (Note: there are 2 pages of photos)
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There was a low turnout of teams today at the second round of the national indoor championships in Clonmany as only five clubs competed, these were, Ballinasloe, Clonmany, Cockhill, Mountain View & Rockies.
Cockhill, national senior champions at 680kg
Six teams entered the senior 680kg competition as Clonmany entered two teams. This was quite a low standard competition as Cockhill were well ahead of the rest easily topping the round robin. They were joined in the semi finals by Clonmany B, Mountain View and Rockies. Clonmany A who only fielded one member of February’s world championship winning team missed out on qualification. There was a good evenly balanced semi final contest between Clonmany B and Mountain View but it was the Louth team who progressed with a hard fought straight end victory. Cockhill easily defeated Rockies in the other semi final. Mountain View were no match for Cockhill in the final as the Donegal based club primarily made up of former St. Pats pullers easily won their second gold medal of the season.
Rockies, national Div 2 champions at 680kg
Clonmany B had to dig deep against a resilient Rockies team to win the bronze medal. Rockies went one better in the Div 2 final as they defeated the improving Ballinasloe club from Co. Galway to win the gold medal. Clonmany fielded two teams in an entertaining youth contest as they prepared for the second round of the youth league which takes place at the next round of the championships in Ballygar on Sunday the 2nd of December.
See full results on our Results page.
Click here to see photos from today’s championship in Clonmany.
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The 2012 national indoor season got up and running last Sunday at the Carlow Youth centre in Carlow town. The clubs who attended were Boyneside, Canavans, Clonmany, Cockhill, Four Lakes, Hillview, Mountain View, Streamstown, Rathkeale & Rockies. Five teams competed in the senior 720kg competition.
Cockhill, national senior champions at 720kg
Cockhill and Mountain View were the two strongest teams in this event as they progressed to face each other in the final. The new look Donegal based Cockhill team were very strong in the final as they easily overcame the Louth team to win the gold medal and pick-up the national senior title. The third place pull-off between Canavans and Rockies was an entertaining affair as the Galway team won the first end. However the Kingscourt based Rockies team dug deep to win the second and third ends to pick up the bronze medal. The tides were reversed between these same two teams in the Div 2 final as Canavans produced a great performance to win the gold medal with a hard fought straight end victory.
Boyneside, national champions at 720kg novice
Four teams competed in the 720kg novice competition. Boyneside who had a great outdoor season made their debut at indoor level and they pulled well topping the round robin. Boyneside defeated Rathkeale in the first semi final as Streamstown overcame Four Lakes to take their place in the final. The final was a close contest but it was Boyneside who continued their 2012 gold rush to win the national title with a straight end victory. Rathkeale defeated Four Lakes to win the bronze medal.
Rathkeale, winners of round 1 of the youth league
There was a good turnout of five teams in the 6-a-side youth league which is great progression on the development of the indoor Games. Rathkeale from Co. Limerick were very strong in this event as they fielded two teams. The Rathkeale A team pulled well to top the league after round 1 picking up the maximum 7 points. Clonmany B finished in second place and picked up the 6 points. Hillview who won the outdoor league took the 5 points with a third place finish. Canavans & Streamstown competed in the first round of the ladies 6-a-side league which again is good progression for ladies development at indoor level.
Streamstown, winners of round 1 of the mixed 4×4 league
The experienced Canavans team emerged winners in this one to take the maximum 7 points after the first round. The same two teams competed in the first round of the mixed 4×4 league. This was run on a best of 5 ends and on this occasion it was the Streamstown club from Co. Westmeath who took the maximum 7 points winning by 3 ends to 1.
See full results on our Results page.
See tables after round 1 on our League Tables page.
Click here to see photos from Sunday’s championship in Carlow (Note: there are 2 pages of photos).
Thanks a million to Pat Lee for providing report and photos from Carlow!
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48 teams competed in a high standard 640kg open club competition in the evening. Gortletteragh pulled well to come runners-up in their group and progressed into the quarter finals with a hard fought 3 ended victory over Mount Vernon from the USA in the last 16. In the quarters they met Bison from the Netherlands and were easily defeated in straight ends. Lakehill were drawn in a group of death which included Bison and Ebersecken from Switzerland. Lakehill lost a bad end to Bison but recovered well to win the second end but picked up a few cautions in the process. The Mayo team were hoping for a grueler between Bison & Ebersecken but the sly Dutch team walked it in as they knew they were ahead of Lakehill on cautions. This left Lakehill needing 1 end from Ebersecken to progress to the last 16. They lost the first end but dug deep in the second end to take the strong Swiss team to within two feet of the line before running out of steam. This resulted in their exit from the competition on cautions. Bison & Ebersecken marched their way through the competition making light work of formidable opposition such as Engelberg, Veenseboys & Eibergen to face each other in the final. Ebersecken defeated Bison in the final to win the gold medal while Veenseboys won the bronze.
Click here for updated results.
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