Smith O’Briens GAA Club hosted their annual road hurling competition in Bridgetown last week, raising €2,300 to fund the club’s ongoing development.
The tournament now in its 4th year, welcomed 37 teams of 3 from across East Clare who competed on the roads surrounding the village.
Road Hurling, a fun and novel concept has become popular in the last few years as teams of 3 cover a circuit or course – typically set on quiet back roads – pucking a sliotar from a start point to an end point. In a scoring system similar to golf, the team with the least amount of shots, after completing the course is announced the winner.
Speaking after the event, held on St. Stephen’s day, Smith O’Briens’ club treasurer, Declan O’Halloran said “the road hurling tournament has evolved into a brilliant annual event for all the family. We have boys and girls aged from 7-76 who make their way out to enjoy the day’s activities. I’d like to thank our newly appointed fundraising committee for their hard work and most importantly all our loyal sponsors who continue to support this event.”
Tournament Organiser Derek Conway said, “it’s great to host this event each year, we started it out as a bit of fun but have been amazed at how popular it has become. We had 19 teams when we first started in 2016 and now those numbers have nearly doubled. If nothing else, it helps a few guys and girls burn off the excess turkey and ham.”
The winner at this year’s competition was the Stritch family team from Killaloe, captained by Cathal with a winning score of 44.
The event will celebrate its 5th year anniversary this year on St. Stephen’s day.