A Rugby club winning on and off the field

By JIM CARNEY THE CLUB RUGBY season may be drawing to a close but Tuam R.F.C. must be hoping it goes into extra-time [private]â€â€ they're going from strength to strength on the field of play, and have a hectic schedule off the field, too. A few short weeks ago, Tuam firsts won the Connacht Junior Plate with a superb four-try performance and 27-12 victory over Galwegians at the Sportsground, and last Sunday the seconds got their hands on important silverware again when they impressively retained the ÃÂrd na Cregg Cup at Corinthian Park, Cloonacauneen, with a 24â€Â¨-10 win over Castlebar. Tuam's scorers were Owen Lydon, Eugene Sharkey and Damien Burke (a try each), and Kieran Comer (3 conversions, 1 penalty). Long-serving Mickey O'Connor had the honour of receiving the ÃÂrd na Cregg Cup from another Tuam man, John Carr, incoming President of the Connacht Branch, I.R.F.U. The Tuam captain who showed the way three weeks ago was Mike Ward, and his season is also memorable for his selection on the Connacht Junior squad for their first interpro' of 2011, against Ulster next Saturday. The game will be played at the Tuam R.F.C. grounds, Garraun Park, Dublin Road. Off the field, the members of Tuam Rugby Club are busy preparing for the big White Collar Boxing tournament at the MG Business Park, Galway Road, on Friday night week, May 6th. This special fund-raising event is promoted by Tuam Lions Club and Tuam R.F.C., and is supported by St Jarlath's Credit Union. Some of the rugby players (male and female) are pictured here: Eanna Hegerty (age 21) was born in Co. Tipperary; he is a student at GMIT; his sporting hero is Paul O'Connell; his Fight Night nickname is Eanna 'Hellfire' Hegerty and his theme tune is the Jersey Shore theme song. Medbh Killilea works for Fáilte Ireland (Senior Travel Advisor; her sporting hero is Seán Harty ('he would put any sports man or woman to shame with his level of fitness'); she is sponsored by Canavan's Pub, Tuam and Jimmy Bane Wines; her Boxing Night nickname is Medbh â€ËœThe Killer' Killilea, and her theme tune is Eminem's Lose Yourself. Ja Fallon is the postman who always delivers â€â€ especially at Croke Park in September 1998. His own sporting heroes are Martin McCarthy and Jimmy Maughan; Ja's sponsor is The Cellar Bar, and asked how he's finding the training for boxing he replies: 'Good and hard!' Painter and decorator, rugby player and now a boxer, Brian Ruane names the great Munster and Ireland flank-forward David Wallace as his sporting hero; his Boxing Night nickname is Brian 'The Fresh Prince of Belclare' Ruane, and his Bout theme tune is Roy Jones Jr's Can't Be Touched. Born in Zambia, living in Tuam, Cóilín Hegerty works as a TCO for the Central Statistics Office; his sporting hero is Sergio Parisse and his Boxing Night nickname is Cóilín 'The Cyclone' Hegerty. Sponsor: Harpy's Bar. Bout theme tune: Cobrastyle Teddybears.[/private]