SPORT REVIEW OF THE YEAR - Nicole Turner picks up first medal of the year in April

April began with the awful news that Laois senior footballer Danny O'Reilly had been the victim of a vicious assault in Carlow town, which left him in a coma and out of football for close to eight months.

In better news, Nicole Turner was showing signs of what was to come by winning a silver medal at the Word Para Series swimming event in Indianapolis, USA.

In basketball, the Portlaoise Panthers laedies won the Midlands senior cup, while their juvenile teams picked up a whole host of trophies from the Kilkenny leagues.

In rugby, the North Midlands Falcons, featuring players from Portarlington, won a league and cup double in April, beating Portlaoise in the league final 19-5.

April was also a momentous month for Zach Tuohy, as the Portlaoise man lined out for is 150th appearance in the AFL.

In GAA action, the month of April was designated as a club's month by the GAA, so the local leagues kicked into overdrive, with four rounds of games in each. The Palmer Cup also came to a conclusion in April, with Abbeyleix emerging as the winners.

The Féile football finals saw Portlaoise and Graiguecullen claim two comprehensive wins, while Laois GAA also announced that the Laois-Offaly Education and Training Board had been secured as the naming partners for the Centre of Excellence.

In camogie, the Laois minors were beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final by Westmeath, while the county seniors were narrowly defeated by Kilkenny, 3-5 to 2-10.

The Portlaoise AFC U-19 side won the CCFL Division 1 title in April, while their senior team progressed nicely in league and cup action.

Team LMA also had a good month as they had a total of either fighters represent them at the All-Ireland finals, held in the CityWest Hotel during April, with Chloe Shortall catching the eye once again.