Clonlara keep double hopes alive

With just three of the players that started in the previous week’s senior championship final, in their starting line up, Clonlara still managed a comfortable 2-21 to 0-14 victory over Clarecastle in the quarter final of the Clare Champion cup (senior hurling league) at Sixmilebridge this Saturday night.

Despite trailing by six points (0-3 to 0-9) after twenty minutes and by four at half time when the score was 0-6 to 0-10, the South Clare club turned this tie around in the second half which they dominated.

Clonlara had drawn level nine minutes into the new half and after they exchanged points in the next two minutes, Clonlara took over and hit 2-8 without reply, the goals coming from Pat O’Hare and Ken Haskett. Micheal O’Loughlin was in sparkling form for the winners, contributing 0-13 of their final tally, ten of which came from play.

In the semi-final they will face the title holders Sixmilebridge.

Earlier in the afternoon Clare’s intermediate champions St. Josephs bowed out of contention for the Munster intermediate crown when going down to their Limerick counterparts, Monaleen in a hard fought contest at the Limerick gaelic grounds.

Two first half goals from teenager Tom Hannan helped the Clare side to lead at half time,2-5 to 0-8. Monaleen had drawn level by the tenth minutes of the second half but an Alan O’Neill penalty goal helped the Doora-Barefield men to go five points clear by the end of the third quarter. They didn’t score again and the home side hit five in a row, the last two coming in injury time, to force extra time where they had the better of matters.

As expected the meeting of East Clare neighbours Bodyke and Ogonnelloe in the division 3 league final drew a big crowd to Whitegate. For the second week in a row there was disappointment for Bodyke. Having lost the junior A championship final by two points last week, they had to be content with the runners up spot for the second week in a row going down to their great rivals Ogonnelloe, 4-8 to 5-12.

Meanwhile, in football, Kilrush have secured their division 2 league status for next season thanks to a 1-10 to 0-8 win over Kilmihil a week after they had defeated Kilkee in the same competition. Kilrush and Kilkee will now drop down to division 3 for next season’s league.

The under 21 football championship got underway and both Lissycasey and Clondegad have booked their places in the last eight in the A competition. Lissycasey were 2-13 to 1-9 winners over Cooraclare at Kilmihil on Friday night while Clondegad had five points to spare over Miltown St. Josephs this afternoon. Doonbeg have qualified for the C final thanks to a 4-10 to 3-10 win over Banner