The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
IT was a truly memorable year for sports teams representing Newmarket-on-Fergus. The senior hurlers are back as Clare champions after a 31-year absence and, for good measure, they also captured the league crown (Clare Champion Cup), completing the double for the first time in almost 40 years.
Newmarket Celtic FC also won the premier double in Clare soccer, capturing the league and cup titles and there are a number of players who figured in all four title-winning sides.
These include Eoin Hayes, Colin Ryan, Stephen and Enda Kelly and Eoin O’Brien, Shortly after the soccer cup final, Stephen Kelly, scorer of the all-important goal in that decider, emigrated to Canada and missed the remainder of the hurling season. He returned for the hurling final and assisted his club as a hurley carrier on the day.
In winning the soccer double, for the first time in 22 years, they went through the season without defeat, a feat never before achieved in Clare junior soccer.
For much of the past decade, Newmarket has been on the short list of favourites for the hurling title at the start of each campaign but disappointment has been their lot each time. However, in the last few years, it was obvious that they were getting closer.
When the draws were made, the Blues found themselves grouped with title holders Crusheen, Tulla and Broadford. This year, Newmarket secured the services of Tipperary’s All-Ireland winning manager Liam Sheedy to help with preparations.
They opened with a hard-earned one-point win over Tulla and followed with a three-point win over Broadford, before drawing with Crusheen. They finished in top spot in their group, which earned them a quarter-final date with Tubber, a game they won by seven points.
In the semi-final, they came up against the competition favourites, Clonlara. In a really hard-fought contest at Sixmilebridge, the greater hunger of Newmarket won the day, 0-12 to 1-8, and they moved to the final for the first time in four years.
Neighbours Cratloe came through the other side and in the final, they just could not match the hunger of Newmarket, who emerged as winners on a 3-10 to 0-9 scoreline.
In the Munster Club Championship, they had home advantage against De La Salle from Waterford and for much of the game, Newmarket looked like they would progress to the provincial decider. With the game in injury time, the visitors got through for the only goal, which proved the difference between the teams.
To their credit, Newmarket bounced back from this disappointment two weeks later when they defeated Clonlara in the final of the Clare Champion Cup (senior league). This game was played in atrocious weather conditions but the Newmarket defence produced another outstanding display to inspire their team to victory.
