After-match incidents mar semi-final

BALLYEA and O’Callaghan’s Mills were the winners when the U-21B hurling semi-finals were played on Saturday but the main talking point concerned incidents after the game in which Ballyea beat St Joseph’s at Éire Óg.
Referee Kevin Walsh, who had sent off St Joseph’s defender Niall Hassett before the end of the third quarter, issued a red card to St Joseph’s forward Shane O’Connor after the final whistle.
It is also understood that he reported at least one St Joseph’s supporter following incidents after the game in which seven cards were shown to St Joseph’s players.
The referee’s report is expected to come before the CCC of Clare GAA this week.

Ballyea 0-14 St Joseph’s 1-8

BALLYEA qualified for their second final in three years by overcoming a strong challenge from St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield at the Éire Óg grounds last Saturday.
Doora-Barefield got off to a good start and were first on the scoreboard with a point from play from Jarlath Colleran but Ballyea began to find their feet with Tony Kelly punishing indisicpline in the challengers’ back line with four points, three of which came from frees while Paul Flanagan and Niall Deasy chipped in with a point a piece from play.
St Joseph’s finished the half strongly thanks mainly to the accuracy of Shane O’Connor and Alan O’Neill from frees, which left them only a point in arrears at the interval 0-6 to 0-5.
The winners started to assert their authority in the third quarter and were six points ahead with 10 minutes to go with Tony Kelly, Niall Deasy and Martin O’Leary on target for the Ballyea men while Shane O’Connor and Jarlath Colleran were the Doora-Barefield scorers.
Then the side in maroon and white suffered a setback when Niall Hassett was shown a red card for a tackle on Ballyea wing-forward Cathal Doohan. However, with five minutes left to play, Doora-Barefield received a life line when the sliotar ended up in the Ballyea net off the hurley of Niall Collins after a scramble in the penalty area, which reduced the margin to three points.
The men in black and amber held steady in the closing minutes, despite claims by St Joseph’s followers that they should have been awarded a close in free, to record a deserved victory.

Ballyea: Shane Harkins, Eanna McInerney, Jack Browne, Cormac Ryan, James Murphy, Gearóid O’Connell, David Sheehan; Paul Flanagan(0-1), Tony Kelly (0-9, 7f); Cathal Doohan, Brian Murphy, Niall Deasy (0-3), Declan Keane, Paudge McMahon, Martin O’Leary (0-1).
Subs: Niall Griffin for Cathal Doohan, Eoghan Donnellan for Paudge McMahon.
St Josephs: Mikey Roseingrave; Darragh Murphy, Stephen Collins, Cillian Griffey; Niall Hassett, Alan O’Neill (0-1), Eamonn Clohessy; Leo Duggan, Jarlath Colleran (0-2); Ian Lyons (0-2), Niall De Loughrey, Aaron Landy; Barry Millane, Shane O’Connor (0-3), Cathal Duggan (1-0).
Subs: Stephen Barron for Griffey; Donal O’Halloran for Millane.
Referee: Kevin Walsh, Wolfe Tones.

O’Callaghan’s Mills 3-10 Corofin 0-10

DESPITE trailing by a point at half-time, O’Callaghan’s Mills were deserving winners over Corofin in this semi-final played at Dr Daly Park in Tulla on Saturday.
It was 0-9 to 1-5, the goal coming from Jamie Lynch, at the halfway point with Corofin in the lead and the sides continued to be evenly matched in the third quarter.
However, further goals from Lynch and Ian Donnellan gave the Mills a vital edge and sent them through to the final. They held the upperhand in the final quarter and deservingly progressed to play Ballyea in the decider.

O’Callaghan’s Mills: Henry Skehan; Sean O’Gorman, Gerry Cooney, Michael McGrath; Aidan Fawl, Adrian Donovan, Darren Cooney; Kevin O’Callaghan, Eoin McInerney; Colm McHugh, James McMahon, Eoin McGrath; Jamie Lynch, Ian Donnellan, Aidan O’Gorman.
Subs: Christy Phillpott for E McInerney; Jamie Heffernan for O’Callaghan; Eoin McNamara for Donnellan.
Corofin: Patrick Burke; Killian O’Loughlin, Eamonn Malone, Manus Malone; Ian Corbett, Luke O’Loughlin, Darren Malone; Fionn Clancy, Stephen Heagney; Jamie Malone, Eamonn Malone, Declan Stack; Gearóid Kelly, Kevin Heagney, Keith O’Loughlin.
Referee: Ger Hoey, Killanena.