The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
NEIGHBOURS Sixmilebridge and Newmarket will contest the final of the Clare Minor A Hurling Championship after their weekend victories over title holders Kilmaley and Ballyea respectively.
Sixmilebridge’s victory over the defending champions was expected but Newmarket caused a surprise when they accounted for a fancied Ballyea team on Sunday.
Sixmilebridge 1-16 Kilmaley 0-9
SIXMILEBRIDGE justified favouritism when proving too strong for Kilmaley in the first of the Minor A hurling semi-finals, played at Clarecastle on Saturday evening.
In a repeat of last year’s final, the ’Bridge proved the better-balanced side and deservingly stripped the title-holders of the crown they won impressively 12 months ago.
The winners were stronger in a number of vital positions and won a lot of possession in the half-back and midfield areas. Their impressive tally was shared by six players whereas Kilmaley depended hugely on Michael O’Neill for scores and he finished with all but two of their nine points.
At the end of the opening half, the winners led by double scores, 0-8 to 0-4 but Kilmaley could have been closer. They had seven first-half wides, four more than the winners but their forward line, apart from O’Neill, failed to trouble the winners’ defence.
By the end of the third quarter, the gap was down to three and then it turned very much in favour of the winners.
A delivery from midfield dropped short and as Kilmaley goalkeeper Brian O’Loughlin advanced to win possession, full-back Stephen Griffey was penalised for holding his opponent.
Jamie Shanahan, the game’s top scorer, blasted the resultant free to the net and from here on, there really was only one team in it.
Five unanswered points, four from Shanahan, followed as the favourites pulled away for a convincing victory.
They had put down a marker from the start racing into a five-point lead after just eight minutes with the scores coming from Seán Lynch, Shanahan, Seadna Morey and Darragh Fitzgerald.
The game had reached the end of the opening quarter before O’Neill opened Kilmaley’s account and he quickly followed with a second. However, he lacked support up front and the Sixmilebridge defence held the upperhand.
It was 0-11 to 0-8 10 minutes into the second half and hopes of a Kilmaley rally were still alive amongst their followers. Shanahan’s goal changed all that.
Kevin Lynch, Eanna Burns, Noel Purcell, Seadna Morey, Darragh Fitzgerald, Seán Lynch and Shanahan who finished with 1-9, stood out for the winners. Kilmaley’s best were Niall McGuane, Dara McMahon, Eoin Fitzgerald and Michael O’Neill, who contributed 0-7.
Sixmilebridge: Kieran Quinlan; Eoin Hogan, Kevin Lynch, Eamonn O’Donoghue; Eanna Burns, Noel Purcell, Brian Carey; Cathal O’Connor, Seadna Morey; Conleth Agnew, Darragh Fitzgerald, Alan Mulready; Sean Lynch, Jamie Shanahan, Pa Sheehan.
Subs: Conor Deasy for Agnew (55 minutes), Barry Corbett for Carey (57 minutes); Andrew Hyland for O’Donoghue (59 minutes).
Kilmaley: Bryan O’Loughlin; Kevin McNamara, Stephen Griffey, Niall McGuane; Dara McMahon, Dara Keane, Eoin Fitzgerald; Eoin Enright, Conor Cleary; Michael O’Neill, Paul Barry, Tomas Lynch; Aidan McGuane, Michael O’Loughlin, Paul Kennedy.
Subs: Kevin Connellan for McNamara (25 minutes); Barry Lynch for T Lynch (42 minutes), Cian Moloney for O’Loughlin (46 minutes).
Referee: Johnnie Healy, Smith O’Brien’s.
Newmarket 3-13 Ballyea 3-10
THE foundations for Newmarket’s victory were laid in the opening half when they built up a nine-point lead, punishing a number of defensive errors by Ballyea in the process.
The half-time score was 3-7 to 1-4 in the winners’ favour and Ballyea will feel that at least two of those goals should have been prevented.
Shane Liddy (2) and Shane Cusack were the goal scorers for the winners but the Ballyea defence must take the blame for at least two of the goals.
That said, credit must go to Newmarket who took a grip on proceedings from the throw-in and, in addition to forcing the Ballyea defence into those errors, they also put together come impressive moves which resulted in scores.
To the credit, Ballyea improved considerably in the second half helped by the move of Paul Flanagan to attack.
Midfielder in the Clare team which contested this year’s All-Ireland minor final, Tony Kelly caused a lot of problems for the winners as reflected in his tally of 2-9 for this outing. He was clearly the Ballyea player that caused most problems for the winners.
As the second half wore on, Ballyea piled on the pressure and for a while it looked as if they might earn another chance but time wasn’t on their side and Newmarket held on for victory and a place in the final against Sixmilebridge.
