Clare on target with first Munster title

Clare darts history was made at the weekend in Rathkeale House Hotel in Limerick when the Banner county team won the Munster title for the first time in their history.

In the group stage, Clare were paired with Tipperary and Limerick B. The new Munster champions beat Limerick on an 8-4 scoreline before suffering a 10-2 loss to Tipperary A.

Finishing in second place in their group, Clare were through to a semi-final date against Kerry, which they won 7-6.

The win qualified them for a final date with Tipperary and the opportunity to avenge the earlier defeat in the group stage.

At the end of a very tight contest, Clare were 7-6 winners and Munster champions for the very first time.

The seven winners for Clare were Aidan Hanrahan, Joe Joe O’Connor, Martin Conroy, John Fagan, Patrick ‘Butcher’ McCarthy, Patrick Casey and Tommy Scully, while the other six that played in the final were Declan Cussen, Darren Daly, Mattie Mullins, Tommy Fay, Mike Daly and Dara Clancy.

The other panel members were John Dickinson, Daniel Ryan, Mike O’Connor, Ian McCarthy, Craig Moloney and Martin Howard.

Clare’s next outing will be in the All-Ireland championships, which will take place in the West County Hotel, Ennis, in early February.