Clooney-Quin on top in high scoring-tie

Clooney-Quin 2-18  Wolfe Tones 3-11

IN a high-scoring Clare Champion Cup tie at Shannon on Thursday evening, Clooney-Quin came out on top.
The game marked the return to action of Patsy Keyes who lined out at full-back for the Shannon side. Keyes retired from competitive hurling in 2009 and earlier this year, agreed to take on the role of manager with Wolfe Tones.
As the Shannon club continue to struggle with numbers, having lost a lot of players to emigration, the Limerick native bowed to pressure and returned to action last week
Clooney-Quin had a dream start with a Martin Duggan goal inside half a minute. Gareth McPhillips opened the home side’s account but points from Paudie Ward (two frees) and Cathal Egan had the winners five clear by the ninth minute.
It was 1-7 to 0-4 by the 20th minute when the home side had their first goal, which came from Daithi O’Connell. Gareth McPhillips and Aaron Cunningham pointed to cut the margin to the minimum before Clooney-Quin responded with a Mike Daffy goal. Wolfe Tones finished the half strongly and a Bobby McPhillips point, followed by a Mark Regan goal left the teams level at 2-7 each at the halfway point.
The winners dominated the opening 10 minutes of the second half during which they had points from Paudie Ward, Mike Daffy, Martin Duggan, Fergal Lynch and Ronan Gallagher before the McPhillips brothers converted two frees for the home side.
It was 2-15 to 2-10 with seven minutes to go when Daithi O’Connell had his second goal. A Gareth McPhillips point left the minimum between the teams with time running out but two points in the space of a minute from Cathal Egan and one from John Earls sealed victory for the visitors, who finished the game with 14 men as they had their quota of five substitutes used when Joe O’Loughlin picked up an injury.
Clooney-Quin: Damian O’Halloran; Joe O’Loughlin, Conor Harrison, Shane McNamara; Mike McNamara, Cillian Duggan, Enda Harrison; Paudie Ward, Sean Conheady; Ronan Gallagher, Cathal Egan, Martin Duggan; Mike Daffy, Fergal Lynch, Dara Hannon.
Subs: Peter Duggan for Hannon; Derek Ryan for E Harrison; Patrick Cunningham for O’Halloran; Adrian Fleming for Lynch; John Earls for Conheady.
Wolfe Tones: Paul Hogan; Niall Murphy, Patsy Keyes, Joe McGauley; Stephen McInerney, Bobby McPhillips, Barry Loughnane; Daithi O’Connell, Shane Chambers; Brendan Hughes, Declan O’Rourke, Aaron Cunningham; Paul Walsh, Gareth McPhillips, Mark Regan.
Subs: John Guilfoyle for Murphy (inj), Alan Hehir for Walsh; Eamonn O’Neill for McInerney (inj).

Game cancelled

A WATER-logged pitch led to the cancellation of the game between Tulla and Inagh-Kilnamona, due to be played at Inagh on Saturday afternoon.