Cratloe keep their play-off hopes alive

Cratloe 1-17   Broadford 0-9

Cratloe were comfortable winners over Broadford in the Clare Champion Cup Division 1A tie at Cratloe on Sunday and remain very much in contention for a place in the competition semi-finals. They play leaders Inagh-Kilnamona in the final round and must win to have a chance of a place in the knock-out stage.

For Sunday’s game, the South East Clare club welcomed back inter-county panellists Cathal McInerney, Conor Ryan and Liam Markham while Sean Collins wasn’t available due to injury. Between them, McInerney, Ryan and Markham contributed 1-8 of their team’s total.

The teams were level five times in the opening 20 minutes, at which stage the score was 0-5 each. A minute later, the winners took a lead they held to the finish. Shane Gleeson found Conor Ryan with a pin-point crossfield delivery and the Cratloe centre-forward drilled a powerful strike to the net. They went on to lead by four points at half-time, 1-8 to 0-7, after playing against the wind.

The teams exchanged points twice in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, after which Cratloe got a grip on the game and held their opponents scoreless for the remainder of the tie.

They hit eight unanswered points in the final 20 minutes to emerge as worthy winners. Michael Hawes, Liam Markham Conor Ryan and Cathal McInerney were always prominent for the winners on a day when Cathal Chaplin, Ciarán Corcoran, Donie Whelan and Pádraig Hickey did best for Broadford.

Cratloe: Gearóid Ryan; John O’Gorman, Barry Duggan, David Ryan; Philip Gleeson, Michael Hawes, Enda Boyce (0-1); Liam Markham (0-2f), Martin ‘Ogie’ Murphy; Sean Chaplin (0-1), Conor Ryan (1-2), Shane O’Leary (0-1); Shane Gleeson, Cathal McInerney (0-4), Damian Browne (0-6f).
Sub: David Collins for O’Gorman.
Broadford: Cian O’Brien; Brian Taylor, Alan Kilcoyne, Stephen Gunning; Cathal Chaplin (0-1), Niall Moloney, Ciarán Corcoran; Diarmuid Moloney, Craig Chaplin (0-3); Pádraig Taylor (0-1) Aonghus O’Brien, Donie Whelan; Declan Teefy, Pádraig Hickey (0-3), Shane Taylor (0-1).
Subs: Mark Moloney for Teefy, Danny Reddan for S Taylor and Stiofán McMahon for D Moloney.
Referee: Fergal Gray, Feakle

Newmarket 2-12   Clarecastle 0-7

Newmarket emerged as deserving winners over neighbours Clarecastle in this league tie played at Clarecastle on Sunday.

A tricky crossfield wind, allied to heavy drizzle, made conditions difficult for the players in the opening half, at the end of which Newmarket led by double scores, 0-6 to 0-3, half of their tally coming from long-range frees from centre-back James McInerney, who dominated at centre-back throughout.

The Magpies managed just one score from play, from midfielder Jonathon Clancy, with the remaining scores coming from frees by Bobby Duggan. The minor star hit three early second-half scores to close the gap to the minimum.

Newmarket stepped up a gear after this and hit 2-4 without reply. To add to the home side’s woes, they had forward Michael Casey sent off on a straight red card.

Shane O’Brien Senior and James Liddy were the Newmarket goalscorers but the Magpies will be disappointed at the manner in which their defence conceded these scores.

Newmarket: Ian Mulcahy; Eoin O’Brien, Niall O’Connor, Pádraig Kilmartin; Alan Barrett, James McInerney (0-5), Shane Kelleher; Martin O’Hanlon (0-1), Ronan Goode; David Barrett (0-2), Shane O’Brien senior (0-1), Shane Liddy; James Liddy (1-2), Mike McInerney (0-1), Shane O’Brien Junior (1-0).
Subs: Stephen Kelly for A Barrett, Eoin Hayes for O’Brien Junior, Noel Frawley for O’Brien Senior and Frank Melody for O’Hanlon.
Clarecastle: Jamie Coughlan; Seanie Moloney, Stephen O’Halloran, Kevin Clohessy; Gearóid Ryan, Danny Scanlan, Patrick Kelly; Jonathon Clancy (0-1), Adam Healy; Bobby Duggan (0-6), Conor Plunkett, Mark McGuane; Michael Casey, Derek Quinn, Stephen Ward.
Subs: Conor Clancy for O’Halloran, Fergus Ryan for Clancy, Conor Galvin for Quinn, John Reidy for G Ryan and Eamon Callinan for McGuane.
Referee: Ambrose Heagney.

Inagh-Kilnamona 0-18   Éire Óg 0-14

A storming start to the game, which saw them race into a 0-9 to 0-0 lead after 20 minutes, laid the foundations for Inagh-Kilnamona’s latest win in this season’s campaign.

The victory, at the Éire Óg grounds, sees the mid-Clare side remain at the top of the table with their seventh win from eight outings and with one round remaining, they remain strong favourites to be in the play-offs.

They had the aid of a stiff breeze in the first half when the Arthur brothers picked off some great scores.
Missed chances proved costly for the home side in the first half when they were wasteful in front of goal.

Despite going nine points behind, the town side fought back to trail by just four at the interval, 0-12 to 0-8.

Inagh-Kilnamona: Stephen Twomey; Sean Devitt, Milo Keane, Dermot Lynch; Colm Pilkington, Christopher O’Looney, Brian Hehir; Tomás Kelly, Paul O’Looney (0-1), Ger Arthur (0-5, 1f), Eamon Glynn (0-2), Shane Griffin (0-1); Conor Tierney (0-1), Niall Arthur (0-7, 5f), Gerry Coote (0-1).
Subs: Kevin Hehir for Shane Griffin and Shane Griffin for Paul O’Looney.
Éire Óg: Philip Walsh; John Mulcahy, Mark Fitzgerald, David Neylon; Liam Corry (0-2), Kevin Moynihan, Ciarán Russell (0-1); Aaron Fitzgerald, Niall McMahon; Graham Glynn, Damian McMahon, Barry Nugent; David Reidy (0-5, 3f), Brian Dolan (0-4), David O’Halloran (0-2).
Subs: Tadhg MacNamara for Nugent and Danny Russell for Niall McMahon.
Referee: Sean McMahon, Newmarket-on-Fergus.

Clooney-Quin 2-11   Clonlara 1-12

The value of Peter Duggan to Clooney-Quin was emphasised again on Sunday when he played a key part in his team’s win over Clonlara at Clonlara.

Clonlara looked to be in a strong position at half-time when they trailed by just three points after playing against a strong breeze. Clooney-Quin’s first-half goal came from a Peter Duggan penalty. Both sides had a lot of wides in the course of the game.

With a couple of minutes remaining, Clonlara led by two points but Clooney-Quin finished strongly and after Ger O’Connell in the Clonlara goal had made an excellent save from Peter Duggan, Clooney’s Fergal Lynch got the vital touch to bundle the ball over the line.

Clooney-Quin: Keith Hogan; Joe O’Loughlin, Shane McNamara, Bryan McInerney; Conor Harrison, Cillian Duggan, Mark O’Halloran; James Corry, Donncha Murphy (0-1); Paudie Ward (0-1), Peter Duggan (1-7), Ritchie Hennessy; Seamus Conroy, Fergal Lynch (1-0), Mike Daffy (0-1).
Subs: John Earls for Hennessy, James Casey (0-1) for Conroy and Derek Ryan for Corry.
Clonlara: Ger O’Connell; Pat O’Hare, Shane O’Brien, John Moloney; Eoin Meehan, Domhnaill O’Donovan (0-1), Cillian Fennessy; William Slattery (0-1), Neil Ryan (0-2); Ciaran Downey (0-1), Nicky O’Connell (0-5), Cathal O’Connell (0-1); James Hastings (0-1), Jason Murphy, Ryan Morris.
Subs: Patrick Conlon (1-0) for Murphy, Patrick Stritch for Moloney.
Referee: Jim Hickey, Cratloe.

Sixmilebridge 4-20   Crusheen 1-13

Sixmilebridge eased their relegation worries with a strong performance to defeat Crusheen at O’Garney Park last Thursday.

A strong first half, at the end of which they led by 14 points, laid the foundations for the win.

The opening exchanges suggested this would be a close affair but first-half goals from Christy Griffin (2) and Danny Morey put the home side in the driving seat and they were 3-12 to 1-4 in front when the half-time whistle sounded, the visitor’s goal coming from Dara O’Doherty.

There was no way back for Crusheen after this and a Jamie Shanahan goal for the winners confirmed this early in the second half.

Sixmilebridge: Derek Fahy; Trevor Purcell, Tadhg Keogh, Paul Fitzpatrick; Sam O’Sullivan, Páidí Fitzpatrick, Noel Purcell; Pa Sheehan (0-6), Brian Casey (0-1); Jamie Shanahan (1-3), Alan Mulready (0-4), Kevin Lynch; Christy Griffin (2-1), Rory Shanahan, Danny Morey (1-5).
Sub: Cathal O’Connor for Carey.
Crusheen: Donal Tuohy; Donal Dillon, Shaun Dillon, Conor O’Loughlin; Ciaran O’Doherty, Cathal Dillon, Niall Fitzgibbon; Gerry O’Grady (0-1), Alan Tuohy (0-1); Gearóid O’Donnell (0-1), Jamie Fitzgibbon (0-1), Joe Meaney (0-3); Conor O’Donnell (0-1), Fergus Kennedy (0-3), Dara O’Doherty (1-2).
Subs: Eddie Fogarty for N Fitzgibbon, Youen Horner for Donal Dillon, Sean Mhaoir for Conor O’Donnell; Rory Halpin for O’Loughlin and Niall Kearney for J Fitzgibbon.
Referee: Rory Hickey, Éire Óg.