Dynamic duo inspire Clonlara

Clonlara  1-10

Sixmilebridge  2-11

Beaten finalists last year, Sixmilebridge are out of the 2012 Clare Senior Hurling Championship race after suffering a second defeat. At Clarecastle on Saturday evening, they lost out to Clonlara in a tie that produced some lively exchanges and some great scores.

There was no hiding the disappointment for Sixmilebridge manager, Christy Chaplin.
“We had chances and we didn’t take them. We should have been another point or two up at half-time. We gave away a couple of soft scores before half-time. In the second half we were six points up and we gave away silly frees and made silly mistakes and let Clonlara back into it,” he said after the game.
“We started to die and once Clonlara got within a point, some of our lads’ heads went down and Clonlara got stronger. They had the assistance of the wind in the second half but that doesn’t win anything. You have to work. We started to slacken off. Some of our lads dropped their heads and Clonlara took advantage of that,” Chaplin added.
The ’Bridge were short a few regulars due to injury but Chaplin refused to blame their defeat on this.
“I won’t blame injuries. We knew coming into the game that they weren’t there. We had 15 on the field. We were in front for long periods and we didn’t put it away. Fair play to Clonlara. They took their chances. It was our own fault,” he said.
Clonlara selector Tommy Moloney felt the winners showed “great fighting spirit and it was a great second half”.
“We are very pleased with the way things worked out. We felt we were a bit flat in the first half but we certainly picked it up a bit in the second half. We fought really hard and we are really delighted that we are through now. It’s a just reward for what the lads have done all year.”
He admitted to being a little worried with 10 minutes to go. “It was tight and anything could happen. A goal could come at any time and we could be finished but fair play to the lads. It worked out well for us.”
Knowing they had to win to stay in the title race, Sixmilebridge were in determined mood right from the start and they got off to a dream start with a Paul Fitzpatrick point after just 20 seconds followed in the first minute by a Niall Gilligan goal.
Clonlara settled and by the end of the first quarter had cut the lead to two points, 0-4 to 1-3. Sixmilebridge pushed five clear with scores from Niall Gilligan, Danny and Caimin Morey and they held this margin to the break when the score was 1-8 to 0-6 in their favour.
They had the first score of the second half but they were then rocked by a Clonlara goal from Colm Galvin who finished a move started by full-back Domhnaill O’Donovan. A couple of minutes later, Sixmilebridge were five clear again when Caimin Morey blasted a penalty to the net, the free having been awarded for a foul on Niall Gillign.
It didn’t look good for Clonlara but with Nicky O’Connell becoming more dominant by the minute, ably assisted by Domhnaill and Cormac O’Donovan, they hit three unanswered points from John Conlon (2) and Cormac O’Donovan to leave two points between the teams at the turn of the final quarter.
Two magnificent points from Conlon and Nicky O’Connell had the margin down to one with six minutes to go. Colm Galvin levelled with three remaining but the ’Bridge were back in front a minute later thanks to a converted free by Caimin Morey. Jason Murphy levelled before, in the final minute of normal time, the winners took the lead for the first time when substitute Tommy Begley pointed and they sealed their win with an injury-time free from Nicky O’Connell.
In the second minute of injury time, Sixmilebridge won a free at midfield but Paul Fitzpatrick saw his effort go wide.
The winners’ defence did well with Domhnaill O’Donovan and Nicky O’Connell particularly outstanding. Cormac O’Donovan got through a lot of work at midfield, while up front, John Conlon and Colm Galvin did well.
Tadhg Keogh and Seadna Morey worked hard in the Sixmilebridge defence, while up front, veteran Niall Gilligan caused some problems for the winners.

Clonlara: Ger O’Connell; Pat O’Hare, Domhnaill O’Donovan, Cillian Fennessy; Nicky O’Connell, Paul Nihill, Oisín O’Brien; Cormac O’Donovan, William Slattery; John Conlon, Jason Murphy, Ronan Carey; Colm Galvin, Darach Honan, Ger O’Connell.
Sub: Tommy Begley for Carey (39 minutes).
Scorers: John Conlon (0-5); Colm Galvin (1-1); Nicky O’Connell (0-3, 2f); Cathal O’Connell (frees); Cormac O’Donovan (0-2 each); Darach Honan, Jason Murphy, Tommy Begley (0-1 each).
Frees for: 13; Wides: 12; 65s: 1.
Bookings: None.
Sixmilebridge: Derek Fahy; Tadhg Keogh, Pádraig Fitzpatrick, Trevor Purcell; Noel Purcell, Seadna Morey, John Fennessy; John Reddan, Paul Fitzpatrick; Shane Golden, Danny Morey, Pa Sheehan; Niall Gilligan, Caimin Morey, Robert Conlon.
Sub: Alan Mulready for Reddan (42 minutes);
Scorers: Caimin Morey (1-5, 1-3f); Niall Gilligan (1-2); Danny Morey (0-3); Paul Fitzpatrick (0-1).
Frees: 10; Wides: 8; 65s: 1.
Bookings: Robert Conlon (21 minutes); Niall Gilligan (55 minutes).
Referee: Ambrose Heagney, Corofin.