Éire Óg end Kilmaley’s unbeaten run

ÉIRE Óg caused a surprise in Division 2B of the Clare Champion Cup last Friday evening when they recorded a merited win over previously unbeaten Kilmaley at the latter’s venue.
However, despite the defeat, Kilmaley are still through to the semi-final, as they have a superior score difference to Éire Óg and Ruan after the three teams finished on the same points total.
The result means Ruan will have to spend another year in Division 2B, as Éire Óg have finished ahead of them on score difference, which will see them promoted along with Kilmaley. Ruan had beaten Kilmaley in the opening round of the competition.
Éire Óg travelled to Kilmaley knowing that anything other than victory would see them stay in the division for another term. They took the game to the favourites from the start and were well on their way to victory at half-time when they held a nine-point advantage with the score at 1-13 to 1-4. Thomas Downes scored the winners’ first goal before half-time and Ronan Keane added a second midway through the second half.

Éire Óg: Kevin Brennan; Cathal Whelan, Cormac O’Regan, Kevin Hally; Tadhg McNamara, Fergus Flynn, Kevin Moynihan; Mark Fitzgerald, Marc O’Donnell; Ronan Keane, Adrian Walsh, Danny Russell; Barry Nugent, John Lawlor, Thomas Downes.
Sub: David Ryan for Lawlor.
Kilmaley: Kieran Dillon; Martin O’Connor, Anthony Cahill, Colin McGuane; Conor McMahon, Alan Markham, Noel Casey; Colin Lynch, Ken Kennedy; Daire Keane, Diarmuid McMahin, John Cabey; Niall McGuane, Declan Clancy, Eoin O’Malley.
Subs: Sean Talty for C McMahon (inj), Seamus Hurley for Clancy, John Clohessy for Cabey and Michael O’Neill for O’Malley.