Ennistymon and Éire Óg in final

GARRY CUP

ENNISTYMON and Éire Óg will play in the Cusack Cup (Division 1 Football League) next season following their semi-final wins over St Senan’s Kilkee and O’Curry’s respectively, at the weekend.
In addition, their victories will see them meet in the final of the Garry Cup on Sunday when both will be striving to capture the title, which commemorates the late Cooraclare and Clare footballer Michael Garry.
Both semi-finals were played in Quilty when the teams had to contend with very difficult windy conditions and these conditions were a contributory factor to the low scoring in both games.

Ennistymon 1-4
St Senan’s 0-6
The crucial score in the game came at the beginning of the final quarter when Sean McConigley got through for the game’s only goal.
The speedy corner-forward got inside his marker and raced through to shoot past Kevin Harte and give his side the vital edge.
St Senan’s stepped up a gear after this in an effort to get back but they could only manage two points in the remaining time and Ennistymon held on for a win they just about deserved.
The small attendance witnessed a particularly low-scoring first half. Each side exchanged a point in the opening quarter with goalscorer McConigley getting the first score after two minutes but this was cancelled out by an equalising score from veteran David Russell six minutes later.
At the midpoint of the half, David Murphy converted a 35m free to give the North Clare side back the lead but a few minutes later, Chris Williamson levelled for the Seasiders.
It looked as if the sides would go to the break at 0-2 each but Kilkee, who played with the aid of the breeze in the opening half, managed two points in injury time from Darren Clarke and Kevin Larkin to lead 0-4 to 0-2 at the break.
As the third quarter drew to a close, Ennistymon pointed twice in a minute through Joey Rouine and Kevin Scales to tie up the scores and they always looked the likely winners after this. McConigley’s goal gave them a vital edge but Kilkee, with the experienced Russell, Kevin Larkin, Barry Harte, Darragh Kelly and Michael O’Shea leading the way, put on a lot of pressure in the closing stages.
Barry Harte and Michael O’Shea (free) had points to cut the deficit to the minimum with six minutes still to play but they failed to score after this, as the North Clare side’s defence held firm.
Lawrence Healy, Michael Hohey, Sean O’Driscoll, the Murphys, Kevin Scales and Sean McConigley were prominent throughout for the winners.

Ennistymon: Noel Sexton; James Murphy, Lawrence Healy, Michael Hohey; Willie Murphy, Sean O’Driscoll, Micheal O’Loughlin; Ronan Linnane, David Murphy (0-1f); Cathal Malone, Kevin Scales (0-1), Joe Dowling; Sean ­McConigley (1-1), Robbie McDonagh, Joey Rouine (0-1).
Subs: Brian Conway for Malone (half-time) and Alan Horan for McDonagh (56 minutes)
St Senan’s: Kevin Harte; Eoin Fitzgerald, Thomas Galvin, Darren Owens; Brian Clancy, Kevin Larkin (0-1), Micheál Keane; Darragh Kelly, David Russell (0-1); Darren Clarke (0-1), Barry Harte (0-1), Christopher Williamson (0-1); Conor King, Michael O’Shea (0-1f), Gearóid Lynch.
Subs: Senan Larkin for King (24 minute) and Alan Russell for Clarke (45 minutes).
Referee: Gerry Keane, O’Curry’s.

Éire Óg 1-7
O’Curry’s 0-3
The greater scoring ability of the Éire Óg line-up proved decisive as they recorded a comfortable win over O’Curry’s at Quilty on Sunday.
As with the first semi-final on the previous day, a strong wind made matters difficult for the players.
On the day, the O’Curry’s forward line failed to make any impression against the winners. This is illustrated by the fact that the West Clare side’s attack managed just one point and this came in the third minute of injury time, just before the full-time whistle.
The Carrigaholt-based outfit had the assistance of a strong wind in the first half but despite having a lot of possession, they failed to build up a lead. Derek Troy converted a 45 in the fifth minute but they had to wait a further 20 minutes before his midfield partner, Ger Quinlan, landed their second point when he converted a 50m free. In between, Shane Daniels kicked a point for the Ennis men.
As half-time approached with just three scores on the board, Éire Óg struck a vital blow when David Monaghan applied the finish to a fine move for the game’s only goal. It gave his side a 1-1 to 0-2 interval lead and with wind advantage to come, everything pointed to victory for the Martin Daly-trained outfit.
The main talking point came early in the final quarter. Éire Óg had stretched their lead to four points thanks to points from Sean O’Meara and Daniels but were coming under a little bit of pressure as O’Curry’s tried to close the gap. The West Clare men had just been awarded a 25m free and Ger Quinlan was preparing to take the kick when all hell broke loose at the other end of the pitch. Players from both sides and some mentors got involved in a free-for-all, which lasted about a minute.
When things calmed down, referee Barry Kelly who, surprisingly, didn’t consult with his umpires, spoke with Éire Óg mentor Peter Cosgrove and noted his name before directing him towards their dugout.
Éire Óg dominated the closing stages and added points from Daniels (2), David Monaghan and Darren O’Neill to seal their place in the final.
Dean and David Ryan were prominent throughout in the winners’ defence, while Shane Daniels was the best of their attack. Darren O’Neill did well when introduced for the second half. Ollie Quinlan and Brian Troy tried hard for the losers, whose attack will need to show a considerable improvement if they are to challenge for intermediate championship honours.

Éire Óg: Eoin Slattery; Dean Ryan, Donie Lyne, Michael O’Regan; David Ryan, Alan Malone, Ciaran Russell; David Russell, Brian Frawley; Shane Daniels (0-4), Stephen Hickey, Brian McMahon; Sean O’Meara (0-1), David Monaghan (1-1), Darren O’Meara.
Subs: Robbie Malone for O’Regan (inj 12 minutes); Darren O’Neill (0-1) for D Russell (half-time) and Niall McMahon for D O’Meara (60 minutes).
O’Curry’s: PJ Greene; Paul Roche, Michael O’Shea, Gearóid Lynch; Tom Downes, Ollie Quinlan, Brian Troy; Derek Troy (0-1, 45), Ger Quinlan (0-1f); Damian Carmody, Sean Haugh, Michael Foran; Owen Murray, Declan Walsh, Damian Clohessy.
Subs: Michael Carmody for Foran (inj, 15 minutes) and Jack Scanlan for Murray (23 minutes).
Referee: Barry Kelly, Miltown