By Seamus Hayes
Four teams remain in the race for the Hamilton Cup, the prize for the winners of the Clare Senior Hurling Championship.
With Ballyea having secured their passage to the last four with a surprise but fully merited win over a fancied Crusheen side on Saturday, the remaining three places were filled on Sunday afternoon. Sixmilebridge, Clonlara and champions Newmarket justified favouritism when accounting for Tubber, O’Callaghan’s Mills and Inagh-Kilnamona respectively.
The Mills were somewhat unlucky to lose out by a point to Clonlara in a tie that required extra time before the South-East Clare side went through by the minimum margin. Cathal O’Connell was their top scorer with 0-8, while Colm Galvin scored five points.
O’Callaghan’s Mills contributed handsomely to the most exciting game of the day and were unlucky to bow out of the title race. They will now turn their attentions to the Clare Champion Cup (senior league) semi-final and the senior B final.
Champions Newmarket were never troubled as they eased past Inagh-Kilnamona at Cusack Park, helped by goals from Colin Ryan, Mike McInerney and Shane O’Brien senior.
In the first game on Sunday afternoon, Sixmilebridge had nine points to spare over Tubber at Clarecastle, where the final score was 4-9 to 0-12 on a day when Tubber lost goalkeeper Ronan Taaffe with a shoulder injury
The pairings for the semi-finals will be decided on Monday evening, when the draw will take place at the GAA headquarters in Clareabbey.
Meanwhile, the race for the intermediate hurling title is down to three teams. At Tulla on Sunday afternoon, Whitegate were one-point winners over Newmarket, while this was also the margin when Sixmilebridge accounted for Parteen in a quarter-final replay at Clarecastle. They will now play Feakle this weekend, with the winners going through to face Whitegate in the decider.
In football, Cratloe progressed to play Kilrush, a game scheduled for this Sunday, when they proved too strong for Cooraclare at Gurteen. Cooraclare are still in the hunt for honours and they now face Clondegad this Friday for the right to meet Doonbeg in the last of the quarter-finals. Éire Óg and Lissycasey are already through to the last four. As with the hurling title race, the draw for the football semi-finals will also take place on Monday evening.
Kilmihil gained some compensation for their defeat in the intermediate football final when they captured the U-21B crown with a two-point win over the peninsula amalgamation of Naomh Eoin and O’Curry’s.
In a final played at Doonbeg, extra time was needed to produce a winner.