The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
Sixmilebridge 1-17 Tubber 1-8
THE experience of Niall Gilligan again proved a vital asset for Sixmilebridge as they deservingly accounted for Tubber in the last of the third-round games in the senior hurling championship on Sunday evening.
The centre-forward and club captain contributed 0-9, the difference between the teams, to his side’s tally in a tie that never reached any great heights.
As the winners raced into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead after nine minutes, their captain contributed four of those scores and he followed with three of their next four as they took an early grip on proceedings.
The game was 10 minutes old before Eamon Taaffe opened Tubber’s account and he went on to add three more in the half, which ended with the Bridge 0-11 to 0-7 ahead.
They could and probably should have been more ahead at this stage, as they had wasted some great opportunities in a first half, which saw them shoot nine wides.
In addition, they found it difficult to get past a Tubber defence in which Mark Earley at corner-back and Patrick O’Connor in the half-back line did well.
First-half substitute Rory Shanahan had made an immediate impact for the winners, shooting a point on his introduction.
In the first minute of the second half he struck for the game’s opening goal when running on to a pass from Gilligan to flick past the advancing Ronan Taaffe. Shanahan picked up a head injury in the process, which necessitated treatment, and he was off the pitch for 10 minutes as a result.
That goal was a big blow to Tubber hopes and the winners went on to add three points and stretch their advantage to 10 points by the three-quarter stage.
The mid-point of the second half had arrived when Tubber had their first score of this period, a point from a 65 by Patrick O’Connor.
Twelve minutes from the finish, Eamon Taaffe crashed a 20m free to the net but it was to be his side’s final score and the winners added two more points to deservingly take the spoils.
John Fennessy, Aidan Quilligan and Paudi Fitzpatrick did well in the Sixmilebridge defence while up front Gilligan and the lively Danny Morey caused a lot of problems for Tubber.
Mark Earley excelled in the Tubber full-back line while Patrick O’Connor and Justin McMahon got through a lot of work.
Elsewhere, Barry O’Connor, Eamon Taaffe and Clive Earley did best.
Sixmilebridge: Derek Fahy; John Fennessy, Tadhg Keogh, Ray McNamara; Robert Conlon, Aidan Quilligan, Paudi Fitzpatrick; Shane Golden, Paul Fitzpatrick; Caimin Morey, Niall Gilligan, Tommy Morey; Danny Morey, Cyril Crowe, Trevor Purcell.
Subs: Rory Shanahan for Purcell (22 minutes); Mark Culbert for Paul Fitzpatrick (50 minutes); Pa Sheehan for T Morey (52 minutes).
Scorers: Niall Gilligan (0-9, 5f); Danny Morey (0-5); Rory Shanahan (1-1); Caimin Morey (0-2).
Frees: 13; Wides: 11.
Bookings: Shane Golden (46 minutes); Tadhg Keogh (60 minutes).
“We could have made life easier for ourselves but we didn’t. They came back again in the second half and we died a bit, which is a worry. We came here to get a win and we are happy with that.” Christy Chaplin, Sixmilebridge manager.
