Holders march on

Sixmilebridge 3-12
Crusheen 0-9

HOLDERS and favourites Sixmilebridge continued their march towards a second successive crown when they convincingly defeated Crusheen on Saturday in Clarecastle.
Evenly matched in the first quarter, at the end of which the score was 0-4 each, the champions dictated matters from there to the end and were full value for their 12-point win.
In fact, Crusheen didn’t score for the rest of the half while Sixmilebridge added 2-4 to lead by 10 points at the half time whistle. The goals came from Shane Golden and Caimin Morey with the latter adding a second goal ten minutes from the final whistle.
The winners took the lead with points from a Sam O’Sullivan free and Declan Morey, before a brace from Fergus Kennedy tied up the game. Dara O’Doherty put Crusheen in front for the only time but O’Sullivan and Alan Mulready quickly had the winners back in front.
When Fergus Kennedy levelled the game for the third time, everything pointed to a cracking tie but then a Shane Golden goal put Sixmilebridge firmly in the driving seat.
Caimin Morey and Sam O’Sullivan followed with points before Morey, despite the best efforts of Donal Tuohy in the Crusheen goal, found the net. The half finished with points from O’Sullivan and Ronan Mullane to leave the score at 2-8 to 0-4 in favour of the title holders, who had played with the aid of the breeze.
In the early minutes of the second half, Crusheen gave hope of a fight back when Dara O’Doherty pointed twice from long range. By the end of the third quarter, however, Sixmilebridge had restored their ten-point lead with points from Alan Mulready and Sam O’Sullivan.
Morey’s second goal ten minutes from time killed any slim hopes Crusheen might have held of a rally. Indeed, but for some excellent goalkeeping from Tuohy, Sixmilebridge’s winning margin would have been greater.
Shane Golden, Noel Purcell, Caimin Morey, Alan Mulready and Sam O’Sullivan got through a lot of work for the winners, while Dara O’Doherty, Touhy and Fergus Kennedy were best for a disappointing Crusheen.

Sixmilebridge: Stephen Fleming; Ger Quilligan, Eoin Quinn, Noel Purcell; Ray McNamara, Paidi Fitzpatrick, Trevor Purcell; Christy Griffin, Shane Golden (1-0), Caimin Morey (2-1), Sam O’Sullivan (0-6), Barry O’Connor; Alan Mulready (0-3), Declan Morey (0-1), Ronan Mullane (0-1).
Crusheen: Donal Tuohy; Jason Daffy, Conor O’Loughlin, Edward Fogarty; Conor Hayes, Dara O’Doherty (0-3), Jason Greene; Donal Wylde, Jamie Fitzgibbon; Fergus Kennedy (0-3), Philip O’Donnell (0-1), Niall Kearney; Briain Dillon, Patrick O’Grady, Conor O’Donnell (0-1).
Sub: Padraic Waters (0-1) for Kearney.
Referee: Rory Hickey, Éire Óg.

Clonlara 1-12
St Joseph’s 1-10

A FANCIED Clonlara were made fight all the way by a committed St Joseph’s side at Shannon on Saturday morning before securing victory.
The Doora-Barefield men looked the hungrier side on a day when Clonlara struggled in a number of areas.
A magnificent goal by Darach Honan with ten minutes remaining proved decisive for the South East Clare men. He won possession in midfield, brushed past five St Joseph’s defenders before crashing a superb effort to the roof of the net from outside the 20m line.  It was a goal worthy of any occasion and it left St Joseph’s eight points adrift.
To their credit, they fought back strongly and held the winners scoreless to the finish, adding 1-3 to their tally. Indeed but for the alertness of Clonlara goalie Patrick Stritch with two excellent stops in the closing minutes, the Doora-Barefield outfit may well have snatched victory.
Clonlara played with the aid of the breeze in the first half and were first to score when Honan sent over a superb point after five minutes. Shane O’Connor levelled a minute later before Clonlara took control and scored six unanswered points on their way to a half time lead of 0-8 to 0-2.
The South East Clare side had the first point of the second half but four points in three minutes, two each from Ivor White and Shane O’Connor, brought St Joseph’s right back into contention.
It was 0-12 to 0-7 in Clonlara’s favour when Honan struck for his wonder goal but with Nicky O’Connell struggling with a leg injury and John Conlon forced out of action with a  hand injury, Clonlara were under increasing pressure.
An Enda Lyons goal with four minutes remaining gave St Joseph’s hope and they piled on the pressure. However, all they could manage was a brace of points from Shane O’Connor as Clonlara held on for victory.
Patrick Stritch, Nicky O’Connell, Chris O’Kane, Cillian Fennessy, Colm Galvin, Jason Murphy and Darach Honan impressed for the winners, while St Joseph’s had good performers in Alan O’Neill, Ivor White, Jarlath Colleran, Enda Lyons and Mark Hallinan.

Clonlara: Patrick Stritch; Stephen Maher, Chris O’Kane,
Oisin O’Brien; Ian McCarthy, Nicky O’Connell (0-1), Patrick Clancy; John Conlon (0-1), Cillian Fennessy; Colm Galvin (0-2), Jason Murphy (0-3), Kenneth Haskett; Cathal O’Connell (0-3), Darach Honan (1-2), James Hastings.
Subs: Eoin Meehan for McCarthy; Michael White for Conlon (inj).
St Joseph’s: Michael Roseingrave; Gary Hassett, Alan O’Neill, Stephen Collins; Seanie Burns (0-1), Mark Hallinan, Eamon Clohessy; Ivor White (0-2), Leo Duggan; Niall Collins, Shane O’Connor (0-6), Niall De Loughrey; Enda Lyons (1-0), Ian Lyons, Jarlath Colleran (0-1).
Subs: Darragh Murphy for N Collins; Cathal Duggan for L Duggan; Rory O’Connor for De Loughrey.
Referee: Ger Hoey, Killanena.

Éire Óg 2-14
Inagh-Kilnamona 1-10

CORNER-forward David O’Halloran contributed 2-11 as Éire Óg stormed into the championship with an impressive win over Inagh-Kilnamona at Ruan on Saturday afternoon.
The goals came in the space of a minute at the start of the final quarter to turn the tie in the Ennis side’s favour.
Up to that point, it was a tight contest with little between the sides. Inagh-Kilnamona will wonder what the final outcome would have been had they not lost influential players such as Brian Glynn, Martin Barry and Damian Hogan to injury but over the hour’s play, Éire Óg were that bit more evenly balanced and just about deserved to go through to the semi-finals.
Inagh-Kilnamona marginally had the better of the first half exchanges and led 0-7 to 0-5 at half-time. Four of their points came from Niall Arthur, while O’Halloran had a similar amount for the Ennis men. Inagh-Kilnamona had lost full-back Brian Glynn in the first minute through a leg injury.
Two O’Halloran points inside a minute at the start of the second half tied up the games. They were still level at the end of the third quarter after Arthur and O’Halloran had exchanged points to leave the score at 0-8 each.
O’Halloran’s goals followed and while Martin Barry, who had come back into the action for the last quarter, goaled from a 20m free with just over five minutes remaining, Éire Óg had taken control and held on for a merited win. Barry had a penalty saved in injury time.
In addition to O’Halloran, Kevin Moynihan at centre-back had a fine game for the winners, while Ciaran Hanna, Cormac O’Regan, Tom Downes and Danny Russell got through a lot of good work.
Damian Hogan, until he picked up a hand injury, Brian Foudy, Ciaran Devitt, Paul O’Looney, Brian Hehir, Eoin Vaughan and Niall Arthur tried hard for the losers.

Eire Óg: Kevin Brennan; Kevin Hally, Cormac O’Regan, Seán McNamara; Cathal Whelan, Kevin Moynihan, Ciaran Hanna; Noel Murphy, Aaron Fitzgerald; Graham Glynn, Brian Dolan, Tom Downes; Danny Russell (0-2), Anthony O’Halloran, David O’Halloran (2-11).
Sub: Fiachra Connellan (0-1) for Dolan.
Inagh-Kilnamona: Christopher O’Looney; Damian Lafferty, Brian Glynn, Damian Hogan; Brian Foudy, Eoin Vaughan, Ciaran Devitt; Brian Hehir, Paul O’Looney (0-1); Haulie Vaughan, Michael Barry, Niall Arthur (0-6); Joe McKeown, Martin Barry (1-0), Sean McConigley.
Subs: Pat Healy for Glynn (inj); Alan Mullins (0-1) for Martin Barry (inj); Martin Barry for Michael Barry; Mark O’Looney for E Vaughan; E Vaughan for McKeown.
Referee: Damian Fox, Wolfe Tones.