Newmarket-on-Fergus 2-17
Clooney-Quin 1-9

ALTHOUGH the scoreline looks very emphatic, it was only in the last eight minutes that Newmarket placed considerable distances between themselves and Clooney-Quin.

Shane O’Brien’s goal, coming after a Colin Ryan line ball, put Newmarket 2-13 to 1-9 up and sealed the result. Another indication of Newmarket’s second-half dominance is the fact that Clooney-Quin didn’t score in the last 14 minutes.
Of course, Newmarket were keeping an ear on events in Cusack Park, where they were hoping against hope that Ballyea might stun Kilmaley and help the Blues into the last eight.
The latter didn’t happen and once news filtered to Sixmilebridge that Kilmaley were putting Ballyea away, the sting went out of Newmarket, even as they banged our four late points.
An injury-time dust-up involving several players perhaps underlined the frustration of both sides as they contemplated senior B hurling this autumn.
Colin Ryan scored 1-10 of Newmarket’s total, 1-5 of which he scored in the first half. Having played into the breeze, Newmarket led 1-10 to 1-6 at half-time. Ryan scored Newmarket’s goal from a 21 yard free after Clooney-Quin goalkeeper Damien O’Halloran went the direct route when attempting to emerge from goals but ended up being pulled for barging.
Fergal Lynch had scored Clooney-Quin’s goal two minutes earlier having benefited from an astute O’Halloran puck-out. Both Anthony Kilmartin and Eoin Hayes could have netted for Newmarket, although Kilmartin did put over two nice points from play.
Peter Duggan and Cathal Egan scored 0-2 each for Clooney-Quin, while Seamus Conroy and John Earls scored a point each in the first half.
Four minutes into the second half, Darren O’Connor executed an admirable penalty save from Peter Duggan’s effort, after Adrian Fleming had been impeded by Pádraig Kilmartin.
In fact, Fleming sustained a bang for which he received lengthy treatment, in a separate incident, for which no yellow card was issued.
Shortly after the penalty save, Lynch angled over an impressive point from play but Martin Duggan’s point in the 16th minute was Clooney-Quin’s last.
Ultimately both clubs have ended up in the senior B, which Crusheen won the year before they were crowned senior champions for the first time.

Newmarket: Kieran Devitt; Shane O’Brien Junior, Stephen Kelly, Pádraig Kilmartin; Darren O’Connor, James McInerney, Enda Barrett (captain); Martin O’Hanlon, Eoin O’Brien; Enda Kelly, Shane O’Brien, David Barrett; Eoin Hayes, Anthony Kilmartin, Colin Ryan.
Subs: Alan Barrett for Darren O’Connor, James Liddy for Anthony Kilmartin, Jim McInerney for Eoin Hayes, Seán O’Connor for Enda Kelly.
Scorers: Colin Ryan (1-10, 1-7f, 65’ 0-1), Shane O’Brien (1-0), Eoin Hayes, Anthony Kilmartin (0-2 each), Enda Kelly, Martin O’Hanlon, Seán O’Connor (0-1 each).
Wides: 16; frees won: 16; 65’: 1.
Yellow cards: Stephen Kelly, Alan Barrett.
“We played quite well against the breeze in the first half. Clooney did their best hurling then for 10 or 15 minutes after half-time. Shane O’Brien scored a good then for us and we kicked on from there.” Bob Enright, Newmarket-on-Fergus manager.

Clooney-Quin: Damien O’Halloran; Joe O’Loughlin, Shane McNamara, Tony McMahon; Donncha Murphy, Cillian Duggan, Enda Harisson; John Earls, Mike McNamara; Cathal Egan, Seán Conheady, Seamus Conroy; Peter Duggan, Fergal Lynch, Michael Daffy.
Subs: Adrian Fleming for Michael Daffy, Brian McInerney for Joe O’Loughlin, Ruaidhrí McNamara for Seamus Conroy, Pádraig Ward for John Earls, Derek Ryan for Martin Duggan.
Scorers: Fergal Lynch (1-10, Peter Duggan (0-3, 0-2f), Cathal Egan (0-2, 0-1f), Seamus Conroy, John Earls, Martin Duggan (0-1 each).
Wides: 5; frees won: 9; 65;: 1.
Yellow cards: Shane McNamara, Enda Harisson, Fergal Lynch, Adrian Fleming.
“To be honest, it was our best performance this year but the goals and the timing of them were telling. The players gave it everything and are to be commended for that.” Mike Corry, Clooney-Quin manager.
Referee: Kevin Walsh (Wolfe Tones).

 

Late O’Halloran point seals it for Smith O’Brien’s

Smith O’Brien’s 1-13
St Joseph’s 2-9

IT was evident how much winning this game meant to Smith O’Brien’s once it was over in Shannon last Saturday. They bounced around as if they had qualified for a county semi-final. Their ecstasy was linked to the dramatic nature of their one-point win and to the significance attached.
Winning meant the Killaloe men were safe from a relegation semi-final as long as Killenana didn’t beat Broadford. So in context, beating St Joseph’s meant as much to Smith O’Brien’s as reaching a county final might have to another club.
Mark O’Halloran’s winning point, coming three minutes into injury time, was the score that separated the sides. Three minutes from the end of normal time, St Joseph’s led 2-9 to 1-10. Before O’Halloran’s winning point, Liam Walsh and Anthony Sullivan put over a score each to draw Smith O’Brien’s level.
To have a chance of qualifying for the quarter-final, St Joseph’s first off needed to win and then had to rely upon Killanena to beat Broadford. Neither happened but once St Joseph’s were beaten, they were gone and the other result didn’t matter to them.
St Joseph’s led 1-4 to 0-6 at half-time largely thanks to an Ivor Whyte goal, direct from a line ball. Ja Colleran put over a couple of lovely first-half points, while Micheál Ryan pointed equally impressive scores from play for Smith O’Brien’s.
Kevin Walsh put over a superb point, early in the second half, to bring the Killaloe men to parity. A succession of traded points from Ivor Whyte, John Cusack, and Micheál Ryan left St Joseph’s 1-7 to 0-9 up 12 minutes into the second half.
That was when Liam Walsh netted Smith O’Brien’s goal only for St Joseph’s to hit back with 1-1 inside two minutes. An excellent Enda Lyons run culminated in the dual player scoring his side’s second goal, leaving them 2-8 to 1-9 up.
Smith O’Brien’s outscored their opponents 0-4 to 0-1 in the closing quarter to secure a noteworthy win.
Trevor Howard, John Cusack, Micheál Ryan and Liam Walsh excelled for the winners while Alan O’Neill, Ja Colleran and Enda Lyons were best for St Joseph’s.

Smith O’Brien’s: Jonathon Hayes; Michael Culhane, Trevor Howard, Cian Nolan; Seamus Gleeson, Mark Stritch, Brian McInerney; Kevin Walsh, Mark O’Halloran; Mark McInerney, Micheál Ryan, John Cusack; Eoin Ryan, Liam Walsh, Anthony Sullivan.
Subs: Aidan McKeogh for Michael Culnane, Shane O’Brien for Eoin Ryan, Willie Neary for Mark McInerney.
Scorers: Micheál Ryan (0-5, 0-3f), Liam Walsh (1-2), John Cusack (0-3), Kevin Walsh, Anthony Sullivan, Mark O’Halloran (0-1 each).
Wides: 6; frees won: 13; 65: 1.
Yellow cards: Michéal Ryan, Cian Nolan, Trevor Howard.
“Absolutely delighted. We knew there was a performance in these boys all year. I suppose we didn’t perform to our potential during the year but we knew there was one in them. After the Clonara game, we trained hard and we worked on work rate and it showed today.” Smith O’Brien’s manager Christy Rosney.

St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield: Paul Madden; Cathal O’Sullivan, Marty O’Regan, Seán Flynn; Damien Kennedy, Alan O’Neill, Darragh O’Driscoll; Mark Hallinan, Kevin Dilleen; Ivor Whyte, Noel Brodie, Emmet Whelan; Jarlath Colleran, Ken Kennedy, Niall de Loughrey.
Subs: Enda Lyons for Noel Brodie, Eamon Clohessy for Ken Kennedy, Gary Hassett for Jarlath Colleran.
Scorers: Ivor Whyte (1-7, 1-0 line ball, 0-5f), Enda Lyons (1-0), Ja Colleran (0-2). 
Wides: 9; frees won: 19; 65: 0.
Yellow cards: 0.
“They wanted it more. We’ve maintained our senior status and that’s the main thing but we’ve a lot of work to do. We have to start looking at our underage structure again in a serious way.” Kevin Kennedy, St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield manager.
Referee: Seánie McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus).