Level pegging at the Park

Clarecastle 0-12 Clooney-Quin 0-12

KILMALEY’S hopes of being involved in the knock-out stages of the Clare Senior Hurling Championship were ended at Cusack Park on Saturday evening despite the fact that there wasn’t a Kilmaley player on the pitch.
There were, however, quite a few amongthe attendance for the meeting of Clarecastle and Clooney-Quin, hoping that one or other of the teams involved could win by a margin that would bring Kilmaley back into the title race.
In a group that had already produced three draws, it wasn’t a major surprise that this tie ended all square. After all the teams were level nine times and a share of the spoils was a fair result on this occasion.
By the end, Kilmaley, despite being unbeaten, are out of the title race. At the end of the group stage in this division, three of the five teams are unbeaten which is somewhat surprising.
Saturday’s contest won’t go down as one of the better games this season but the fact that the teams were level on so many occasions ensured patrons remained to the final whistle.
Both sides went into the game without some first-choice players due to injury. Clooney-Quin were short Cillian Duggan, Seán Conheady and Seamus Conroy while Conor Plunkett was again ruled out of the Magpies’ line-up.
Clarecastle captain Tyrone Kearse had the first score after just 25 seconds but John Earls quickly levelled for Clooney-Quin before Fergal Lynch, their top scorer with 0-5, all from play, gave them the lead for the first time. A Derek Ryan effort pushed them two ahead but like scores from Eamonn Callinan and a Kearse free had the teams level at 0-3 each after 12 minutes.
Three times between here and the break, they swapped points to leave the half-time score at 0-6 each.
In an effort to improve their attack, Clarecastle introduced Seán Talty and Derek Quinn for the second half at the expense of Jamie O’Connor and Aaron Considine.
The half-time changes weren’t confined to the teams as there was also a change of referee with Michael Troy taking over from Rory Hickey after the Éire Óg man picked up a leg muscle injury.
Clooney-Quin had the better of the early second-half exchanges and points from Derek Ryan, Fergal Lynch and substitute Peter Duggan put them three clear after just 10 minutes of the half.
Just when the game looked to be slipping away from them, Clarecastle came storming back and points from Jonathon Clancy and a brace from Kearse frees had the teams level at 0-9 each early in the final quarter. Clooney-Quin took the lead twice but each time the Magpies levelled and when they went in front through Dara Moloney as the game went into injury time it looked as if they had snatched victory. Clooney-Quin had other ideas and teenager, Peter Duggan, snatched the equaliser in the second minute of added time.
Conor Harrison was outstanding for Clooney-Quin, while Donnacda Murphy, Enda Harrison, Derek Ryan, Fergal Lynch and substitute Duggan made valuable contributions.
For the Magpies, Ollie Plunkett, Stephen O’Halloran, Jonathon Clancy, and Dara Moloney in the closing quarter, did well.

Clarecastle: John Casey; Seánie Moloney, Mark McNamara, Ollie Plunkett; Gary Farmer, Eric Flynn, Stephen O’Halloran; Fergus Ryan, Jonathon Clancy; Danny Scanlan, Jamie O’Connor, Tyrone Kearse; Eamonn Callinan, Dara Moloney, Aaron Considine.
Subs: Seán Talty for Considine (half-time),  Derek Quinn for O’Connor (half-time); Alan O’Loughlin for Talty (55 minutes).
Scorers: Tyrone Kearse (0-4, 3f); Dara Moloney, Jonathon Clancy (0-3 each), John Casey (free), Eamonn Callinan (0-1) each.
Frees for: 10; wides: 9.
Bookings: none.
“We are pleased to be through to the play-offs but it could have gone either way this evening. We are a long way forward from where we were last year and we are pleased with that,” Kenny Morrissey, Clarecastle manager.

Clooney-Quin: Damian O’Halloran; Shane McNamara, Conor Harrison, Joe O’Loughlin; Adrian Fleming, Donnacda Murphy, Enda Harrison; Trevor lee, Mike McNamara; John Earls, Cathal Egan, Martin Duggan; Padraig Ward, Fergal Lynch, Derek Ryan.
Sub: Peter Duggan for Ward (34 minutes).
Scorers: Fergal Lynch (0-5); Derek Ryan (0-4, 2f); Peter Duggan (0-2), John Earls (0-1).
Frees for: 9; wides: 16.
Bookings: None.
“We came up to win the match. We started the campaign with the aim of going through the group unbeaten. While we did that, we haven’t topped the group. We felt we missed a few chances which cost us a win. It makes no difference whether we topped the group or not as quarter-finals are difficult to win irrespective of who provided the opposition,” Pat O’Rourke, Clooney-Quin manager.

Referee: Rory Hickey Éire Óg replaced by Michael Troy, Broadford at half-time.