Neighbourly face-off in U-21A decider

NEIGHBOURS and arch rivals, Sixmilebridge and Cratloe, will contest the final of the U-21A hurling championship following their hard-earned semi-final victories over Inagh-Kilnamona and Newmarket respectively last Saturday. Both losing semi-finalists will rue missed chances and this is particularly true of Newmarket who had a total of 13 wides on the day.

Sixmilebridge 1-17 Inagh-Kilnamona 2-12

SIXMILEBRIDGE were the better-balanced side in this semi-final played at Clarecastle but they had to work hard to shake off a determined Inagh-Kilnamona outfit.
All six of the Sixmilebridge forwards got on the scoresheet and this proved decisive as just two of the Inagh-Kilnamona attack managed to score on a day when they depended hugely on Niall Arthur for scores. He didn’t disappoint and finished with a tally of 1-10 but the ’Bridge were deserving winners.
Points were exchanged twice in the early minutes before the winners opened a two-point gap. A Niall Arthur goal gave his side a one-point advantage but Sixmilebridge captain Shane Golden tied up the game for the third time at the end of the first quarter.
Points were exchanged twice more before Inagh-Kilnamona hit four in-a-row. The winners finished the half strongly with points from Declan Morey and Jamie Shanahan to trail by two at the break, 0-9 to 1-8.
The early stages of the second half followed a similar pattern with points exchanged twice before points from Seadna and Declan Morey levelled the game at the three-quarter stage.
Within a minute, the winners struck a vital blow when Jamie Shanahan passed to Declan Morey who shot to the net. It was a goal from which Inagh-Kilnamona didn’t recover but they battled bravely to the end. Eoin Vaughan’s goal in the first minute of injury time came too late to prevent last year’s beaten finalists from reaching another final.
Eanna Burns and Brian Carey excelled in defence for the winners while Jamie Shanahan finished with a tally of 0-9.
Damian Lafferty, Ciarán Devitt, Brian Glynn, Eoin and Haulie Vaughan and Niall Arthur did well for Inagh-Kilnamona.

Sixmilebridge: Stephen Fleming; Ger Quilligan, Ray McNamara, Eanna Burns; Barry O’Connor, Paidi Fitzpatrick, Brian Carey; Pa Sheehan (0-1); Trevor Purcell; Seadna Morey (0-3), Shane Golden (0-1), Sam O’Sullivan (0-2); Ronan Mullane (0-1), Jamie Shanahan (0-7, 6f), Declan Morey (1-2).
Inagh-Kilnamona: Christopher O’Looney; Alan Mullins, Brian Glynn, Sean Mahoney; Ciarán Devitt, Damian Lafferty, Brian Hehir; Eoin Vaughan (1-0), Martin Barry (0-1); Paul O’Looney, Haulie Vaughan, Brian Foudy; Gerry Coote (0-1), Niall Arthur (1-10, 10f), Sean McConigley.
Sub: Damian Hogan for Mahoney (44 minutes)
Referee: Seanie McMahon, Newmarket.

Cratloe 2-12 Newmarket 2-11

CRATLOE had to rely on an injury-time point from inter-county man Conor McGrath to earn a place in the final. At Sixmilebridge on Saturday afternoon, they were made fight all the way by Newmarket who will be particularly disappointed with the outcome as they had 13 wides during the hour and a number of these were from good positions.
The winners got off to a dream start with a Joe O’Connor goal inside the opening minute but a Sean O’Connor goal from a free brought Newmarket back into contention.
It was point for point from here until just before half-time when Conor McGrath broke through for Cratloe’s second goal, a score that helped his side to leads by two at the mid point when the score stood at 2-5 to 1-6.
In the 10-minute period before half-time, Newmarket enjoyed the upperhand but their finishing was poor.
Conor Ryan and Conor McGrath had points for the winners in the opening five minutes of the second half to go four clear and this was still the margin with 10 minutes remaining when Darren Duggan goaled for Newmarket.
A point from the impressive Conor Ryan put two between the sides with five minutes remaining but Newmarket weren’t giving up and Tommy Griffin left the minimum between the sides as the game went into injury time. Three minutes were signalled and in the second of these, substitute Liam Clancy tied up the game when he cut a 40m line ball over the bar.
When the ball broke at midfield following the puck-out, Conor McGrath won possession and he promptly fired over what proved to be the winning score.
Conor Ryan was hugely influential in this outing in which David Collins made one superb save. Liam Markham, Paudge Collins, Sean Hynan, Enda Boyce and Conor McGrath were others to impress while Newmarket had good performances from the O’Connors, Shane Liddy and Darren Duggan.

Cratloe: David Collins; Joe Conroy, Sean Hynan, Jack McCourt; Enda Boiyce, Liam Markham (0-1), Wesley De Loughrey; Conor Ryan (0-3), Paudge Collins (0-2), Patrick Carey, Cathal McInerney, David McInerney; Joe O’Connor (1-0), Conor McGrath (1-5), Tomás Ryan (0-1).
Subs: Dean De Loughrey for D McInerney.
Newmarket: Ian Mulcahy; Niall Garry, Niall O’Connor, Shane Kelleher; Alan McInerney, Darren O’Connor, David Liddy; Sean O’Connor (1-1), Ian Cusack; Noel Frawley (0-1), Tommy Griffin, Niall Enright; Darren Duggan (1-2), Shane Cusack (0-1), Shane Liddy (0-4).
Sub: Liam Clancy (0-1) for I Cusack.
Referee: Johnnie Healy, Smith O’Brien’s.