Newmarket and Kilmaley level once again

Kilmaley 0-21   Newmarket 1-18

IN the 2009 Minor A Hurling Championship Kilmaley and Newmarket clashed in the semi-final and ended level. In the replay, they were level again and the game went to extra time. In the closing moments of that the extra period, Kilmaley converted a free to record a one-point win. They went on to beat Sixmilebridge in the final.
Three years on and the same clubs with most of the same players qualified for a quarter-final meeting in the U-21A championship. They played a draw leading to a replay last Saturday. Another draw resulted and it was on to extra time at the end of which they were still level.
The latest meeting produced 40 scores and provided plenty of entertainment for the good sized attendance. Both sides will look back and point to chances missed but at the end of 80 minutes, a draw was a fair result in a game in which they were level on seven occasions.
Kilmaley had the opening two points but then Newmarket hit seven in-a-row, four from frees by Liam Clancy, who finished the game with 1-7, and they looked to be taking control. Kilmaley fought their way back and when the half-time whistle sounded, they were just two points adrift with the score at 0-9 to 0-7 in favour of Newmarket.
On the resumption, they exchanged points three times before Daire Keane and John Dabey (65’) points levelled up the tie with 13 minutes remaining. In that time, they managed just two points each. When substitute Paul Kennedy fired Kilmaley into the lead in the 60th minute, it looked like they would go through to play Sixmilebridge but, in the fourth minute of injury time, Darren O’Connor struck for the Blues to tie up the game at 0-15 each.
Newmarket were dealt a big blow in the final 10 minutes of normal time, losing defender Shane Kelleher and midfielder Frank Melody to injury. Kilmaley had gone into the game without the injured Michael Pyne and Niall McGuane, both of whom were in their starting line-up in their first meeting.
In the first period of extra time, each side added two points leaving them level at 0-17 each going into the final 10 minutes. Kilmaley were first to score in this period when John Cabey converted a free after a foul on Enda Finnucane. The only goal of the game came in the fourth minute of this period when Liam Clancy blasted a penalty to the net and it looked like this score would decide the issue but Kilmaley had other ideas and, in the last minute, Killian McNamara had the leveller to send the tie to another replay.
The O’Connors, Sean, Darren and Nikall, Liam Clancy, Tommy Griffin and Frank Melody were prominent for Newmarket while Martin O’Connor, Colin McGuane, John Cabey and, particularly, Conor Cleary, stood out for Kilmaley.

Newmarket: Niall Woods; Seanie Kelleher, Sean O’Connor, Evan Keogh; Alan McInerney, Darren O’Connor (0-1), James Warren; Paudie Hayes, Frank Melody (0-1); Liam Clancy (1-7 all frees), Colm McCaul (0-1), Tommy Griffin (0-4); Shane Liddy (0-1), Niall O’Connor (0-3) and Niall Garry.
Subs: Ian Cusack for Garry; Donogh Keogh for Kelleher (inj) Eanna McInerney for Melocy (inj).
Kilmaley: Bryan O’Loughlin; Stephen Griffey, Martin O’Connor, Darragh McMahon; Kevin McNamara, Colin McGuane, Enda Finnucane; Eoin Enright (0-2), Conor Cleary (0-2); John Cabey (0-5, 3f 2 65s); Paul Barry, Killian McNamara (0-1); Daire Keane (0-5), Michael O’Neill (0-5, 4f), Aidan McGuane.
Subs: Tomas Lynch for Barry; Paul Kennedy (0-1) for McNamara; McNamara for Lynch.
Referee: Ger Hoey, Killanena.

Crusheen on top in replay

Crusheen  3-11    Tulla-Bodyke  1-7

IN this U-21B hurling championship quarter-final replay at Gurteen on Friday evening, Crusheen were the better side and led from the early minutes.
Two first-half goals from senior player Jamie Fitzgibbon gave them a five-point interval advantage when the score stood at 2-4 to 0-5.
Fitzgibbon finished as the game’s top scorer with 2-4 to his credit, while his fellow senior team colleague Conor O’Donnell got through a lot of work and contributed 0-2 to his side’s final tally.
The East Clare combination can point to a tally of 14 wides as a major contributory factor in this defeat on a day when Crusheen goalie Briain Dillon was particularly prominent in the final quarter.
Early in the second half, the amalgamation were given a boost when David McInerney struck for their goal but a like score from Colin Vaughan kept Crusheen in a comfortable position.
Crusheen will now play neighbours Clooney-Quin in this week’s semi-final.

Crusheen: Briain Dillon; Mark Perrill, Conor Hayes, Edmond Fogarty; Rory Halpin, Jason Greene, Conor O’Loughlin; Youen Horner, Padraic O’Malley; Conor O’Donnell (0-2), Jamie Fitzgibbon (2-4), Sean Weir (0-3); Colin Vaughan (1-2), Ethan O’Donnell, Anthony Rodgers.
Sub: Luke Hayes for O’Malley.
Tulla-Bodyke: Niall Bolton (Tulla); Sean McGrath (Bodyke), John Fahy (Tulla), Gavin Moroney (Bodyke); Oisín Molloy (Bodyke), David McInerney (Tulla) (1-0), Cormac Lynch (Tulla); Tomás McMahon (Tulla), Manus Maguire (Bodyke); Mark Lynch (Tulla), Trevor Vaughan (Tulla) (0-4), Colm Halpin (Tulla) (0-1); Paddy Fitzgerald (Bodyke), Shane McNamara (Tulla) (0-2), Sam Edbrook (Tulla).

Five chasing final places this weekend

BARRING draws, five of the six finalists in this seasons U-21 hurling championships (A, B and C grades) should be known this Friday evening.
The first of the A semi-finals brings Clonlara and Ballyea into opposition at Sixmilebridge (throw-in 5.30pm) and supporters of both sides fancy their chances of winning this one.
Cathal O’Connell, Colm Galvin, James Hastings, Shane O’Brien and Cillian Fennessy impressed for the South-East Clare side when they overcame Cratloe in Round 1 and they will be looking to them to lead the way this week.
Ballyea are likely to be without Martin O’Leary due to injury but hopes are high Jack Browne will have recovered from the hand injury which kept him out of their first-round win over Éire Óg. They will again be looking to Paul Flanagan, Cathal Doohan, Gearóid O’Connell and Tony Kelly to lead the way.
At the end of what is likely to be a close tie, Ballyea are tipped to be ahead.
Meanwhile, on Friday evening, Kilmaley and Newmarket will face each other in the second replay of their quarter-final tie with Sixmilebridge awaiting the winners in the semi-final, which is set for next Wednesday.
Another close contest is expected between two groups of players, who have produced some very exciting contests at minor level and again in this campaign. The likelihood is that whoever comes through, there will be no more than a score or two between them when the final whistle sounds.
The semi-finals of the B championship are also likely to produce two close contests. Crusheen, with the benefit of a replay against Tulla-Bodyke last week, will carry the favourites’ tag into their clash with neighbours, Clooney-Quin, who will be looking to Peter Duggan to cause problems for the opposition.
Supporters of both St Joseph’s and Smith O’Brien’s hold out hopes of victory in their semi-final. The Killaloe side will enter the game as slight favourites and will be hoping to justify this rating.
Feakle-Killanena are hoping to atone for the disappointment of losing last year’s C final and a win over Whitegate on Friday will see them back in the final.