Newmarket savour big victory

Newmarket 6-14   Crusheen 1-12
With the sides due to meet in the next round of the senior hurling championship in early August, there was always going to be a lot of interest in the Clare Champion Cup clash of Newmarket and Crusheen in Division 1 on Sunday.
While Newmarket followers were confident that their side could emerge as winners, few would have predicted the size of their winning margin. Making it all the more praiseworthy for the Blues is the fact that they lined out without the three Barrett brothers, David, Enda and Alan. Their line-up, however, did include James McInerney, who had been sent off on a straight red card, when playing with Clare on the previous evening in Salthill.
Newmarket held a five-point lead at half-time when the score was 2-7 to 0-8, the winners’ first half goals coming from a Colin Ryan 20m and full-forward Anthony Kilmartin.
Just before the break, Crusheen, who certainly missed the services of Cian Dillon, Pat Vaughan and Donal Tuohy, had a chance to get back into contention when they were awarded a penalty but Ciaran O’Doherty’s effort was stopped.
Second-half goals from Darren Duggan (2) and Shane O’Brien (2) sealed victory for the Blues. Crusheen’s goal came from substitute Paddy Meaney.

Newmarket: Kieran Devitt; Shane O’Brien Junior, Stephen Kelly, Pádraig Kilmartin; Darren O’Connor, James McInerney, Sean O’Connor; MartinO’Hanlon, Colin Ryan; Enda Kelly, Shane O’Brien, Noel Frawley; Darren Duggan, Anthony Kilmartin, Tommy Griffin.
Subs: Neil Ryan for O’Hanlon; Niall Enright for Griffin; James Liddy for Duggan and Martin Frawley for O’Brien Junior.
Crusheen: Briain Dillon; John Brigdale, Cronan Dillon, Alan Brigdale; Ciaran O’Doherty, Cathal Dillon, Shaun Dillon; Gerry O’Grady and Tony Meaney; Gearoid O’Donnell, Fergus Kennedy, Jamie Fitzgibbon; Conor O’Donnell, Patrick O’Grady, Darragh O’Doherty.
Subs: Paddy Meaney for D O’Doherty; Alan Tuohy for S Dillon; Niall Fitzgibbon for P O’Grady and Conor Hayes for A Brigdale.

Inagh-Kilnamona 0-16   Clooney-Quin 0-12
Inagh-Kilnamona moved closer to a place in the semi-final of the Clare Champion Cup when they defeated Clooney-Quin on Sunday. The result ended Clooney-Quin’s chances of making the play-offs.
Both sides were short the services of players that will fill vital positions in upcoming championship games.
The winners led by three points at half-time and they went on to stretch the margin in the third quarter before Clooney-Quin came storming back. However, they had left it too late and Inagh-Kilnamona held on for a merited win.
Both sides were understrength for this one, with the winners short the services of Eamonn Glynn, Conor Tierney and Cathal Lafferty while Fergal Lynch and Cathal Egan were absent from the Clooney-Quin line-up.

Inagh-Kilnamona: Pat Kelly; Milo Keane, Brian Glynn, Dermot Lynch; Ronan O’Looney, David Hegarty, Colm Pilkington; Paul O’Looney, Brian Foudy; Stephen Twomey, Niall Arthur, Damian Lafferty; Cathal Griffin, Dermot Gannon, Ger Arthur.
Subs: Johnny Cullinan for Gannon; Alan Mullins for Twomey and Tomas McConigley for C Griffin.
Clooney-Quin: Damian O’Halloran; Tony McMahon, Conor Harrison, Joe O’Loughlin; Donnacda Murphy, Sean Conheady, Shane McNamara; Padraig Ward, Mike McNamara; Seamus Conroy, Enda Harrison, Martin Duggan; Mike Daffy, Adrian Fleming, John Earls.
Subs: Cillian Duggan for McMahon; Daire Hannon for Conroy and Ger Leamy for Ward.