Newmarket stay on top while Tulla are relegated

Tulla needed to win their last two games in Division 1A of the Clare Champion cup to have a chance of staying in the top group. However, a draw with Cratloe on Monday evening means that they will compete in Division 1B next season.

That draw ensures Cratloe their status quo for 2013. Elsewhere in round eight, Inagh-Kilnamona’s loss to Clooney-Quin dealt their play-off hopes a huge blow while Sixmilebridge moved into contention with a four-point win over Clarecastle. Newmarket remain on top and will be in the play-offs.

Newmarket 1-14   Crusheen 1-9

A strong finish by Newmarket ensured this latest victory when they defeated Crusheen in round eight of the Clare Champion Cup at Crusheen on Saturday evening.
The game was played in driving rain making conditions very difficult for the players. The visitors started strongly but the home side finished the half well and just a point separated the teams at the mid way point with Newmarket ahead on a score of 1-5 to 0-7.
Points from Pat Vaughan and Sean Weir saw the home side take a two-point lead but like scores from Liam Clancy and Sean O’Connor had the teams level.
Clancy and Vaughan exchanged points and then Clancy and Fergus Kennedy did likewise before a Clancy goal after great work by James Liddy helped Newmarket go 1-4 to 0-4 ahead.
Michael McInerney stretched their lead to four but Crusheen finished the half with points from Joe Meaney, Ciaran O’Doherty and Fergus Kennedy to trail by the minimum at the interval.
Liam Clancy and Shane O’Brien had early second half points for the winners who went on to open a four-point margin again. Then a fine goal from Pat Vaughan brought Crusheen to within a point but Newmarket finished strongly with points from Clancy, Mike McInerney, David Barrett and Sean O’Connor to seal victory.

Newmarket: Niall Woods; Eoin O’Brien, Stephen Kelly, Padraig Kilmartin; Niall O’Connor, James McInerney, Alan Barrett; Ronan Goode, Sean O’Connor; Noel Frawley, David Barrett, Shane O’Brien Junior; Liam Clancy, Michael McInerney, James Liddy.
Subs: Jim McInerney for Frawley.
Crusheen: Donal Tuohy; John Brigdale, Cronan Dillon, Alan Brigdale; Jason Greene, Ciaran O’Doherty, Cathal Dillon; Tony Meaney, Pat Vaughan; Gearóid O’Donnell. Joe Meaney, Fergus Kennedy; Sean Weir, Patrick O’Grady, Conor O’Donnell.
Subs: Shaun Dillon for Weir; Gerry O’Grady for P O’Grady; Ciaran Vaughan for G O’Donnell.

Sixmilebridge 2-9   Clarecastle 1-8

Sixmilebridge extended their unbeaten run to four games as they continued to move up the league table with this win over Clarecastle at the Magpies venue on Saturday. The heavy rain made conditions difficult but a strong finish from the visitors who hit 1-4 without reply proved decisive.
With the game inside the last ten minutes the Bridge were four clear and while Clarecastle rallied a goal from Niall Gilligan ensured victory for the Bridge.
Clarecastle started well and went 1-3 to 0-1 in front with the goal coming from Eamonn Callinan who also contributed his side’s three points. Kevin Lynch denied Dara Moloney when another Clarecastle goal looked on the cards. The winners were back in the contest when Anthony Liddane finished off a good move with their opening goal and this left the score at 1-5 to 1-2 at half time.
Clarecastle were dealt a blow when they lost Danny Scanlan and the winners took full advantage and hit seven points in succession. After points from Tyrone Kearse and Kieran O’Dwyer closed the gap for the home side, Gilligan sealed victory with the team’s second goal four minutes from time.
Clarecastle had a couple of late goal chances but they failed to convert either and the visitors went away with the points to keep their hopes of being in the play-offs alive.

Sixmilebridge: Derek Fahy; Tadgh Keogh, Kevin Lynch, Brian Carey; Trevor Purcell, Paidi Fitzpatrick, Noel Purcell; Pa Sheehan, Robert Conlon (0-1); Anthony Liddane (1-2), Niall Gilligan (1-3), Alan Mulready; Danny Morey (0-2), Cyril Crowe (0-1), Darragh Fitzgerald. Sub: Paul Fitzpatrick for Fitzgerald.
Clarecastle: Donnagh Murphy; Seanie Moloney, Mark McNamara, Kevin Clohessy; Jamie O’Connor, Danny Scanlon, Andrew Page; Tyrone Kearse (0-1f), Garrett Barry; Kieran O’Dwyer (0-1), Eric Flynn, Adam Healy (0-1); Eamon Callinan (1-3), Darragh Moloney (0-1), Seanie Talty.
Subs: David Green (0-1) for Scanlon (inj); Briain Lynch for D Moloney; Bobby Duggan for Callinan; Niall Dunne for Talty; Cathal Lynch for Flynn.

Clooney-Quin 0-12   Inagh-Kilnamona 0-8

Making better use of the scoring chances that came their way, Clooney-Quin overcame the challenge of Inagh-Kilnamona in this league tie played at Inagh on Saturday. The result is a big blow to the home team’s hopes of making it to the play-offs.
At the end of an evenly contested first half the visitors led by the odd point in eleven. Inagh-Kilnamona raced into a three point lead with scores from Conor Tierney but like scores from Derek Ryan (3 frees) brought the sides level. They exchanged points twice after this before a Seamus Conroy score put the winners one clear at the break.
Clooney-Quin went clear with three Derek Ryan frees early in the second half and while points were exchanged a couple of times after this, the home side were unable to get back into contention on an evening when both sides had to contend with driving rain.

Clooney-Quin: Damian O’Halloran; Joe O’Loughlin, Shane McNamara, Brian McInerney; Padraig Ward, Conor Harrison, Donnacda Murphy; John Earls, Seamus Conroy; James Casey, Cathal Egan, John Reynolds; Sean Ward, Derek Ryan, Richard Hennessy.
Subs: Ryan Taylor for John Reynolds; Kieran Ryan for Sean Ward; David Kennedy for Richard Henessey.
Inagh-Kilnamona: Christopher O’Looney; Milo Keane, Jamie Davin, Dermot Lynch; Gary Lafferty, Ronan O’Looney, Colm Pilkington; Brian Foudy, Tomas Kelly; Damian Lafferty, Eoin Vaughan, Shane Griffin; Conor Tierney, Stephen Twomey, Haulie Vaughan.
Sub: Cathal McConigley for Twomey.

Cratloe 0-15   Tulla 1-12

A share of the spoils resulted when Cratloe and Tulla clashed in this Clare Champion Cup fixture on Monday afternoon.
The draw was enough to ensure that Cratloe will remain in Division 1A for the coming season. However, the same is not the case for Tulla who will make the drop to Division 1B. Helped by a goal from full-forward Mike Murphy, they led 1-7 to 0-7 on Monday evening but Cratloe fought back strongly in the second half to earn a share of the spoils and secure their Division 1A status for the coming season.

Cratloe: Shane Gleeson; Enda Boyce, Sean Hynan, Ogie Murphy; Kevin Browne, Michael Hawes, Patrick O’Gorman; Conor Ryan, Gearóid Ryan; Damian Browne, David O’Gorman, Sean Chaplin; Padraig Chaplin, Thomas O’Connor, Aidan Browne.
Sub: David Collins for Hynan.
Tulla: Aidan Leamy; Colm Halpin, Sean Torpey, Eugene Cooney; Paul Lynch, David McInerney, John Fahy; Brian Lynch, Cathal Dinan; Trevor Vaughan, Philip Brennan, John Brennan; Mark Lynch, Mike Murphy, Shane McNamara.
Sub: Damian Noonan for Fahy.