Clonlara top group with win over Cratloe

SENIOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP

Clonlara 1-18   Cratloe 2-12

BOTH sides had secured their quarter-final places prior to their outing but the meeting of the South-East Clare neighbours wasn’t any less competitive. It produced some good exchanges and good scores on a day when one of the big talking points was the decision by Cratloe to replace Clare U-21 players Conor McGrath (Clare captain), Cathal McInerney and Paudge Collins in the final quarter.

Clonlara 1-18   Cratloe 2-12

BOTH sides had secured their quarter-final places prior to their outing but the meeting of the South-East Clare neighbours wasn’t any less competitive. It produced some good exchanges and good scores on a day when one of the big talking points was the decision by Cratloe to replace Clare U-21 players Conor McGrath (Clare captain), Cathal McInerney and Paudge Collins in the final quarter.

Clonlara edged ahead in the second half, having trailed at half-time but the result was still in the melting pot when Cratloe opted to rest the inter-county trio, who had played in the senior football championship three days earlier.

“Every championship game deserves respect. We both gave it everything. We both wanted to win,” commented Clonlara mentor, Donal Madden.

“We were poor in the first half but we had a chat at half-time. We had given away too many frees. We did well in the second half but our first-half performance will not do in championship hurling.”
Madden added, “It’s a new championship now. It’s do or die and the real competition starts now.”

Cratloe selector Alan Neville felt the absence of Sean Collins and Liam Markham due to injury was a huge blow to them. “John Conlon’s switch to midfield for Clonlara had a big bearing on the game,” he said.

According to the Clarecastle man, “Both teams will learn something from this game. We stayed competitive for as long as we could. From here on, it’s knock-out and it’s a new competition really.”

Cratloe went ahead in the first minute when Conor McGrath pointed and by the end of the first quarter, they were 0-5 to 0-2 ahead. Cratloe goalie Sean Hayes saved well from John Conlon in the ninth minute, while

Paul Nihill’s effort for a goal from a 20m free was stopped by Enda Boyce in the 13th minute.
Clonlara conceded a number of frees in the opening half, which McGrath converted, so Cratloe were 0-9 to 0-6 ahead by half-time.

Clonlara returned with John Conlon at midfield and Tomás O’Donovan at full-forward. In the first play of the new half, they combined for the game’s opening goal. Conlon won possession from the throw-in and his delivery was fielded by O’Donovan, who kicked to the net. He should have had a second goal a minute later but he shot into the side netting.

Points from John Conlon, either side of a Nicky O’Connell score from a 70m free, had the winners 1-9 to 0-9 ahead with five minutes of the half played.

Conor McGrath and Cathal O’Connell exchanged points from frees twice as the third quarter of the game approached. O’Connell punished Cratloe on a number of occasions as he scored from placed balls but a Cathal McInerney goal kept the dual senior side in contention.

As the full-time whistle approached, Clonlara were six points clear when Gearóid Ryan found the net from a 20m free. However, it was too late to prevent Clonlara from winning and taking top spot in the group.

The O’Donovan brothers and John Conlon impressed for the winners, while Sean Hayes, Enda Boyce, Paudge Collins and Cathal McInerney did well for Cratloe.

Clonlara: Ger O’Connell; Shane O’Brien, Domhnaill O’Donovan, Pat O’Hare; Oisín O’Brien, Nicky O’Connell, Paul Nihill; Cormac O’Donovan, Tomás O’Donovan; Jason Murphy, Colm Galvin, William Slattery; John Conlon, Darach Honan, Cathal O’Connell.
Subs: Ronan Carey for
Slattery and James Hastings for T O’Donovan.
Scorers: Cathal O’Connell (0-7), Tomás O’Donovan (1-1), John Conlon (0-3), Nicky O’Connell, Darach Honan and Cormac O’Donovan (0-2 each) and Colm Galvin (0-1).
Frees for: 16; wides: 5.
Bookings: Tomás O’Donovan (19 minutes), Darach Honan (36 minutes) and Colm Galvin (36 minutes).

Cratloe: Sean Hayes; John O’Gorman, Barry Duggan, Ogie Murphy; Conor Ryan, Michael Hawes, Enda Boyce; Gearóid Ryan, Paudge Collins; Conor McGrath, Sean Chaplin, Damian Browne; Cathal McInerney, Barry Gleeson, Aidan Browne.
Subs: Shane O’Leary for O’Gorman, Shane Gleeson for B Gleeson, John Reidy for McInerney, David O’Gorman for McGrath and Pádraig Chaplin for P Collins.
Scorers: Conor McGrath (0-7), Cathal McInerney and Gearóid Ryan (1-2 each) and Aidan Browne (0-1).
Frees for: 19; wides: 4.
Bookings: Sean Chaplin (19 minutes).

Referee: Damian Fox.