SENIOR HURLING C/SHIPS: Substitute Arthur makes vital contribution

Inagh-Kilnamona 1-10   Clooney-Quin 1-8

LATE points from Niall Arthur and Cathal Lafferty sealed a two-point win for Inagh-Kilnamona over Clooney-Quin in this championship opener played at Clarecastle shortly afternoon on Saturday.

It won’t be remembered as one of the games of the campaign and Inagh-Kilnamona were clearly happy to go away with the points on a day when they would have had few complaints had the result gone against them.
“We are delighted with the result and my first reaction is one of relief,” the winner’s manager Paul Gannon said at the final whistle. “It wasn’t a classic and the breeze had a big effect on it. With just three group games as compared to four last year, it was crucial to win the first one,” he admitted.
Gannon acknowledged they were worried at half-time but knew they hadn’t played well. He said that if they picked it up at all, they could have come away with victory. He also acknowledged the role substitute Niall Arthur played. “He did well when he came in. He scored a great sideline ball and added a couple from vital frees.”
A short distance away his opposite number, Francis Browne was clearly disappointed with the result. “We are fiercely disappointed. We made a lot of mistakes. I thought we could have got more from the game as it was there to be won but we didn’t do it,” he said.
The Clooney-Quin boss agreed his side had missed a few chances but added, “Hopefully, the disappointment of this will drive us on. We will try and pick it up. We have two games left and we will be trying to win the two of them.”
Inagh-Kilnamona played with the aid of the breeze in the opening half when a Conor Tierney goal had them three points to the good after nine minutes. Fifteen minutes separated Derek Ryan’s opening two points for Clooney-Quin and this left the score at 1-1 to 0-2 after 20 minutes. Then, in the space of four minutes, Clooney-Quin hit 1-2, the goal coming from a Peter Duggan penalty awarded after Fergal Lynch was adjudged to have been fouled.
Clooney-Quin led by two, 1-5 to 1-3, at half-time and things looked good for them as they would have the aid of the breeze in the second half. The winners returned from the break with Niall Arthur, a surprising omission from their starting line-up, in the team and he quickly made an impression. He pointed two frees to tie up the game by the sixth minute.
As was the case in the opening half, scores were hard to come by and in the next 21 minutes, each managed just three points leaving the score level at 1-8 each with just three minutes remaining.
Conditions didn’t help with a tricky wind and drizzle making it difficult for the players.
With a draw looking the likely outcome, Arthur had his only score from play a minute from the end and Cathal Lafferty added another in injury time to seal victory on a day when Ronan O’Looney impressed at centre-back. Clooney-Quin’s centre-back Cillian Duggan also impressed, particularly in the opening half.
In the closing stages, the losers made a number of changes but were unable to get through for the scores they needed to get a share of the spoils or victory from the tie.

Inagh-Kilnamona: Patrick Kelly; Milo Keane, Eamonn Glynn, Dermot Lynch; David Hegarty, Ronan O’Looney, Colm Pilkington; Brian Foudy, Tomas Kelly; Damian Lafferty, Cathal Lafferty, Shane Griffin; Ger Arthur, Conor Tierney, Haulie Vaughan.
Subs: Niall Arthur for Foudy (half-tme).
Scorers: Ger Arthur (0-4, 1f); Niall Arthur (0-4, 2f, in line ball); Conor Tierney (1-0), Shane Griffin, Cathal Lafferty (0-1 each).
Frees for: 10; wides: 10.
Bookings: Milo Keane (41 minutes).

Clooney-Quin: Damian O’Halloran; Brian McInerney, Shane McNamara, Joe O’Loughlin; Pádraig Ward, Cillian Duggan, Enda Harrison; Conor Harrison, Donnacda Murphy; Cathal Egan, Peter Duggan, John Earls; Derek Ryan, Fergal Lynch, Mike Daffy.
Subs: Martin Duggan for Murphy (45 minutes); Seamus Conroy for Ryan (50 minutes); Mike McNamara for Egan (55 minutes); Ritchie Hennessy for Daffy (60 minutes).
Scorers: Peter Duggan (1-3, 1-1f); Derek Ryan (0-4, 2f), 1 65’; Fergal Lynch (0-1).
Frees for: 15; wides: 7; 65s: 1.
Bookings: Mike Daffy (41 minutes).

Referee: Seanie McMahon, Newmarket.