St Anne’s retain colleges title

St Anne’s, Killaloe          2-12
St Caimin’s, Shannon    1-9
St Anne’s Killaloe retained the Clare colleges senior hurling title on Friday when they accounted for St Caimin’s Shannon in a game played at Meelick.

With a number of Clare minor panellists on both sides, as well as a Tipperary panellist with St Anne’s, the game produced some good play.
Goals at the mid-point of each half proved decisive for the winners, who were captained by full-back Shane O’Brien from Clonlara.
Ahead by the odd point in five, St Anne’s struck the first major blow in the 16th minute when Peter English found the net. They went on to lead 1-6 to 0-5 at half-time.
The respective freetakers, Rory Skelly for the winners and Conor Deasy, were the chief scorers in a tie, which was dominated by defenders.
Each side had added two points in the third quarter, when the winners put themselves in a commanding position with a Rory Skelly goal. The full-forward won possession from a Mikey Breen delivery before blasting to the net.
The winners followed with a Donal Whelan point but, to their credit, St Caimin’s hit back and they piled on the pressure in the next five minutes. They needed a goal and they eventually got through for one but it came in the 59th minute, too late to ­prevent St Anne’s from capturing the title.
Full-forward Rory Skelly from Ogonnelloe was the game’s top scorer, finishing with 1-9, 0-7 coming from frees.
Shane O’Brien at full-back and ­Tipperary minor panellist Mikey Breen at centre-back dominated for the Killaloe side. Wing-back Cian Nolan also impressed, as did Mark O’Halloran at midfield, Donal Whelan and Peter English in attack.
Shane O’Leary, Alex Morey, Evan Keogh and Stephen Mulready, in the second half, gave most support to Conor Deasy in the St Caimin’s team.
St Anne’s: Mark Monaghan (Smith O’Brien’s); Daniel Cunnane (Ogonnelloe), Shane O’Brien (Clonlara), Niall Sheedy (Ballina); Dara Gough (Smith O’Brien’s), Mikey Breen (Ballina), Cian Nolan (Smith O’Brien’s); Mark O’Halloran (Smith O’Brien’s), Ciaran Downey (Clonlara); Noel McInerney (Smith O’Brien’s), James Cunnane (Ogonnelloe), Peter English (Ogonnelloe); Caimin Quigley (Smith O’Brien’s), Rory Skelly (Ogonnelloe), Donal Whelan (Broadford).
Subs: Alan Kelly (Clonlara) for Quigley; Conor Maguire (Ballina) for McInerney.
Scorers: Rory Skelly (1-8); Peter English (1-0) Donal Whelan (0-3); Noel McInerney (0-1).
St Caimin’s: Eoin Kelly (Cratloe); Dominick Costigan (Cratloe), Shane O’Leary (Cratloe), Barry Fitzpatrick (Sixmilebridge); James Warren (Newmarket), Alex Morey (Sixmilebridge), Evan Keogh (Newmarket); John Mulready (Sixmilebrige), Daithí Collins (Sixmilebrige); Gavin White (Sixmilebridge), Conor Deasy (Sixmilebridge), Stephen Mulready (Sixmilebridge); Oisín Pender (Newmarket), Shane Gleeson (Sixmilebridge), Brian Corry (Sixmilebridge).
Sub: Jamie Arthur (Cratloe) for White (injured).
Scorers: Conor Deasy (0-5); Jamie Arthur (1-1); Stephen Mulready, Gavin White, Brian Corry (0-1 each).
Referee: Syl Dolan, Meelick.