Tag Archives: football

  All-Ireland hurling final fever continues to grip Clare ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with Cork for the Liam McCarthy cup but domestic competitions continue and following this Saturday’s action the way is now clear for the semi-finals of both the junior A hurling and football championships. In hurling Bodyke will play St. Josephs while Inagh-Kilnamona will face Cratloe. The junior A football semi-final draw has yet to be made but following today’s quarter finals, Eire Og, Coolmeen, Ballyvaughan and Cooraclare are the last four standing in the race for this title

by Seamus Hayes Kilmurry-Ibrickane 0-8 O’Curry’s 0-6 COUNTY champions, Kilmurry-Ibrickane struggled to break down O’Curry’s blanket defensive approach in Doonbeg last Saturday. The 2012 intermediate champions set out to defend in depth and while that approach kept them in the game, the fact that they only kicked one second-half score, from Eoin Troy, cost them the chance of a stunning win. For most of the 60 minutes, O’Curry’s defensive tackling was disciplined and effective. They held up the man in the tackle and when they did concede scoreable frees, Ian McInerney and Mark (Cookie) McCarthy kicked first-half wides, which they would have expected to put over without a second thought. Crucially though, McCarthy kicked a brace of superb long-range second-half points for Kilmurry, while their last point was a 45-yard free from the same player. Those scores underlined that the most effective way to break down O’Curry’s massed defensive numbers was to kick scores from distance. McCarthy and substitute Seamus …