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Cratloe 0-16 – Scariff 0-10 at O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge

CRATLOE have yet to spark in this year’s championship but at least they demonstrated that they have the belly to fight for their championship survival after a bruising hour on Sunday.

Wounded after their disappointing opening round defeat at the hands of Tubber, nothing but victory would do for the 2009 champions if they were to reach their third successive final.

In the end, the best that can be said is that they dug the victory out with minimal ruthlessness and maximum fuss. Fourteen wides over the hour told a tale of wastefulness that normally isn’t part of Cratloe’s make-up but it was the manner of those wides that will infuriate most as at times they tended to attempt shots from near impossible angles.

Scariff, meanwhile were making their championship bow and came with an expected warm welcome for last year finalists but for all their hustle and bustle, they didn’t possess the firepower to punish sufficiently on the scoreboard, emphasised by the fact that none of their forwards got more than a point from play.

While Cratloe led from start to finish, perhaps the turning point of the game, came in the 46th minute when Cratloe goalkeeper Sean Hayes produced a magnificent full length save to deny Ross Horan. Had that goal gone in, Scariff might have taken advantage as they were certainly on the front foot with the switch of Diarmaid Nash to midfield for the final quarter.

As it was however, Scariff did hit three of the next four points to cut the deficit to just three points but without a goal, they never looked like cancelling Cratloe’s lead as the south east Clare side cruised home with the last three points of the game.

They had started strongly too, weathering the physical Scariff challenge to score the first four points of the afternoon through county senior duo, Conor McGrath (3) and Cathal McInerney by the 12th minute. Scariff finally opened their account two minutes later when Ross Horan converted a ’65 followed by a Patrick Minogue effort on the run but the remainder of the half was noted more for the tally of wides than scores as Cratloe had nine missess to Scariff’s five. It was 0-6 to 0-3 at the break but in a quickfire resumption, Scariff would double their first half margin in only three second half minutes through Kenny McNamara, Padraig Brody and Horan with brief replies from Cathal McInerney and Padraigh Chaplin.

Two points was still the margin when Enda Boyce and Horan swapped points at 0-9 to 0-7 before Cratloe upped the ante to hit three successive points approaching the turn for home.

One of the features of Cratloe’s display was the strong link between Sean Collins in midfield who pulled the strings all afternoon and front pair Conor McGrath and Cathal McInerney, and despite the expected Scariff onslaught in the final quarter, it was that triumvirate that provided just enough quality to gather Cratloe’s first points of the campaign.

Crusheen 1-14 – Clooney/Quin 1-11 at Cusack Park, Ennis

PERHAPS IT comes with championship success but it was Crusheen’s ability to take their chances while on top that decided this relatively open final encounter at Clare headquarters on Sunday evening.

1-8 in the final 20 minutes, inspired by a Conor O’Donnell goal in the 42nd minute and the introduction of Paddy Meaney who could have scored a hat-trick of goals only for the bravery of goalkeeper Damien O’Halloran, cemented a first victory for the holders and puts them back in charge of their own destiny in the group.

On the flip side, it was Clooney/ Quin’s profligacy when backed by a strong breeze in the opening half that ultimately cost them the win in this their championship bow, having hit ten first half wides. In fact, had Clooney/Quin led by six or seven points at the break, few could have argued as Crusheen were struck to the ground and on the backfoot for the majority.

Between the wides, Padraig Ward was the chief marksman while Peter Duggan also dissected the posts with a stunning 50 metre lineball as the challengers held a 0-7 to 0-5 halftime advantage.

Crusheen were a different animal on the turnover however, even though it took them until Conor O’Donnell’s 42nd minute free to gain some much needed confidence and indeed the lead as well.

That goal came midway through a 1-5 unanswered streak for the champions that essentially decided the game as Clooney/Quin were unable to get past the old familiar half-back line wall of Cathal Dillon, Cian Dillon and Ciaran O’Doherty while Paddy Vaughan and Tony Meaney fed off the breaks.

They did eventually rally with three Peter Duggan frees and a late Cathal Egan volley to the net from a dipping Duggan effort from distance but by now substitute Paddy Meaney was causing consternation in the Clooney/Quin full-back line that should have yielded at least two more goals for the champions who ran out deserving winners in the end.

Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-8 – Kilmaley 1-8 at Cusack Park, Ennis

ONE of these days Kilmaley will actually win a championship game, while this could yet be one of those days that Newmarket-on-Fergus look back on and say was the making of them.

The Blues were lucky to escape with a draw; Kilmaley unlucky to be consigned to their sixth draw out of their seven championship outings over the past three seasons. They looked to be home to the two points when leading by 1-8 to 0-7 entering the last two minutes – they were brilliant in defence, with veteran Anthony Cahill putting in an inspiring hour’s work on the edge of the square, while on the edge of the other square Diarmuid McMahon’s strike for a 45th minute goal put daylight between the sides for the first time.

The Blues looked a beaten docket, in a performance that was strikingly similar in standard – the lack of standard that is – to the championship opener against Wolfe Tones three years ago.

Kilmaley had the hunger and that extra bit of class up front too thanks to Daire Keane who chipped in with three delightful points from play as they closed in on the victory that was denied them in the first game against Crusheen thanks to Paddy Vaughan’s last gasp levelling point.

However, history repeated itself thanks to Newmarket’s late surge. Firstly a needless foul on David Bar- rett on the 21-yard line when the sliotar was going away from goal yielded the free that was blasted to the net by Colin Ryan; three minutes later Eoin Hayes landed a brilliant equaliser from underneath the grandstand to save the Blues’ day.

It was rough justice on Kilmaley really, but punishment at the same time for their failure to kill off the game in the closing minutes against a lethargic Newmarket side that seemed to be going through the motions for much of the hour.

Kilmaley started the better with points from Brian McMahon and John Cabey inside five minutes, while it took Newmarket 13 minutes to get off the mark through an Eoin Hayes point.

It was pedestrian stuff for the first half – the standout moments provided by Daire Keane’s two points from, while four Colin Ryan points, three of which were from frees, and a David Barrett effort edged them 0-6 to 0-5 clear at the break.

However, the Blues’ looked to have blown their chance by failing to raise another flag until the 47th minute when David Barrett scored, by which time Kilmaley had hit 1-2 without reply.

Daire Keane got them going with the equaliser eight minutes in while 1-1 from Diarmuid McMahon inside three minutes had them in pole position. A fine point from play by Kenneth Kennedy in the 53rd minute edged them four clear and within touching distance of victory until Newmarket’s late, late show.

Sixmilebridge 3-16 – Wolfe Tones 0-10 at Cusack Park, Ennis

WORD had it down in the Goalpost bar in Shannon that Patsy Keyes was Libya bound for work before its people decided to rise up against Colonel Gadaffi – if he’d gone he would have had an easier time manning troops on the ground than he had managing Wolfe Tones from the field of play as they took their bow in the 2011 senior championship on Friday evening.

All because, so depleted are the Tones resources this year that this was like going into battle with water pistols against anti-aircraft tanks. The difference between the sides was that stark as the ‘Bridge, no doubt on their guard because of the scare they got against Clarecastle in the first round, strolled to a 15-points success.

It was every bit as easy as the scoreline suggests with Jamie Shanahan’s brilliant 24th minute goal breaking the Tones’ resistance. The underdogs were competitive until then as points from Bobby and Garret McPhillips (2) in reply to ‘Bridge points from Shanahan (2), Niall Gilligan (2) and Caimin Morey had them only 0-5 to 0-3 in arrears.

The goal changed everything as Shanahan showed great pace when gathering in the right corner, turning and flashing a great sot to the net from 15 yards. From there the ‘Bridge turned the screw before half-time with a further five points to move 1-10 to 0-3 clear. Gilligan helped himself to two from play and a free, while Pa Sheehan and Caimin Morey were also on the mark.

With the wind to come in the second half, all the Tones could do was be like Colonel Gadaffi himself – refuse to surrender. That they did, with Colonel Keyes doing his best from full-back, while up front the two-time senior champions save some face when adding to their tally by seven points. Three points in row from the 37

Tubber 2-10 – Whitegate 0-07 at Shannon

IT’S 30 years since Tubber reached their first and only county final – there’s no talk of marking that 30th anniversary with another big day out, but they definitely talking amongst themselves about a first quarter-final appearance in eight years.

Why not? It’s all to do with backto-back wins to start this campaign – following up their first round win over Cratloe with a comprehensive nine-point triumph over a very disappointing Whitegate side.

It’s onwards and upwards for Tubber as they face into the 15-week break – for Whitegate it’s a fight for survival in senior ranks on the back of two straight defeats.

Tubber had much of their work done by half-time when they had forged a 1-5 to 0-3 lead despite hitting nine wides; their work was done when they hit 1-3 without reply inside the opening 12 minutes of the second half as they moved 11 points clear.

This game never set the pulses racing, but Tubber didn’t care as they always had the edge from the moment Shane O’Connor bustled his way through on goal and kicked the sliotar to the empty net for the opening goal in the 11th minute.

O’Connor’s strike franked Tubber’s steady start that saw them hit 1-4 without reply in a six-minute period after Georgie Waterstone had opened the scoring for Whitegate in the fourth minute.

Mark Early, Barry O’Connor (2) hit points by the eighth minute, while the mercurial Eamonn Taaffe teed up Tommy Lee for an 11th minute point to put Tubber 1-4 to 0-1 clear and firmly in control.

Whitegate did stop the rot with a Pat Minogue point in the 12th minute, but the remainder of the half was a forgettable affair as the sides could only muster two points between them – Eamonn Taaffe opened his account in the 15th minute while Brendan Bugler, Whitegate’s lone star throughout, burst forward in the 25th to hit an inspirational score.

Not that it inspired those around him, save a burst midway through the second half when Michael O’Brien, John O’Brien and Georgie Water- stone hit points.

By then, however, it was already too late as Tubber’s impressive start to the half sealed the two points and put them top Group 2.

Tommy Lee lofted over a point two minutes, while the decisive score came two minutes later when Shane O’Connor sealed his and Tubber’s day when pouncing on a rebound when Andrew Fahy foiled Mark Early’s goal-bound drive, batting to the net from seven yards.

It put them 2-8 to 0-3 clear – Whitegate did peg it back to eight points with ten minutes left, but that was as good as it got. David O’Donoghue and Patrick O’Connor, who hit three second half points ensured Tubber cruised home.

Tubber
Ronan Taaffe (7), John O’Connor (7), Eoin Ruane (7), Paul Fogarty (7), Fergal O’Grady (7), Conor Earley (8), Patrick O’Connor (7) (0-3f), Mark Earley (7) (0-1), Clive Earley (7), David O’Donoghue (7) (0-1), Shane O’Connor (8) (2-0),Tommy Lee (7) (0-2), Darragh O’Connor (6), Barry O’Connor (7) (0-2), EamonnTaaffe (7) (0-1).

Subs
Justin McMahon (6) for Darragh O’Connor [51 mins].

Whitegate
AndrewFahy (7), John Minogue (7), John Bugler (7), Cathal Mulvihill (7),Trevor Kelly (7), Brendan Bugler (8) (0-1), Jason Malone (7), Ian Fahy (6), Tomas McNamara (6), Michael O’Brien (7) (0-1), Terence Fahy (6), Stephen Malone (6), Georgie Waterstone (7) (0-4f), Patrick Minogue (7) (0-1), Shane O’Rourke (6).

Subs
John O’Brien (7) for Fahy [40 mins], Eoin Quirke (6) for Malone [48 mins].

Man of the Match
Shane O’Connor (Tubber) Referee TomStackpoole (Ennistymon)