Category: Sport

IT was former American president, Andrew Jackson, who famously said “one man with courage makes a majority”. If it’s true, 89-year-old Kevin Stapleton could be said to be that man.

All because on Thursday, the lifelong Banner County supporter took to standing outside the West County Hotel in Ennis to make a one-man protest about Clare GAA as the September monthly meeting was taking place inside.

Brandishing a placard that read ‘Clare GAA Board, No Hit and Run Job, We Need Change’, the nearnonagenarian said he was moved to make his stand because of the state of the games in the county, particularly football.

“We need change,” said Stapleton. “The senior teams in the county need to get together and pick out a football manager of some kind. What we have now, we’re going nowhere.”

Stapleton, who originally hails from Kilkee but now lives in Ennis, staged his protest ahead of the county board meeting that started at 8pm – standing alone with his message to GAA leaders and delegates as they made their way into the first official monthly meeting since June.

“I’m from Kilkee, the heartland of football,” he told The Clare People . “My concerns about football are that we have nothing anymore. With the management we have with the county senior team, we’re going nowhere.

“We have to change the manager, no disrespect to the manager and his management team, but if we want to go forward we have to get a new manager from somewhere and get the best players to play for the county. That’s not happening.

“There mightn’t seem to be anyone t o take the job, but surely there’s someone in the county that will step forward. Today football is dead in the c o u n t y. W e have to change,” he added.

DAVID Fitzgerald could be taken from under the noses of the county senior hurling team and appointed manager of either Limerick or Galway, while the Clare County Board embarks on an elaborate selection process to find a successor to Ger O’Loughlin as Clare boss.

That warning was sounded by a number of delegates at Thursday night’s county board meeting, with Doonbeg representative Michael Neenan leading the charge to have this threat headed off by appointing Fitzgerald to the top job in hurling immediately.

“Two weeks is a long time,” said Neenan. “A lot will happen in Libya and Syria in two weeks. Men can disappear. They can be taken by other counties. If Limerick or Galway want to get a manager, I have a feeling they will move fairly fast. Now we are going hanging around? Are we going to let him go?,” he added.

“I think we should come back here next Tuesday with names,” said Killanena delegate Colman Holahan, while another delegate said “there is a danger that if we drag things out, other counties who are looking for managers could move”.

“We are the Clare GAA,” said chairman Michael O’Neill. “We are not concerned with other counties and what other counties do. We are just concerned with ourselves,” he added.

“We don’t want to go down the road of a media circus,” continued Michael Neenan. “Clare hurling has suffered in the last few years because of it. I think we should pick a manager for the team going forward now. There is a manager that tasted success outside the county and I would be proposing tonight that that man would bring the best with him to manage the county. I would propose that David Fitzgerald would be that man.

“There should be no personality clashes. We have suffered from that in the past. We are all in it for the good of the game. I think going away tonight, setting up a committee, coming back here, shouting and roaring at each other and personalities come into it.

“If we want Clare hurling to go forward, we have to stop that. We have a man that’s fully committed to this county and will take us forward if he gets the backing, but he has to get the whole backing of this committee here tonight. We are the committee, not two or three selected people. David Fitzgerald would be the best man for the good of Clare hurling and we should appoint him now,” added Neenan.

“I am taking no proposals here tonight on anyone to become county manager,” said Michael O’Neill. “I don’t think the clubs have been mandated to do that. I don’t think that’s the way to go about it. We are not in a major hurry to fill the vacancy. If we have a manager by the end of October, that’s fine,” he added.

Ruan 2-12 – Parteen 1-10 at Fr Murphy Memorial Park, Newmarket-on-Fergus

THE MOST significant mark of intent in the group was saved until last as Ruan maintained their perfect record at the expense of Parteen’s.

In the lead up to the game, there were murmurings of tactical positioning as both sides were already through to the last four. However there was no apparent evidence of that on Saturday. Instead, Ruan’s experience of reaching last year’s final certainly had a significant bearing on the outcome of the game as they went about their business in a cool, professional manner.

On the flip side, despite their best efforts, Parteen never reached the heights of previous performances and have a lot of work to do ahead of their semi-final clash with Éire Óg. They were second best for the majority of the tie, emphasised by the fact that they only scored 1-2 from play and only showed some urgency after being handed a fortunate lifeline with Brian McSweeney’s major at the turn of the final quarter.

In particular, Parteen’s decision to move vital players from their more established positions backfired. The old adage that ‘if it isn’t broke, why fix it’ came to mind as normal centre-back Colm Quinn got a new role in midfield while midfielder Joe O’Connor was pushed up to centreforward and it seemed to offset the balance of the side. However, with the safety net of a semi-final place remaining, there was no detrimental harm in experimenting with the side.

In typical fashion, Ruan took full advantage of any such frailties and with the wind at their backs, opened up a 1-5 to 0-1 lead by the turn of the opening quarter. They opened the scoring with a bang after only two minutes when Killian Ryan gathered a Parteen puck-out before delivering an inch perfect pass over the top to the unmarked Brendan Lyons to hit to the net from close range.

And sandwiching two John Punch frees, Ruan continued that pattern with points from Robbie O’Loughlin, Brendan Lyons and Tadgh Hanrahan to move seven points clear after 17 minutes with only an Ivan Conway free in riposte.

In a rare attack, Daragh Yelverton played in Brian McSweeney who was well smothered by the Ruan defence as he was about to pull the trigger. However, it only seemed to anger the beast as Ruan stepped up another gear amidst seven first half wides with Lyons, Punch and Dara Roughan pushing them 1-8 to 0-2 clear by the 28th minute.

To their credit, Parteen did make a late burst when frees from Ivan Conway and Colm Quinn were aided by their first score from play in injurytime as a good move unleashed Joe O’Connor on goal but his shot just cleared the top of the crossbar.

That recovery was soon quashed when Ruan re-emerged to hit them for 1-1 in the first four minutes of the second period. A Jonathan Clohessy free was followed by a John Punch opportunist goal when kicking the ball to the net after a break from a Dara Roughan delivery.

Now ten clear, it appeared to be game over but a stroke of fortune in the 43rd minute ensured that Parteen had something to fight for in the runin. It stemmed from an Ivan Conway free that rebounded off the upright into the path of Brian McSweeney who finished over the line. It certainly lifted the intensity but despite their best efforts, Parteen were unable to pull in Ruan before time and will now have to contend with a clash against group two winners Éíre Óg in the last four. Meanwhile, victorious Ruan have a grudge local derby against Corofin to plan for in a fortnight’s time, with momentum now firmly on their side.

Ruan
Pakie Roughan, Gary Bell, Niall O’Connor, Leon Quirke, Killian Ryan, Jonathan Clohessy, Dara Roughan (0-1),Tadgh Hanrahan (0-2), Eoin Hanrahan,Aidan Lynch, Colin O’Donoghue, Mikey Vaughan, Robbie O’Loughlin (0-1), John Punch (1-6 5f), Brendan Lyons (1-2)

Subs
Patrick Keegan for Lyons (48 mins), Caimin Howard for O’Loughlin (50 mins), Sean Cullinan for Punch (57 mins)

Parteen
Alan Murnane, Mark Cunningham, Paul O’Dwyer, David O’Sullivan, Martin Moroney, Colm O’Connell, Philip Lavin,AndrewBeatty, Colm Quinn (0-3 2f, 1’65), Mark Boland, Joe O’Connor (0-2), Ronan Conlon, Brian McSweeney (1-0), Ivan Conway (0-5f), DaraghYelverton

Éire Óg 3-17 – Corofin 2-08 at Gurteen

SHADOW boxing or no shadow boxing, that is the question that surrounded this group decider. Éire Óg’s 12 point victory against their biggest rivals in the group either suggests that the Townies are justified favourites for the intermediate crown after two successive quarter-final exits and that Corofin are as of yet short of the mark. Or else perhaps that Corofin didn’t give it their all and Éire Óg are lulling themselves into a false sense of security.

Only time will tell but if the former is actually the case, then it was a worthwhile evaluation for both sides ahead of the semi-finals. Éíre Óg have undoubtedly the best forward division in the division and will take stopping after this blistering second half display that saw them ease up in the final quarter. Corofin, meanwhile have got the perfect wake-up call ahead of their clash with Ruan in the last four and if they are not up for that game, some serious questions must be asked of them.

Corofin played with the aid of the breeze in the opening period but were on the backfoot for the majority as a Barry Nugent goal and four Danny Russell points helped them to a 1-6 to 0-3 advantage. Nugent’s goal inadvertently sparked Corofin into action as in the next passage of play, Stephen Heagney had exacted full revenge at the other end. It was enough to initiate a mini revival as Éire Óg only held a 1-7 to 1-5 advantage by the break.

The Éíre Óg machine churned back into action on the resumption to build up a 1-12 to 1-08 lead and once Barry Nugent grabbed a second goal midway through the half, it appeared as if the Ennis side would pull clear. However, just as in the first half, Corofin responded in kind, this time from the other Heagney, Kevin, to halt their charge.

It wasn’t sufficient to trouble the Townies however who just dusted themselves down and hit the front once more, capped off by Shane O’Donnell’s 52nd minute goal that crowned off a decisive win.

Éire Óg
Kevin Brennan, Cathal Whelan, Noel Whelan, Ronan Cooney,Tadgh McNamara, Fergus Flynn (0-1 1’65), Ciaran Hanna, Mark Fitzgerald, Kevin Moynihan (0-1), Danny Russell (0-7 4f), David Ryan (0-2), Marc O’Donnell (0-2), Davy O’Halloran (0-1, lineball), Barry Nugent (2-1), Shane O’Donnell (1-2)

Subs
Kevin Hally for Hanna (inj), Stephen Guilfoyle for Moynihan (inj)

Corofin
Patrick Burke, MartinTierney, Luke O’Loughlin, Keith O’Loughlin, Darragh Shannon, Gerry Quinn, Damien Ryan, Eamon Dunne, MatthewShannon, Kevin Heagney, Paudie Barry, Neil Killeen, Stephen Heagney, Kieran Carkill, Killian Neylon

Subs
Donnacha Kelleher for K. O’Loughlin, Diarmuid Daly for M. Shannon, Declan Lee for Barry, Eamonn Malone for Carkill, Jamie Malone for Killeen

Referee
Johnny Healy (Smith O’Brien’s) IN the remaining games in the group, relegation worries were to the fore with Ennistymon, Meelick and Ogonnelloe all in the mix. Ogonnelloe were in control of their destiny, regardless of the other game and duly did enough to save themselves with a 2-15 to 3-12 draw with Feakle. With the wind at their backs, Ogonnelloe opened up a 1-12 to 0-06 half-time advantage with Peter O’Brien contributing the bulk of the scores including the goal. However, Feakle came storming back into the contest, predominantly through Gary Guilfoyle and Colin Nelson’s goals that saw them pull level by the 40th minute. Again a determined Ogonnelloe pulled clear when Rory Skelly goaled at the turn of the final quarter but parity was regained soon afterwards when Feakle grabbed a third

major, this time through Donal O’Grady. The last six or seven minutes proved nervy, with neither side adding to their total despite a late goal chance for Ogonnelloe but a point was sufficient to avoid the relegation lottery. And so it came down to the east meets west showdown of Meelick and Ennistymon to decide the relegation candidate from group two and it was the bottom side Ennistymon that guaranteed their safety with a 2-15 to 0-11 win, with Cathal Malone scoring 1-13 of that total.

The seeds of victory were sown in the first half when they built up a 2-8 to 0-7 point advantage, thanks to goals from Cathal Malone and Padraig Brennan.

From there, it was just a matter of seeing out the victory and they did so by means of a 0-7 to 0-4 second half display that put the east Clare side in the one-off relegation tie against Clarecastle. WHILE the remaining two games in the group were merely academic, newcomers Crusheen did make third spot their own by leapfrogging opponents Bodyke after their 2-16 to 2-10 final round victory on Saturday.

The contest appeared all but over at the halfway mark, with goals from Niall Fitzgibbon and Gearoid O’Doherty helping Crusheen to a comprehensive 2-12 to 0-04 lead. However, a resurgent Bodyke make a remarkable third quarter recovery to get to within four of the intermediate league champions, mainly through the goals of Kieran Walsh and John Fitzgerald before Crusheen steadied the ship and finished strongly, with Gearoid O’Doherty capping off a fine display to end the day with 1-5.

In the final tie, played last Wednesday, bottom side Clarecastle got a much needed lift ahead of their relegation playoff with Meelick when edging out Sixmilebridge by 0-16 to 015 to claim their first points of the championship.

An inch tight match throughout, Sixmilebridge were to the fore early in the second half, mainly through the scoring prowess of Tommy Liddy who secured eight points but it was the Magpies who finished stronger with top scorer Adam Healy laying off the final pass for Niall Dunne to grab the winning score in the 58th minute.

Braodford 1-12 – Killanena 0-09 at Cusack Park, Ennis

BROADFORD booked their passage into the quarter-final stage for the second time in three years thanks to this workmanlike victory over a Killanena on Saturday evening.

It was a turgid affair throughout, with Killanena’s fourth successive defeat ensuring that they go into their relegation battle on the back of a depressing campaign in their first year back in the senior ranks in over 100 years.

For Broadford, it’s a totally different hurling world as they can now look forward to trying to build on their 2009 performance when they so nearly reached a first county semifinal in 64 years.

That’s for another day – this was about getting over the line, something they did thanks in the main to a first half when they forged a 1-5 to 0-4 clear courtesy of a brilliant individual goal from Padraig Hickey.

The All-Ireland intermediate winner is the main plank of the Broadford attack, something he showcased when bursting into the game in the closing minutes of the half when putting daylight between the sides for the first time.

First he lofted over a great point into the Stamer Park goal from underneath the shed terrace in the 25th minute to edge his side 0-4 to 0-3 clear; two minutes later he showed his determination in bursting through two tackles before blasting to the net from 15 yards to change the complexion of this game completely.

Up until then a brave, however, limited Killanena team had taken the fight to the favourites, more than holding their own in the first 20 minutes until a protracted delay of over five minutes after Mark Flaherty suffered a serious knee injury took the wind out of their sails.

Points by Flaherty and David McNamara to a reply from a Padraig Hickey free had them 0-2 to 0-1 ahead after ten minutes, while Niall Moloney and Mikey Noone then swapped points in the 16th minute before Broadford finally moved up a few gears in the final ten minutes before the break.

James Gunning’s long range free levelled matters in the 22nd minute before Hickey’s 1-1 blast put four points between the sides. That gap was still intact at half-time after Donie Whelan and John O’Mara traded points, while the game was effectively put out of Killanena’s reach inside seven minutes of the second half thanks to points from Hickey and Aonghus O’Brien that put them 1-7 to 0-4 clear.

All that was left for Broadford was to avoid conceding goals, something they managed comfortably despite Killanena’s valiant attempt to claw their way back into the game in the closing 20 minutes.

They did have the gap back to five with 15 minutes still on the clock after a David McNamara free was followed by points by Eoin McMa- hon and Mikey Noone, while further points by McNamara and Martin Glynn after Padraig Hickey’s fourth of the hour ensured there was only four points between the sides entering the last ten minutes.

But the goal they needed to have any chance of avoiding a whitewash in this group never came, leaving Broadford comfortable winners after Padraig Taylor and Alan McMahon added points in the closing minutes.

Smith O’Brien’s 1-13 – St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 2-09 at Shannon

IT’S REMARKABLY how much a team can be transformed when their lives on the line. Smith O’Brien’s were almost the forgotten side as the focus of the pre-match talk was predominantly on St Joseph’s who required the points and also needed Killanena to do them a favour by beating quarter-final rivals Broadford in the adjacent group tie.

However, the Killaloe based side needed the points just as much as their opponents to avoid relegation and that superior hunger and determination eventually saw them snatch all the points in a dramatic finale.

You could sense from the outset that Doora/Barefield were all but resigned to the fact that they would miss out on a quarter-final place for the second successive year. Indeed, the writing was on the wall from the early stages as St Joseph’s failed to lift their heads above mediocrity aside from impressive county minor Jarlath Colleran who was a constant threat and Ivor Whyte’s accuracy from placed balls, one of which flew into the net from 40 metres midway through the half.

Smith O’Brien’s meanwhile were intent on taking a scalp even without the presence of Pat Vaughan and while they left it late to seal the victory, there were constant indications throughout that they had sufficient prowess to get something out of the game.

They attacked from the outset but luck didn’t appear to be on their side even as early as the opening minute when a Mark Stritch free from his own ’65 was scrambled onto the post and cleared. Through Micheál Ryan, their most impressive performer of 2011, they did finally settle to open up a 0-3 to 0-1 advantage by the 13th minute before being hit by a frustrating sucker-punch.

Inevitably it was Ivor Whyte that dealt the blow as his sideline cut from 40 metres was allowed to nestle in the far corner of Jonathan Hayes’ net, a goal that would be the differ- ence for the remainder of the half. Between two points from the lively Colleran, Smith O’Brien’s got their challenge back on track with three successive points from John Cusack and Liam ‘Goose’ Walsh to cut the deificit to the minimum by the break at 1-4 to 0-6.

The second period was a seesaw affair with Smith O’Brien’s taking control early on after points from Kevin Walsh and Cusack before Doora/ Barefield replied in kind through a brace of Whyte frees. Liam Walsh had a 20 metre free stopped by Marty O’Regan in the 39th minute but he would make amends only three minutes later when Anthony Sullivan put him in for a goal from close range.

St Joseph’s response was almost immediate as an Ivor Whyte free was followed by a superb opportunistic goal from substitute Enda Lyons who outpaced the defence to find the net and take back the lead once more at 2-8 to 1-9.

However, despite holding the advantage, St Joseph’s lack of options up front meant that Smith O’Brien’s were never far from their opponents, with Seamus Gleeson sweeping up everything at the back. In one final push, Liam Walsh cut the deficit to the minimum in the 58th minute while a good move involving Mark Stritch, Kevin Walsh and replacement Willie Neary allowed Anthony Sullivan to pick off the equaliser in the 61st minute.

Tensions were heightened as both teams scrambled for the winner but after a throw-in on St Joseph’s 20 metre line, Smith O’Brien’s substitute Shane O’Brien gathered possession and offloaded for the onrushing Mark O’Halloran to improvise off the hurley and give his side the win and more importantly safety at senior level.

And as things worked out, Smith O’Brien’s also bypassed their opponents in the final group standings. One just wonders why they could have shown such determination earlier in the competition when the group was in the melting pot.

Smith O’Brien’s
Jonathan Hayes (6), Michael Culhane (6),Trevor Howard (7), Cian Nolan (7), Seamus Gleeson (8), Mark Stritch (7), Brian McInerney (7), Mark O’Halloran (8) (0-1), KevinWalsh (7) (0-1), Mark McInerney (6), Micheál Ryan (8) (0-5 3f), John Cusack (7) (0-3), Eoin Ryan (6), LiamWalsh (8) (1-2),Anthony Sullivan (7) (0-1)

Subs
Aiden McKeogh (6) for Culhane (28 mins), Shane O’Brien (6) for E. Ryan (33 mins),Willie Neary (6) for M. McInerney (41 mins)

St Joseph’s Doora/ Barefield
Paul Madden (7), Cathal O’Sullivan (7), Marty O’Regan (7), Sean Flynn (8), Damien Kennedy (6), Alan O’Neill (7), Darragh O’Driscoll (7), Kevin Dilleen (7), Mark Hallinan (6), Emmet Whelan (6), Noel Brodie (6), Ivor Whyte (7) (1-7 1-0 lineball, 6f), Niall DeLoughery (6), Ken Kennedy (6), Jarlath Colleran (8) (0-2)

Subs
Enda Lyons (8) (1-0) for Brodie (30 mins), Eamon Clohessy for K. Kennedy (51 mins, inj), Gary Hassett for Colleran (60 mins, inj)

Man of the Match
Seamus Gleeson (Smith O’Brien’s) Referee Seanie McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus)

Inagh/Kilnamona 0-22 – Tubber 1-12 at Cusack Park, Ennis

SAME old, same old for Tubber as they failed to reach the quarter-final stages yet again, but for Inagh/Kilnamona it’s a case of being back in the business end once more as they showed there’s life after Tony Carmody when cruising to this sevenpoint success.

They did so on the back of their deadly accurate full-forward line of Messrs Arthur and Conor Tierney, who accounted for all but one of their points in a command performance that re-affirmed their status as real darkhorses for this championship.

Re-affirmed, because the poverty of their previous display when they were edged out 0-7 to 0-6 by Cratloe in a thoroughly forgettable affair had seen them slip down the pecking order.

Against that backdrop this was the perfect riposte by the Combo in a free-scoring performance that was up there with the best seen this term, as the free-taking prowess of Niall Arthur combined with some exquisite points from play by older brother Ger and All-Ireland under 21 winner Tierney provided the mortal blows against a brave Tubber side.

Tubber’s chance looked to be gone at half-time when they trailed by 09 to 0-5 after playing with the wind. Leaving aside their inability to cope with Tierney and Ger Arthur and coughing up frees that Niall Arthur punished, it was Tubber’s wide count that crippled them.

Seven over a half hour in which they showed very well was the story of the half, because with each shot that went astray Inagh/Kilnamona seemed more determined to punish their profligate opponents.

And so they did when turning on the gas in the closing ten minutes of the half as a couple of Niall Arthur frees to bring his tally for the half to 0-4, Tierney’s third of the half and two more Ger Arthur efforts moved them four clear at the break.

This was a very poor reflection for Tubber, for whom Blaine Earley (2), David O’Donohgue (2) and Patrick O’Connor were on the mark. However, the combination of raw spirit and a huge second half display by Patrick O’Connor ensured that this game was in the melting pot with ten minutes remaining.

Tubber posted their intentions early with a David O’Donoghue point, but it was a hat-trick of O’Connor points from distance by the 40th minute in reply to two more Niall Arthur frees and another from Tierney that teed up the prospect of a rousing final 20 minutes.

The game was delicately poised at 0-12 to 0-9 in Inagh/Kilnamona’s favour. They did move five clear thanks to Niall Arthur, with his sideline cut over the bar in the 46th minute be- ing the score of the day, but Tubber were back with a bang when Shane O’Connor drove through the middle and crashed to the net a minute later.

Patrick O’Connor’s fifth point from play in the 50th minute after Niall Arthur’s ninth seemed to herald a titanic finish. A dramatic comeback win looked possible for Tubber, but this very threat was Inagh/Kilnamona’s cue to turn on the style once more with five points in the final five minutes to finally snuff out the challenge of the Burren boys.

Of course, it was the Arthurs and Tierney show once more – the only exception coming when sub Dermot Gannon pointed in the 59th to ensure there was no clean sweep of scoring for the rampant full-forward line.

Scariff 1-12 – Whitegate 0-09 at Cusack Park, Ennis

TO the loser would go the unwanted territory of being thrown deep into relegation country, but it was much more than a basement battle in Group 2 – it always is when these neighbours cross sticks.

So it was that Scariff turned up the temperature to romp home to the two points and safety in the senior ranks for another year against a Whitegate team that’s now two defeats away from dropping back to the intermediate ranks after only two years.

Scariff won here because they effectively beat their neighbours out the gate in the first half when playing with the breeze blowing towards the scoreboard end, racking up an impressive ten-point as Whitegate totally miss-fired in front of goal when hitting six wides.

More than that, however, Scariff seemed to want it more, thundering into proceedings from the opening minute when Conor McNamara raided up the field and fired over the opening score.

It set the tone – they had three points on the board inside the first ten minutes with Mark Mulvihill pointing in the eighth, making up for a missed goal chance two minutes earlier and Ross Horan having his first impact on proceedings with a point in the ninth.

Indeed, it was a portent of things to come – Horan was a constant threat down the right flank and chipped in with two more points in the half, while Muhvihill landed the pivotal score of the hour in the 14th minute when blasting low to the net beyond Andrew Fahey to put his side 1-4 to 0-1 ahead.

Opportunity for a Whitegate goal knocked three minutes later, but Andrew Fahey’s penalty that was awarded after Conor McNamara had taken down John O’Brien was kept at bay and cleared.

From there Scariff upped their game appreciably, hammering home their let off with points from play by Alfie Rodgers and Barry Murphy (2) to stretch their lead to nine, before John O’Brien lifted the siege with a point in the 23rd minute.

Alas, this strike, coupled with Thomas McNamara’s opener in the 11th is all a disappointing Whitegate could muster in the half as Scariff tacked on further points from Diarmuid Nash and Ross Horan to move into a virtually unassailable 1-10 to 0-2 interval lead.

Credit Whitegate for doing their utmost to make a game of it in the second half – halving the deficit by game’s end, but they were always fighting a losing battle against a Scariff side that was resolute against the wind.

A flurry of intensity from Whitegate in the first ten minutes and points by Ian Fahey, Georgie Waterstone, Andrew Fahey and an inspirational effort from Brendan Bugler to a lone reply from a Conor McNamara free threatened to make a game of it with the margin back to 1-10 to 0-6. However, once Sacriff weathered the storm they were home free.

They did that thanks to steadying points from Michael Moroney and Kenny McNamara by the 45th minute, which helped them into a 1-12 to 0-8 lead. Whitegate did finish strongly with poitns from Patrick Burke, Georgie Waterstone and Andrew Fahey, but they were nothing more than consolation scores, while Shane O’Rourke’s sending off capped their miserable local derby afternoon.

Scariff
Shane Mulvihill (7), Brian McNamara (7), Darragh Kelly (7), Diarmuid Nash (8) (0-1), JimMinogue (7), Conor McNamara (7) (0-2), Padraig Brodie (7), Shane Coy (7), Patrick Minogue (7),Alfie Rodgers (7) (0-1), Mark Mulvihill (7) (1-1), Ross Horan (8) (0-3), Kenny McNamara (7) (0-1), Michael Moroney (0-1), Barry Murphy (7) (0-2).

Subs
MatthewHoran (6) for Coy [59 Mins],Alan Corbett (6) for Murphy [59 Mins].

Whitegate
AndrewFahey (7) (0-2f), Cathal Mulvihill (7), John Bugler (7), John Minogue (7), Jason Malone (7), Brendan Bugler (7) (0-1), Patrick Moroney (7), Ian Fahey (7) (0-1),Thomas McNamara (7) (0-1), Michael O’Brien (6), Raymond Cahill (6), Shane O’Rourke (6), John O’Brien (6) (0-1), George Waterstone (6) (0-2f), Owen Quirke (6) (0-1).

Subs
Patrick Burke (0-1) for John O’Briean [26 Mins].

Man of the Match
Diarmuid Nash (Scariff ) Referee Rory Hickey (Éire Óg)

Clarecastle 1-18 – O’Callaghan’s Mills 2-12 at O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge

IT’S 25 years since these sides met in a county final which will be marked at this year’s decider, but while Clarecastle and the Mills certainly won’t be in the reckoning for this year’s crown, there was still some restoration of pride to play for in this final round tie.

The inclement weather brought with it more unenforced errors than Ireland’s Rugby World Cup opener against the USA earlier in the day but it was Clarecastle’s blistering finish that really caught the eye on Sunday. Nine points in arrears at the start of the second half, it didn’t seem at all likely that the Magpies could stage a late recovery but in the last 24 minutes of the tie, they would hit 13 out of the last 15 scores to romp to a three point win.

All so different in the opening half of the game when the Mills, aided by two first half goals, set the pace. Three Alan Duggan points had them 0-3 to 0-1 clear by the sixth minute and just as it seemed Clarecastle had settled to wrestle control with three successive points from Darragh Moloney and two Eamon Callinan frees, the Mills struck for their opening goal.

Clarecastle’s tactic of playing Tyrone Kearse as a third midfielder against the breeze backfired somewhat when his marker Sean O’Gorman benefitted from a defensive mix-up to billow the net in the 22nd minute. And worse was to follow for the Magpies when Adrian Donovan rifled a 20 metre free to the net on the half hour mark followed by points from Eoghan Pewter and Gary Neville to hold a 2-6 to 0-5 interval advantage.

Early scores from Fergus Donovan and Patrick Donnellan stretched that lead to nine by the 32nd minute as Clarecastle appeared to lose their shape. However, the first signs of recovery came with Tyrone Kearse’s opening goal for the Magpies that moved from back to front through goalkeeper Donnagh Murphy, Fearghus Ryan and Derek Quinn before reaching the unmarked Kearse to find the bottom left corner of the net.

Unpeturbed, the Mills hit back with two Gary Neville points that sandwiched another goal opportunity for Eoghan Pewter, only for goalkeeper Murphy to pull off an excellent relfex save in the 34th minute.

Now a double scores game at 2-10 to 1-05, the Mills appeared comfortable but they would only score twice more for the remainder of the game as Clarecastle slowly began to chip away at their lead. The main protagonists of the fightback were Darragh Moloney, Jonathan Clancy and Eamon Callinan, with all three contributing to their side’s five point unanswered streak by the 47th minute to topple the lead to three. Mills’ substitute Kevin O’Callaghan stopped the rot in the 52nd but with the Magpies gathering momentum, they finished with aplomb with eight of the last nine points in only a nine minute spell.

Some suberb long range efforts from Callinan and Moloney in particular blitzed the tiring Mills while county senior Clancy finished the job when grabbing two late points and earning the last for Callinan to convert from a free in the 62nd minute.

It was too late in the campaign for Clarecastle to make a meaningful impact despite finishing on level points with quarter-finalists Tulla. Instead, Senior B will be these sides’ only chance of playing on county final day for this season.

Clarecastle

Kilmaley 1-20 – Ballyea 1-14 at Cusack Park, Ennis

THE real story of this game was that Ballyea gave Newmarket-on-Fergus a real dose of the blues, when not starting injury worry Tony Kelly and then hauling their other young starlet Gearóid O’Connell off at half-time.

With that and with two missed goal chances before half-time by former All-Star Tony Griffin went their chance of causing an upset, registering the first win of their campaign and bringing the Blues back into the championship race.

Hard to blame Ballyea though – Kelly and O’Connell are minors and 2011 for them has to be about winning a first ever Minor A championship and the intermediate football with Clondegad, hence this calculated decision to mind them ahead of more important battles.

Into this vacuum gladly stepped Kilmaley to book their place in the last eight, eventually reeling in a battling Ballyea side in the second half thanks to their combination of youth and experience that could make them dark horses in the Canon Hamilton race.

With seven minutes of this game remaining Kilmaley only led by 0-16 to 1-12, while the force was most definitely with a Ballyea side that had reeled off three points in as many minutes to peg it back to the minimum.

However, when in need enter Daire Keane for the defining score of the hour – his high catch, burst of pace and clinical finish from 18 yards finally killing off Ballyea’s dogged resistance.

The winning of the game, but the losing of it for Ballyea came in the first half when their failure to cash in on wind advantage cost them. That said, they were unlucky, because they played much the better hurling in the half, with Clare minor star Gearóid O’Connell being star of the show around midfield and on the scoreboard with five points to his name, while had former All Star Tony Griffin availed of two gilt-edged goal chances the black and amber would have been well down the road to a shock win.

That their challenge ultimately came to nothing was down to the perseverance of Kilmaley – they stayed in touch in the first half when recovering from a 0-6 to 0-3 deficit after the first 15 minutes to be only a point adrift at the break.

And, it was their veterans of many a battle going all the way back to their last county final victory in 2004 that showed the way – Diarmuid McMahon, Colin Lynch and Brian McMahon all registered good points from play, while young guns Daire Keane and Niall McGuane also chipped in with points as Kilmaley played catch-up in an entertaining first half.

Ballyea were very industrious in that opening half and would have been on course for a shock victory had Griffin crowned their efforts with a two-goal blast just before the break – firstly on 27 minutes he bril- liantly fielded the ball on the edge of the square but just when he was about to pull the trigger for a goal he lost possession, while two minutes later a rasping drive from just inside the 21 cannoned off the underside of the crossbar before being cleared to safety by a charmed Kilmaley defence.

However, it was game on when Ballyea got the goal their efforts deserved inside a minute of the re-start after a fumble by Kieran Dillon was kicked to the net by Francie Neylon to put his side 1-7 to 0-6 ahead.

Kilmaley were in a corner, but by reeling off six points in a row from Conor McMahon, Ken Kennedy (2), Diarmuid McMahon, Alan Markham and Eoin Enright were back in control of their own destiny by the 40th minute and leading by 0-12 to 1-7.

From there it was just a matter of holding their nerve, despite Ballyea’s refusal to die. Further Kilmaley points by Niall McGuane, Daire Keane (2) and Colin Lynch moved them 0-16 to 1-9 clear before Ballyea’s best period of the half had favouites living on their nerves for a few minutes until Daire Keane went about winning the man of the match award for himself and catapulting Kilmaley into the quarter final stage for the first time in two years.