Category: Sport

Sixmilebridge 0-17 – Clonlara 2-5 at Dr Daly Park, Tulla

YOU get the sense with Sixmilebridge that where this championship is concerned, 2011 is about unfinished business.

That mood was very much in evidence in Tulla on St Patrick’s Day when the defeated finalists from 2010 were comfortable winners over a Clonlara side that were always chasing a losing cause once they found themselves trailing by seven points at half-time having played with the wind.

Yes, the ‘Bridge hit this championship running, strutting to a six-point victory that flattered Clonlara somewhat as both their goals came in the flurry of action in the final five minutes that also saw Eoin Meehan and Cathal O’Connell see red for the vanquished, while John Fennessy suffered the same fate for the winners.

The 2009 champions never really looked back after responding to the opening point from Cathal O’Connell in the fifth minute by reeling off five of their own to lead by 0-5 to 0-1 after 15 minutes. Ronan Mullane did the early damage with two points before a hat-trick from man-of-thematch Jamie Shanahan.

The marker was down and the ‘Bridge more than living up to their early billing for the rest of the game. A four-point lead was stretched to seven by the interval, with Shanahan notching two more frees, while points from play came via Sam O’Sullivan, Shane Golden and Shanahan brought their tally to 0-11.

Clonlara were fighting a losing battle, with only Cathal O’Connell’s frees (2) and an effort from play by Colm Galvin keeping them anyway competitive. The 2008 champions did rouse themselves early in the second half, moving Darach Honan from midfield to full-forward and opening the scoring thanks to Thomas Begley.

However, it was as good as it got for over 25 minutes as the ‘Bridge soon assumed total control and reeled off another flurry of five unanswered points by the 50th minute to move 11 clear. Impressive wing-back John Fennessy got them going with a huge point from play three minutes into the half, before points by Shanahan and Seadna Morey stretched the lead to nine by the 40th minute.

Clonlara needed goals, but after Darach Honan’s 20-metre free was stopped by Stephen Fleming in the 45th minute they had to wait until very late in the game for consolation scores, with Honan blasting a semipenalty to the net in the 56th minute and then teeing up Cathal O’Connell for a goal a minute later.

Then came the argy bargy that saw three players seeing red, with Fennessy rather unluckily being picked out as one of the culprits.

O’Callaghan’s Mills 3-11 – Clarecastle 4-07 at Cratloe

IN THE END, only an injury-time Adrian Donovan ’65 with almost the last puck of the game separated the sides but in truth, even if Clarecastle had secured a draw, it would have been a major escape having played second fiddle for much of the game and only grabbing a late lifeline after some fortunate goals.

All this was in contrast to a near perfect start that saw the Magpies storm 1-3 to 0-0 clear early on with Conor O’Gorman grabbing the goal and Aaron Considine converting all three points. Unfortunately, far from settling the side, the Magpies failed to build on that lead and would only score one more point in the half through Patrick Casey as the Mills finally found their feet.

By half-time, three Adrian Donovan placed balls and further points from from Eoin’s, McInerney and McGrath slashed the deficit to only two at 1-4 to 0-5.

The Mills maintained that pattern after the break and took the lead for the first time in the 35th minute when Eoin McGrath pulled to the net from close range followed by another brace of points to take a 1-7 to 1-4 advantage.

Clarecastle’s attempted fightback through a pair of Aaron Considine frees was interrupted by a second Mills goal, this time with Ian Donnellan pulling through a crowded goalmouth.

By the 50th minute, the Mills had pushed 2-9 to 1-6 ahead but far from seeing out the game, a dramatic yet bizarre finale lay in store.

Goalkeeper Henry Skehan did well to keep out a Stephen O’Halloran shot only for the clearance to go straight to John Reidy who managed to find the net from 40 metres as Skehan lost his footing.

Crucially the Mills responded immediately to the set-back, with James McMahon pulling to the net followed by an Eoin McInerney point but even then a seven point lead wasn’t enough. An Aaron Considine free and a goal from a deflected David Green shot saw the Magpies recover to within a goal and in the 61st minute, a Conor O’Gorman ’65 again came off the stick of a defender to nestle in the corner of the net and tie up the game.

However, the Mills showed their character once more and were handed a highly controversial penalty as Eamon O’Connor seemed to legitimately hook Ian Donnellan on his way towards goal only for referee Damien Fox to signal a penalty. With only seconds remaining, Adrian Donovan unconventionally chose to go for goal instead of securing the win with a point and was almost punished when his effort was stopped for a ’65. However, this time he kept his cool to convert the placed ball and send his side into a quarter-final meeting with Whitegate.

O’Callaghan’s Mills
Henry Skehan, Sean O’Gorman, Gerry Cooney, Michael McGrath,Aidan Fawl,Adrian Donovan (0-4 2f, 2’65 s), Darren Cooney, Kevin O’Callaghan, Eoin McInerney (0-2), Eoin McGrath (1-1), Ian Donnellan (1-0),Aidan O’Gorman (0-1), ColmMcHugh (0-1), James McMahon (1-0), Jamie Lynch (0-2f)

Clarecastle
Jamie Coughlan, Gearoid Ryan, Eamon O’Connor,Austin Guckian, Cormac Donnellan, Stephen O’Halloran, Fearghus Ryan, Patrick Casey (0-1), John Reidy (1-0), Mark Foley, David Green (1-0), Conor O’Gorman (2-0), Seanie Dilger,Aaron Considine (0-6 3f), Michael Casey

Subs
Gary Porter for P. Casey (40 mins),Tom Kelleher for Guckian (47 mins), James McAllister for Foley

Man of the Match
Adrian Donovan (O’Callaghan’s Mills) Referee Damien Fox (WolfeTones)

Cratloe 1-13 – Éire Óg 1-6 at Newmarket-on-Fergus

THE CURRENT U21 champions Eire Og won’t be retaining their crown in 2011 as they were beaten by a very strong Cratloe side who proved to much for the townies on St. Patrick’s day as they went out on a score line of 1-13 to 1-6.

Éire Óg held their own in a first half that were neck and neck to the interval with only a point separating the sides at half time. However, Cratloe should have built a much stronger lead if it wasn’t for some wayward shooting and great defending by Eire Og full-back Ciaran Russell.

The second half then saw the townies begin to get the better of Cratloe as they came at them from all angles. A goal then from Eire Og’s David O’Halloran looked as if it would ignite the belief that his side needed to go on and win but in fact it was just the opposite.

Eire Og failed to register a score again until the closing minutes and Cratloe went on to hit 1-8 without reply as Conor McGrath began to find his form. Some loose marking in the middle of the park gave Cratloe plenty of opportunities to feed the dangerous forwards who began to pick off scores.

Both teams were reduced to 14 men when a bust up between Eire Og’s Thomas Downes and Cratloe’s Pa Carey saw them receive second yellows as there looked to be little chance of an Eire Og comeback. Then an off the ball incident resulted in another red for Eire Og as Niall McMahon got his marching orders and it looked to be all over.

Fiachra Connellan then got the last point of the day but it was too little too late for his side as they were beaten by a dominant Cratloe team that is dripping with inter-county talent. They now face the winners of Newmarket-on-Fergus and Kilmaley.

Cratloe
Dean DeLoughrey, Joe Conroy, Sean

Hynan, Enda Boyce, Conor Ryan, LiamMarkham (0-2); Jack McCourt,Wes DeLoughrey, Podge Collins (0-3); Pa Carey, Cathal McInerney (0-2); David Collins, Joe O’Connor, Conor McGrath (15);Thomas Ryan (0-1).

Subs
David McInerney for Boyce, Boyce for David Collins, Robert Foskin for Boyce.

Éire Óg
: Kevin Brennan, Kevin Hally, Ciaran Russell, Niall Malone, Jack Walsh, Kevin Moynihan, Cathal Whelan,Thomas Downes, Conor Stack, Fiachra Connellan (0-1); Niall McMahon, Graham Glynn (0-1); Shane O’Donnell, David O’Halloran (1-4, 2f); Niall O’Connor.

Subs
Aaron Fitzgerald for Stack, Caoimhin Fitzgerald for O’Connor.

Tubber 1-13 – Tulla/Bodyke 2-08 at Gurteen

IT WAS A dramatic finish, but in the end Tubber throughly deserved to advance to the quarter-finals on Sunday. Despite an immense leadership display by county senior Patrick O’Connor who scored 11 points over the hour, Tubber generally had the better balance and the two point winning margin certainly didn’t reflect Tubber’s dominance for the bulk of the game.

The north Clare side led from start to finish, held a six point half-time advantage that even swelled to eight mid-way through the half yet still could have been caught in a nervous final quarter as the amalgamation finally gelled.

However, while Tulla/Bodyke outscored their opponents by 1-3 to 0-1 in the run-in and also had a multitude of further goal chances including a penalty that flew over the crossbar, several close-in frees and goalmouth scrambles, they found goalkeeper Ronan Taaffe in stubborn form as time eventually ran out.

That late charge would make one wonder how competitive this game could have been had Tulla/Bodkye shown as much urgency from the outset but instead it was Tubber who opened up an 0-8 to 0-3 advantage by the 29th minute, with O’Connor scoring all but one of that total while the fielding of Cathal Murray and work-rate of Nigel O’Donoghue were also highlights.

Aside from Trevor Vaughan placed balls and some good defensive work by Daragh Corry, Tulla/Bodkye hopes of gaining a foothold in this game stemmed from infrequent goal chances, the first of which Taaffe superbly saved from John Fitzgerald while they did finally break the deadlock on the half hour mark when Tomás McMahon picked up a break to drive a low shot to the net.

Had they been able to go into the break only two points down, Tulla/ Bodyke would have been wholly satisfied but crucially Tubber cancelled that score out when Neil O’Loughlin earned a penalty for Ronan Taaffe to convert to the net in the 34th minute to lead by 1-9 to 1-3 at half-time.

Three Patrick O’Connor placed balls extended that advantage to eight by the turn of the final quarter but they would only score once more as Tulla/Bodyke finally fought back. Four Trevor Vaughan frees cut the deficit to five but a plethora of missed chances in front of goals meant that they were repeatedly frustrated.

Tula/Bodyke did eventually bypass goalkeeper Taaffe in the 62nd minute when substitute Cathal Bolton acrobatically flicked a rebound to the net but it was too little too late as it was Tubber who march on to meet Ballyea this Saturday.

Tubber
RonanTaaffe (1-0 Pen), Paddy O’Connor, Paul Fogarty, Philip O’Connor, Sean Brosnan, Fergal O’Grady, Sean Naughton, Nigel O’Donoghue, Kevin Fawl, Darragh O’Connor, Conor Clancy (0-2), Cathal Murray, Evan O’Donoghue, Patrick O’Connor (0-11 7f, 1’65), Neil O’Loughlin

Subs
Francis McCormack for P. O’Connor (37 mins),Adrian Nilan for Fawl (43 mins)

Tulla/ Bodyke
Alan Leamy, Gavin Moroney, Eoin Halpin, Manus Maguire, Daragh Corry, Sean McGrath, Donnacha McNamara, David McInerney (0-1), Oisin Molloy,Trevor Vaughan (0-7 5f, 1 Pen, 1’65), ColmHalpin,Tomás McMahon (1-0), John Fitzgerald, Danny Maguire

Subs
Cathal Bolton (1-0) for Molloy (43 mins), Cormac Lynch for C Halpin (50 mins)

Man of the Match
Patrick O’Connor (Tubber) Referee Fergie McDonagh (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)

Inagh/Kilnamona 2-10 – Broadford/O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-14 at Dr Daly Memorial Park,

TWO GOALS in three minutes midway through the second half was enough to turn this tie on its head and send Inagh/Kilnamona into the last four. Up to that point, the east Clare amalgamation of Broadford and O’Callaghan’s Mills appeared to be the side most likely to advance and play Sixmilebridge in the semifinals. However, the brace of goals from Brian Foudy and Martin Barry altered the narrative of this game decisively and while Broadford/’Mills had ample opportunities to get something out of the game, Inagh/Kilnamona and full-back Brian Glynn in particular ensured that the leaders held on.

In hindsight however, Broadford/ Mills will reflect on the fact that they only scored two points from play over the 60 minutes. Indeed, it was James McMahon’s solo and point in the 20th minute that handed Broadford/’Mills the lead for the first time in the game at 0-5 to 0-4 after a freetaking duel between Paurig Taylor, Cathal Chaplin and Niall Arthur.

That score was the third in an unanswered haul of six straight points as the east Clare combo finally found their feet to pull four points clear at 0-8 to 0-4 and they might have even added a goal had Aidan O’Gorman managed to field a James McMahon handpass on his way towards goal in the 27th minute.

Crucially however, Inagh/Kilnamona came off the ropes to finish the half strongly with Sean McConigley to the fore by setting up one for Martin Barry while scoring another himself to cut the deficit to only two by the break.

Broadford/O’Callaghan’s Mills maintained their advantage on the resumption with Chaplin and Taylor frees sandwiching another from Arthur at 0-10 to 0-07. Their comfort zone was dented though in the 38th minute when Inagh/Kilnamona launched a counter-attack to score the first goal of the game and tie the game up. Ciaran Devitt raced down the right wing and played a crossfield pass that broke off two players before falling into the path of the overlapping Brian Foudy to pull to the net from close range.

In the next passage of play, Inagh/ Kilnamona almost got in for a second goal but Niall Arthur’s rasping shot was somehow saved by goalkeeper Cian O’Brien at his near post for a ’65 that Arthur duly converted. With the hardworking Vaughan brothers, Eoin and Haulie doing the spadework around the centre, worse was to follow for Broadford/’Mills two minutes later when a Martin Barry free from his own half was misjudged by Chaplin and creeped into the corner of the net to hand Inagh/Kilnamona a 2-08 to 0-10 lead.

To their credit however, Broadford/ ’Mills displayed great character to recover immediately with Chaplin and Taylor (2) converting frees, with only a superb point from Niall Arthur on the left wing in reply.

Mark Moloney’s 52nd minute point cut the deficit to only the minimum but try as they might, that was as good as it would get. A Niall Arthur free restored Inagh/Kilnamona’s two point advantage and with Brian Glynn having a near-perfect game at full-back, a series of threatening Broadford/’Mills attacks were all thwarted. The best opportunity fell for Niall Moloney who caught a Cathal Chaplin cross just outside the square but surrounded by defenders, he chose to handpass towards goal and Mark Moloney failed to connect with a overhead pull as the ball drifted wide.

A further brace of frees also went the same way as Inagh/Kilnamona clung on to set up a repeat of the minor final of three years ago in the last four against Sixmilebridge.

THE ENNIS Triathlon club are holding their first Ennis Duathlon on Sunday, April 3, which will start and finish in Lees road as a build up to the European Duathlon Championships taking place in Limerick two weeks later.

Anyone is entitled to take part in the Ennis Duathlon and the Ennis Triathlon Club are encouraging peo- ple who have never done a duathlon or triathlon before to come along and take part. It will consist of a run-cycle-run, starting in Lees Road; the run will take place through the forest area covering 2.7k and they will then take off from here cycling the by-pass for 14.3k before eventually returning to lees road for a further 2.4k run to the finish.

All you need to take part is simply runners, a bike and a helmet. All en- trants will be provided with a timing chip that will give split results for the cycle leg, both runs and transitions. The cost of entry is € 20 per person including a € 5 fee for a one-day license from Triathlon Ireland if you are not already a member. All proceeds from the event will go towards Clare Haven. The Clare People spoke with Bryan Mathias, a member of the Ennis Triathlon club on the upcoming event and he hopes it will be a big success. The main focus is on targetting it at beginners and people who are new to duathlons and that you don’t have to join the club you can just come for the event on the day. He also hopes that this will now become an annual event in Ennis for Clare Haven and that they have invited the Triathlon Ireland Junior elite squad to take part in the event.

Bryan will be taking part in the Eu- ropean championships in Limerick on April 17 with other members of the club such as Paddy Quinn from Clarecastle and Conor Rooney from Inch who will also be featuring in the first Ennis Dualthlon.

If you are looking to register or for more information you can log onto www.ennistriclub.com. Registration will also be taking place on the day from 9am to 10am with the event starting at 10.30am sharp.

Newmarket-on-Fergus 2-11 – Kilmaley 2-11 at Knockalisheen Park, Meelick

NEWMARKET WILL be disappointed that they didn’t hold on while Kilmaley will wonder how they lost their foothold in a game they seemed to be controlling for two-thirds of the tie but deep down, it’s unlikely that either club will turn their nose up at a chance to get another competitive game under their belts before facing joint-championship favourites Cratloe in the last four.

Kilmaley appeared to be cruising towards victory following an impressive first half showing that saw them lead by five. They got off to the perfect start with an early settling goal from Daire Keane after two minutes when he doubled on a long range Michael O’Neill free to the net. Newmarket responded well to gain parity by the ninth minute through Sean O’Connor, Shane Liddy and Darren Duggan but with centre-back Darren O’Connor sweeping up everything, the switch of Keane to centre-forward was the tonic needed to curb his influence. It allowed Kilmaley to pick off six points without reply from Daire Keane (3), John Cabey, Michael O’Neill and Shane Darcy and by the interval, Kilmaley held a 1-6 to 0-4 advantage.

Having been uncharacteristically sluggish in the opening half, Newmarket were determined to get back into the contest on the restart but needed a spark to ignite their flame. That came in the 38th minute when a defensive error allowed Shane Liddy to pick up possession, drive at the Kilmaley defence and unleash a shot to the top corner. That goal changed matters dramatically and with Sean O’Connor pulling the strings at midfield, Newmarket maintained that intensity to score a further 1-3 without reply to open up a four point lead by the turn of the final quarter.

Sean O’Connor had a hand in all those scores, setting up Niall Enright and Frank Melody to equalise before grabbing the second goal himself when collecting a Darren Duggan lineball and striking an unstoppable shot from distance to the net.

Meanwhile, freefalling Kilmaley finally stopped the rot in the 51st minute through a Daire Keane ’65 following a batted shot from the same player that was turned away by goalkeeper Niall Woods.

Two further close efforts were also spurned by a resurgent Kilmaley who by the 60th minute were still trailing by four at 2-11 to 1-10. However, after a John Cabey point, Michael Pyne earned his side one final opportunity with a 20 metre free and inevitably up stepped Daire Keane to smash the ball to the net and ensure another day out for both sides this weekend.

Newmarket- on- Fergus
Niall Woods, Shane McDermott, Niall O’Connor, Niall Garry,Alan McInerney, Darren O’Connor, David Liddy, Sean O’Connor (1-2), Frank Melody (0-2), Noel Frawley (0-1), Niall Enright (0-1), LiamClancy (0-1 1f), Thomas Griffin, Darren Duggan (0-3 1f, 1’65), Shane Liddy (1-1)

Subs
Shane Kelleher for Griffin (23 mins, inj), Ian Cusack for Clancy (53 mins)

Kilmaley
Bryan O’Loughlin, Martin O’Connor, Stephen Griffey, Niall McGuane, Kevin Collellan, Colin McGuane, Kevin McNamara (0-1), Eoin Enright, Conor Cleary, Michael O’Neill (0-1 1f), Michael Pyne, John Cabey (0-2), Shane Darcy (0-1), Daire Keane (2-6 1-2f, 1’65), Shane Culligan

Subs
Paul Kennedy for Culligan (44 mins), Eoin Fitzgerald for Darcy (52 mins)

Man of the Match
Sean O’Connor (Newmarket- on- Fergus) Referee Ger Hoey (Killanena)

Newmarket Celtic 5 – 1 Hermitage at McDonough Park, Newmark-on-Fergus

RUNAWAY Premier Division leaders took a huge step towards winning a first Premier League title in three years when they blitzed Hermitage in this top of the table clash that was played on Sunday morning.

Liam Murphy’s side did in style, bouncing back from being rocked by ‘Tage goal inside the first minute from Adrian Walsh to get home with something to spare to put 14 points between them and the Ennis side in the Premier League standings as both side only have four games left to play.

A keen tie was expected here, given the high-scoring nature of the first league meeting between the sides back on September when they played out a hugely entertaining 3-3 draw at the Fairgreen, but this return leg turned out to be damp squib as a rampant Celtic side showed no mercy in turning the screw.

Michael Crosby was Celtic’s star turn on the day, helping himself to a hat-trick as they ended the ‘Tage’s hopes of making a dream title-winning return to the top flight of Clare soccer. Celtic recovered from their early set-back to equalise inside five mintues thanks to Mark Donnellan, who rose highest at the back post to head home Seamus Considine’s cross from the right wing.

Crosby then put made his first impression when toe-poking the ball into the corner of the net after 15 minutes after the ball fell nicely for him just inside the area. And when Seamus Lawlor got in on the scoring act in the 30th minutes, Newmarket were on the high road to their 11th win of the campaign.

The second half proved to be very comfortable for the home side, with a brace from Crosby bolstering Newmarket’s impressive goal difference to plus 22 as they brought their tally of league goals to an imposing 44 for the season to date.

The first came after 60 minutes when Crosby ran on to a through ball from Davy Wall before slotting the ball past Joe Burke in the ‘Tage goal, while his hat-trick was up ten minutes later when a similar type goal.

Newmarket Celtic
MartyWhelan, Mark O’Malley, Mark Donnellan, Eoin O’Brien, Darren Cullinan, Mike O’Malley (Eoin Hayes), Mike Devitt, Seamus Considine (Pa Coughlan), Seamus Lawlor, Michael Crosby, Davy Wall (Gary Collins).

Man of the Match
Michael Crosby (Newmarket Celtic) Referee Dave McCarthy

Avenue United 2 – 1 Tulla United at Lees Road, Ennis

AVENUE UNITED keep their hopes of winning the Premier alive as they secured three points on Sunday narrowly beating Tulla by two goals to one.

The first chance of the game fell to Tulla but Niall Whelan was unable to put his side in front. Avenue then began to get on top and held possession well. Mikey Mahoney then set up Barry Nugent for the first goal 25 minutes in and cries of offside from the Tulla contingency fell on deaf ears as Avenue took the lead.

The game then became nip and tuck from here as Tulla went in search of an equaliser but it was Avenue that struck again with a David McCarthy free kick that found the net putting them two up. Tulla did not give up hope and only minutes later they were back in it when Gearoid O’Doherty hit a great free kick past John Healy in the Avenue goal.

The sides went in at the break with Avenue 2-1 up but with a resilient Tulla side there looked to be a great second half battle in store. Unfortunately, Tulla were reduced to 10 men as Trevor Corbett received a second yellow card and this put a major dent in Tulla’s chances.

Avenue pressed on from here as Tulla began to struggle. They then had the chance to increase their lead to three when the referee awarded Avenue a penalty for a Denis Murphy foul in the area. Tulla were given a glimmer of hope though as Gary Flynn stepped up and put the ball over the bar to keep the the game tight to the finish.

The result of the game still hung in the balance in the closing stages as Avenue began to sit back on their lead and Tulla tried to pile on the pressure. Alan Brigdale then had a chance to gain a share of the spoils and level matters very late on but he was unsuccessful with his effort and Avenue held out to claim the victory.

Avenue are currently 22 points behind leaders Newmarket F.C but they have seven games in hand and will hope to utilise all these games to close the gap at the top of the table bringing the closing stages of the season to an interesting finale.

Avenue Utd
John Healy, Simon Cuddihy, David Herlihy, Con Collins, Mattie Nugent, Pa Wilson, David McCarthy, Gary Flynn, David Smyth, Barry Nugent, Mikey Mahoney.

Subs
Eamon O’Reilly, Colin Smyth.

Tulla Utd
Shane Collins,Tommy McKeon, Gearoid O’Doherty, Denis Murphy, Pat Vaughan, Mike McDermott,Trevor Corbett, Niall Whelan, Shane Mason, Keith Lenihan,Alan Brigdale.

Subs
Brian Hehir, Kevin Deloughrey,TomBurns.

Clare 5 – Galway 1 at County Grounds, Doora

A SUPERB and comprehensive victory saw Clare sweep aside the challenge of reigning champions Galway to book a place in the semi-finals of the Inter League Youths Cup on Saturday.

Clare, playing in the knock out stages of the competition for the first time since winning the trophy in 1971, were full value for a win that sets up a semi-final meeting with Kilkenny in the Marble City.

Playing with noticeably more aggression and pace than their opponents, a physically powerful Clare side led 2-0 at half time thanks to goals from Daragh Sexton and Niall Whelan.

Yet Galway weren’t for throwing in the towel. A goal from the visitor’s most impressive player, Timmy Molloy, seconds after the re-start threw the game wide open.

Far from unsettling Clare, the goal prompted a brilliant response from manager Mike Moloney’s team.

Avenue United’s Eoin O’Loughlin poached two goals in the space of two minutes to quell any notion of a Galway comeback. Substitute Eoin Fitzgerald completed the rout in the final moments.

There was plenty to admire about Clare as they went about their business in a game re-fixed for the County Grounds after heavy rain had made the original venue at Tulla unplayable. Niall Whelan was immense in midfield; Colin Smyth gave a classy performance at centre back while Ruairi Norrby, Sexton and O’Loughlin combined to give Clare a deadly cutting edge in the final third. As a whole, Clare defended with purpose and kept their shape.

They made the perfect start. O’Loughlin and Norrby both went close before Clare took the lead. Galway goalkeeper Aaron Connolly’s short kick out was read by Sexton who powered past one defender be- fore curling, a side-footed effort over Connolly in the 15th minute.

Galway steadied and enjoyed more possession but apart from Molloy’s dangerous shot run in the 18th minute, Clare’s goal was rarely threatened. The better chances continued to flow Clare’s way.

Daragh Fitzgerald almost scored after good approach work from Alan Roche and Sexton. Norrby, Fitzgerald and Smyth then all saw efforts saved or clip the bar as Clare turned the screw. The second goal duly arrived in the 42nd minute.

Darren Murphy’s long free kick looked to be travelling wide. Connolly and defender James Casserly dithered. Whelan did not.

The Tulla United man controlled the ball on the byline, held off Casserly and poked the ball home from a tight angle. Advantage Clare.

Galway however had other ideas. A minute into the second half, Smyth was forced to clear off his line but Molloy was on hand to slot home. But the visitor’s hopes were short lived as Clare hit back with a devastating counter attack. As Smyth strode out of defence in the 59th minute, O’Loughlin peeled away into space on the right flank. Smyth located his club mate with a perfectly weighted pass.

Without having to break strike, O’Loughlin rolled the ball past Connolly. O’Loughlin grabbed his second minutes later, finishing from close range after Whelan’s shot was saved. The striker came close to completing his hat trick before Eoin Fitzgerald notched Clare’s fifth goal in the finals seconds.

Clare
Ciarán MacMathuna (EnnisTown), Jack Walsh (Avenue United), Paraic O’Malley (Tulla United), Darren Murphy (Bridge United), Colin Smyth (Avenue United), Niall Whelan (Tulla United), Daragh Fitzgerald (Bridge United),Alan Roche (Avenue United), Eoin O’Loughlin (Avenue United), Daragh Sexton (Avenue United), Ruairí Norrby (Lifford)

Subs
Thomas McKeown (Tulla United) for Daragh Fitzgerald, Dylan Blake (Lifford) for Whelan, Eoin Fitzgerald (Avenue United) for Norrby

Galway
Aaron Connolly, Shane Gallagher, James Moran, Ronan Greany, James Casserly, Barry McEntee, Mark Murphy, LiamHreherow, Mike Collins, Connor Murray,Timmy Molloy

Subs
Daniel Tully for Murphy, Jack Byrne