Clare Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final
Clonlara 3-11 Kilmaley 0-20
CLONLARA AND KILMALEY will have to do it all over again for a place in the Clare Senior Championship Final after a thrilling finish to their last four tie in Cusack Park, Ennis this evening.
Clonlara looked to be edging towards their first decider in six years as they led by four points entering the final minutes, only for Kilmaley to not only reel them in but actually hit the front in injury-time when Padraic McNamara’s shot from the right wing snuck over Ger O’Connell’s crossbar.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man as it was Clare’s All-Ireland hero of 2013 Domhnall O’Donovan that once again stepped up to secure Clonlara a replay.
All that after Kilmaley had made all the early running, with Cian Moloney’s unerring accuracy from frees building up a 0-5 to 0-2 first quarter advantage. However, that hard work would be emphatically wiped out with a brace of Clonlara goals in as many minutes, both stemming from Darach Honan surging runs that saw fellow county seniors Domhnall O’Donovan and Nicky O’Connell finish to give their side a 2-2 to 0-5 lead.
Kilmaley did recover well though to gain parity by the break with points from Moloney, Diarmuid McMahon and Michael O’Malley ensuring a 2-04 to 0-10 stalemate.
That first-half pattern would be replicated after the break as Kilmaley edged two ahead only to be sucker-punched by a third Clonlara goal in the 42nd minute, this time through former All Star Colm Galvin, who expertly sidestepped the goalkeeper before nestling his shot into an empty net at 3-06 to 0-14.
It would be an inspirational score as his brother Ian took up the mantle with a brace of points as Clonlara eased 3-10 to 0-15 clear. However, it wasn’t a safe cushion as Kilmaley scored the next five points and also saw an Eamonn Bracken shot somehow tipped away by goalkeeper Ger O’Connell.
The script was ultimately written for O’Donovan however to ensure another day out.
Scorers for Clonlara: Colm Galvin, Domhnall O’Donovan 1-1 each, Micheál O’Loughlin 0-3 (2f), Nicky O’Connell 1-0, Cathal O’Connell 0-3, Ian Galvin 0-2, Darach Honan 0-1
Scorers for Kilmaley: Cian Moloney 0-10 (9f), Aidan McGuane, Diarmuid McMahon 0-2 each, Michael O’Malley, Brian Cahill, Michael O’Neill, Sean Kennedy, Eamonn Bracken, Padraic McNamara 0-1 each
Clonlara
1. Ger O’Connell
2. Shane O’Brien
3. Garrett Kennedy
4. Cillian Fennessy
5. Neil Ryan
6. John Conlon
7. Oisin O’Brien
8. Domhnall O’Donovan
14. Colm Galvin
10. Pat O’Hare
11. Cormac O’Donovan
12. Cathal O’Connell
13. Micheál O’Loughlin
9. Nicky O’Connell
15. Darach Honan
Subs:
17. Ian Galvin for O’Hare (Half-Time)
30, Paraic O’Loughlin for M. O’Loughlin (53 mins)
Kilmaley
1. Bryan O’Loughlin
2. Eoin Enright
3. Conor McMahon
4. Sean Talty
5. Aidan McGuane
6. Alan Markham
7. John Clohessy
8. Brian Cahill
9. Michael O’Malley
10. Eamonn Bracken
11. Michael O’Neill
12. Daire Keane
13. Padraic McNamara
15. Diarmuid McMahon
14. Cian Moloney
Subs:
18. Sean Kennedy for Talty (Half-Time)