REIGNING CLARE SENIOR hurling champions Crusheen were knocked out of the county championship yesterday evening in Cusack Park in Ennis by Inagh-Kilnamona in the biggest surprise of the four quarter-final ties.
Crusheen, who were only defeated after a replay in last year’s Munster club final, were bidding for a third consecutive Clare senior title but Inagh-Kilnamona’s ability to strike goals proved critical in fashioning a 4-10 to 1-17 success. Early goals from Cathal Lafferty and Niall Arthur, who struck the match-winning goal for the Clare U21′s in this year’s Munster final, propelled Inagh-Kilnamona into a 2-1 to 0-6 lead after 12 minutes.
Yet the accuracy of Paddy Vaughan in front of goal ensured Crusheen were narrowly ahead by 0-12 to 2-5 at the interval. Inagh-Kilnamona pounced again in the second-half for future goals courtesy of Lafferty and Conor Tierney to move ahead by 4-5 to 0-13. A Jamie Fitzgibbon goal ensured Crusheen drew level in the closing quarter but Inagh-Kilnamona held out for an exciting two-point success.
They will have to wait to discover their semi-final opponents after Cratloe and Kilmaley played out a 0-16 apiece draw in Clarecastle. A late John Cabey point rescued a draw for Kilmaley.
Cratloe lead by 0-8 to 0-4 after 25 minutes with Podge Collins and Conor McGrath amongst their point-scorers but Kilmaley cut the deficit by the break, 0-10 to 0-8, thanks to points from Eoin Enright, Michael O’Neill and Cabey. When veteran Colin Lynch pointed in the 43rd minute, Kilmaley had drawn level at 0-12 apiece before Cratloe surged in front once more with ten minutes remaining due to points from Sean Collins and Conor McGrath.
In an exciting finish Kilmaley tied the match at 0-15 apiece with two frees from Kenneth Kennedy before substitute Cathal McInerney looked to have landed the match-winner until Cabey’s last-gasp point ensured a replay will be required.
Elsewhere Clonlara will face Newmarket-on-Fergus, in a repeat of the 2008 decider, at the semi-final stage after they both claimed quarter-final victories yesterday.
Clonlara, who won that final in 2008, defeated O’Callaghan Mills by 0-11 to 1-5 in Sixmilebridge. Clonlara had to come from behind to succeed after trailing by 1-4 to 0-5 at the break with Conor Cooney raising the green flag for O’Callaghan Mills. But backed by the wind in the second-half Clonlara enjoyed better fortune and ran out three-point winners.
Newmarket-on-Fergus claimed a 1-12 to 0-8 victory over Tubber in Clarecastle. The Blues were in front by 0-9 to 0-3 at the interval with county senior Colin Ryan to the fore as he weighed in with six points while Blaine Early was on the mark for Tubber. Newmarket-on-Fergus kept control in the second-half to claim a seven-point success.
