Newmarket end 25-year drought

NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS, who dominated the Clare SHC throughout the 1960s and 1970s, are back in the county final for the first time since 1981.

This Cusack Park tussle was one that Crusheen were expected to win but they found themselves in early trouble after a whirlwind start by Newmarket yielded 1-4 in the opening 12 minutes.

The favourites had to wait until the 16th minute for their first point from Gerry O’Grady.

Newmarket’s goal came in the 11th minute when wing forward Colin Ryan first timed a pin-point sideline cut by Padraig Collins for a brilliant score.

And moments after the goal was scored David Barrett dispossessed goalkeeper, Barry O’Donnell, who had come out to clear and drove over a point.

Referee Rory Hickey and his assistants were kept busy with a number of incidents on and off the ball and, at times, spilling over the sideline bringing five yellow cards — three to Crusheen and two to Newmarket — in the first half.

At half-time Newmarket-on-Fergus led 1-6 to 0-3 but Crusheen cut the deficit to three points in the opening seven minutes of the second-half thanks to a revival sparked by a Gearoid O’Donnell point in the third minute and followed by two from attacking half-back Paddy Vaughan before Bernard Gaffney stemmed the flow with his only point from play.

Gaffney added two more from frees before Gerry O’Grady crashed the sliotar to the left top corner of the net from a 20-metre free to put just three points between the sides again.

Half-time substitute, Alan Brigdale, cut the margin to two and then Brian O’Donnell pointed a free for a foul on Fergus Kennedy to leave just one point between the sides.

Sixteen-year-old Fergus Kennedy might have snatched the equaliser in the closing stages but his shot was just to the right of the post.

Scorers: Newmarket-on-Fergus: B. Gaffney 0-5 (0-4 frees), C. Ryan 1-0; D. Barrett 0-2, P. Collins, Jim McInerney 0-1 each. Crusheen: G. O’Grady 1-2 (1-1 frees), G. O’Donnell, P. Vaughan 0-2 each, A. Brigdale,B. O’Donnell (free) 0-1 each.

NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS: D. Woods; A. Barrett, P. Kilmartin, A. Kilmartin; S. O’Brien, James McInerney, E. Barrett; M. O’Hanlon, P. Collins; C. Ryan, Jim McInerney, S. Kelly; M. Murphy, D. Barrett, B. Gaffney.

Subs: P. McInerney for M. Murphy (HT), S. Arthur for Jim McInerney (43 mins), B. McMahon for P. McInerney (50 mins), D. Naughton for P. Kilmartin (52 mins).

CRUSHEEN: B. O’Donnell; C. Dillon, S. O’Donnell, C. Dillon; P. Vaughan, C. Dillon, J. Meaney; T. Meaney, C. O’Doherty; G. O’Donnell, B. O’Donnell, G. O’Grady; P. Meaney, S. Dillon, N. McMahon.

Subs: D. O’Doherty for N. McMahon (HT), A. Brigdale for P. Meaney (43 mins), F Kennedy for B. McMahon (52 mins), D.O’Doherty for S. Dillon (53 mins).

Referee: Rory Hickey (Éire Óg).