Clare SHC: Aidan McCarthy sends Inagh-Kilnamona through to quarter-finals with win over Clonlara

Having already overcome Kilmaley and O’Callaghan’s Mills in Group 1, the club from west of Ennis cemented a six-point win over Clonlara

Clare's Aidan McCarthy. Picture: INPHO/Bryan Keane

Inagh-Kilnamona are through to the quarter-finals of the Clare SHC following a 1-22 to 2-15 victory over Clonlara at Cusack Park on Sunday. 

Having already overcome Kilmaley and O’Callaghan’s Mills in Group 1, the club from west of Ennis cemented a six-point win thanks to an Aiden McCarthy goal four minutes from time. 

At the same venue on Saturday afternoon in Group 2, Scariff saw off the challenge of Clarecastle on a final scoreline of 2-23 to 2-21 in an entertaining and tight contest. Star man of the day was Scariff full-forward Mark Rodgers, who notched up a personal tally of 1-18, 1-10 of that from play.

The second game played at Cusack Park on Saturday pitted Éire Óg Ennis against Clooney-Quin in Group 4. Both sides needed a win to advance their championship hopes and it was the Ennis side that took the honours, triumphing by 1-24 to 3-11 in the end. 

The “Townies” enjoyed a 0-12 to 1-5 lead at the break with Clooney-Quin’s goal arriving just before the whistle when Peter Duggan’s side-line effort took a deflection off Éire Óg defender Aaron Fitzgerald and ended up in Philip Walsh’s net. 

The winners struck for a goal early in the second half when Shane O’Donnell set up youngster Oran Cahill, putting seven between the sides. A pair of goals by Darragh Keogh and Duggan reduced the deficit to three in the third quarter but four late Éire Óg scores emphasised a deserved victory.

On Sunday in the same group, 14-man Feakle got over the line defeating Newmarket-on-Fergus by 0-14 to 0-13. The East Clare side lost Oisin Clune mid-way through the second period on a second yellow card. Newmarket keeper Ronan McCormack pointed two frees in injury time but it wasn’t enough to stop a Feakle victory. 

Ballyea made it two wins out of two on Friday evening in Group 3, defeating Crusheen by 2-21 to 0-15 at Cusack Park. The champions of 2016 and 2018 relied on goals by Mossy Gavin in the opening half and another in the second by Niall Deasy to brush aside the challenge of Crusheen, who are managed this season by former Ballyea player and manager Kevin Sheehan.

A Group 1 game played at Sixmilebridge on Sunday evening saw last year’s runners-up O’Callaghan’s Mills face Whitegate in an East Clare derby. Level at 1-9 apiece at the interval, an injury-time point by Paul Burke allowed Whitegate secure their first win of the championship, with a full-time score of 2-19 to 2-18.