Clare SHC: Cratloe humble Ballyea but champions live to fight again

Elsewhere in Clare, O’Callaghan’s Mills clinched survival with a dramatic victory over Broadford.

Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

County champions Ballyea are still alive in their defence of the Clare SHC, but it's on the back of a chastening 13-point defeat at the hands of Cratloe as the competition moved towards the quarter-final stage.

Cratloe topped Group 2 thanks to their hugely impressive 2-21 to 0-14 win in Cusack Park on Saturday evening. A storming finish to the first half provided the platform as goals from Rian Considine and Mikey Hawes gave them a 2-7 to 0-6 lead that they built on impressively after Ballyea’s challenge collapsed when Brandon O’Connell was red-carded after 38 minutes.

In the same group, O’Callaghan’s Mills secured their senior status with a dramatic last-gasp win over neighbours Broadford, with Colin Crehan’s 64th-minute goal giving them a 3-11 to 0-18 win in Sixmilebridge.

After Crehan's second-minute goal was added to by a Bryan Donnellan strike on eight minutes, the Mills built up an interval lead of 2-7 to 0-9, but were forced to come from behind after an impressive Broadford dominated the second half before being stung at the death.

Newmarket-on-Fergus all but secured their quarter-final berth after a 0-19 to 1-10 win over Clonlara in their Group 1 tie in Cusack Park on Friday night. The sides were deadlocked at 0-6 apiece at the break, but a nine-point haul from Colin Ryan carried them to victory after they battled back from the concession of a goal to Michael Stritch early in the second half.

Sixmilebridge topped this group after a 3-26 to 0-20 win over pointless Whitegate in Tulla on Sunday — the game was over at half-time after goals by Shane Golden, David Kennedy and Seadna Morey helped the 'Bridge to a 3-16 to 0-7 lead.

Another masterful display by Aidan McCarthy carried Inagh-Kilnamona to the quarter-final as Group 4 winners as they withstood a late rally from Wolfe Tones in Cusack Park on Sunday. He hit 0-11 to bring his tally for three games to 1-33 as they dug deep for a 0-21 to 2-12 win.

After leading by 0-10 to 0-6 at the break and then 0-14 to 0-6 by the 50th minute, it looked as if Inagh-Kilnamona would win in a canter, but goals by Aaron Cunningham and Aron Shanagher helped them reduce the gap to a point before last year’s beaten finalists eased to a three-point win as both sides advanced.

It left Crusheen and Smith O’Briens to slog it out in a relegation battle, with second-half goals from Óisín O’Donnell and Ross Hayes easing Crusheen to a very comfortable 2-20 to 0-13 win.

Proceedings concluded with Group 2 clashes on Sunday evening as Éire Óg and Clooney-Quin advanced, while Kilmaley and Scariff bowed out. A brilliant second-half display by Éire Óg gave them a 0-22 to 1-15 win over Clooney-Quin.

A 10-point haul by Danny Russell, with the brilliant Shane O’Donnell chipping with 0-5 helped Townies recover from a 0-10 to 0-5 deficit just before the break to record an impressive five-point win.

Clooney-Quin’s consolation from a game in which Peter Duggan hit 1-9 was that they topped the group on score difference, after Division 1 league champions Kilmaley’s 1-21 to 1-17 win over Scariff in Tulla wasn’t enough as they bowed out of the Canon Hamilton race.