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.