Clare SHC: Cratloe and Sixmilebridge secure semi-final spots, Clarecastle stave off the drop  

In Clarecastle they were breathing a sigh of relief as the 12 times champions secured their senior status for 2023 with a 0-28 to 1-21 win over Whitegate in Tulla.

PLACES BOOKED: Seadna Morey of Sixmilebridge in action against Rian Considine of Cratloe during the Clare County Senior Club Hurling Championship Final match between Cratloe and Sixmilebridge at Cusack Park in Ennis, Clare. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

Between them, the neighbours of Cratloe and Sixmilebridge have contested 12 county finals since 2009, so the fact that both booked their places in the last four of the Clare SHC came as no surprise on Saturday as the knockout stages of the Banner’s blue riband began.

And, they did so with relative ease as the pedigree that has made them so formidable and consistent over the past decade and more came to the surface as they eased past the challenges of Newmarket-on-Fergus and Wolfe Tones respectively.