Clare SHC: John Conlon's 10 points inspire Clonlara to impressive win

John Conlon went back to his forward roots to inspire Clonlara to an impressive 0-24 to 1-16 win over neighbours Sixmilebridge in Cusack Park

TEN POINTS: Clare’s John Conlon inspired his club Clonlara to a big win. Pic: James Crombie/Inpho Photography

John Conlon went back to his forward roots to inspire Clonlara to an impressive 0-24 to 1-16 win over neighbours Sixmilebridge in a Cusack Park contest on Saturday evening that completed a bumper six-match Clare SHC programme.

The Clare centre-back lined out at centre-forward and contributed 0-10 in a thoroughly deserved five-point Group B win that puts the south-east Clare men on the brink of a quarter-final spot after back-to-back victories.

Having led by 0-14 to 1-7 at the break Clon’s character was tested in the second half was tested when the ‘Bridge brought the deficit back to a point when playing with the wind. However, Conlon’s leadership and four-point scoring burst put daylight between the sides once more despite the efforts of Alex Morey who hit 1-6 for the ‘Bridge.

League champions O’Callaghan’s Mills were plunged into relegation trouble on the back of a second successive defeat when on the receiving end of a 3-17 to 0-16 beating from Crusheen in Tulla in the other Group B clash. A first-minute Luke Ketelaar goal signalled Crusheen’s intentions, while a second from Jamie Fitzgibbon gave them a 2-8 to 0-9 interval lead that was never threatened despite Colm Cleary’s haul of 0-10, one more than the winners’ Breffni Horner.

Ballyea continued their rehabilitation from an opening-round Group A defeat to Kilmaley continued with a second victory on the bounce as talismen Tony Kelly and Niall Deasy guided them to a comprehensive 3-21 to 2-16 win over St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield in Cusack Park.

Kelly was hampered by an ankle injury, but his two first-half goals from full-forward had Ballyea on their way to a 2-10 to 1-9 interval lead, while Deasy’s 11-point haul ensured the three-in-a-row chasing champions were always comfortable as they eased to an eight-point win.

Cian Barron had got St Joseph’s off to a flyer with an early goal, but Martin O’Leary’s green flag mid-way through the second half finally decided matters before last year’s intermediate champions grabbed a late consolation goal from Brian Guilfoyle to avoid a double-digit defeat.

Newmarket-on-Fergus booked a quarter-final berth from Group C with a match to spare when beating Clooney-Quin by 2-16 to 0-19 in Sixmilebridge. Goals in the fourth and 27th minutes from Éanna Crimmins gave the ‘Blues’ the platform of a 2-9 to 0-7 interval lead that they defended doggedly in the second half.

Peter Duggan took up the fight for Clooney-Quin with 0-7, but it wasn’t until he was red-carded two minutes before the end that his side really rallied with five unanswered points that threatened a grandstand finish before Newmarket survived.

Cratloe had it easy against neighbours Wolfe Tones in the same group, never looking back after building up a 0-11 to 0-3 interval lead when playing with the wind and being equally adept into it as they eased to a 1-19 to 1-9 win.

Former All-Star Conor McGrath ran the show from midfield, while another former countyman Cathal McInerney impressed at centre-forward, but it was Rian Considine’s haul of 0-7 and Mikey Hawes’ late goal put the seal on a facile win that plunged the Tones into a relegation play-off.

Feakle’s rise continued in Shannon when they backed up their first-round win over Éire Óg when out-lasting Clarecastle for a 1-21 to 0-17 win. In a tight game dominated by a shoot-out between Shane McGrath and Oisin Casey, who hit 0-10 and 0-12 respectively, it wasn’t until Oisin O'Connor struck for a 45th-minute goal that the east Clare kicked for a seven-point victory that has the Magpies looking over their shoulder at relegation country.

In the second Group D game on Sunday evening, an Éire Óg side inspired by county star David Reidy with 1-12 withstood a determined Broadford fight-back to keep their hopes of advancing alive with a 1-17 to 2-13 win in Tulla.

They led by 1-9 to 1-6 at the break with Reidy scoring all but one of the points and with 15 minutes remaining they'd doubled that to a 1-14 to 1-8 advantage, but the east Clare side drew inspiration from Stiofán McMahon's second goal and Oisin Kavanagh's free-taking to bring it to the wire but the Townies edged it by the minimum.