Ballyea and Kilmaley first to snatch Clare SHC semi-final spots

Tony Kelly was at the centre of the action in Ennis. 

Tony Kelly punished a defensive lapse before unleashing a thunderbolt to the net. Picture Dan Linehan

Neighbours Ballyea and Kilmaley garner the first two Clare SHC semi-final places following a dramatic last-eight double header in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg.

Ballyea, the most experienced side left in the quarter-finals with four titles since 2016, turned their tie with 2023 champions Clonlara on its head at the turn of the final quarter when flipping a four-point deficit into an equivalent lead with a 2-2 blitz in just three minutes at 2-09 to 0-11.