Clare SHC: Four quarter-finalists confirmed after superb Saturday fare

Peter Duggan. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The first four quarter-finalists in this year’s Clare SHC race remain unbeaten as Clooney-Quin, Cratloe, Inagh-Kilnamona and Clonlara set a scorching pace to Saturday’s group finales.

Despite a delicately poised Round 3 in which 15 of the 16 teams were eligible for last eight berths, Groups 1 and 3 fittingly came to dramatic conclusion. 

Last year’s finalists Clooney-Quin had the moist comfortable path to the knock-out stages when holding off neighbours O’Callaghan’s Mills by 1-21 to 0-12 in Sixmilebridge.

A hugely competitive opening period in which the sides were level on four occasions before Fergal Lynch’s side, led by Peter Duggan, finished the half with three of the last four points to move 0-12 to 0-08 clear by the break.

Premier Intermediate champions O’Callaghan’s Mills would be denied three glorious goal chances, with Colm Cleary’s first half attempt and one on the reset for Bryan Donnellan both repelled by Clooney-Quin goalkeeper Keith Hogan while substitute Mark Pewter was denied by the crossbar.

Those misses would be magnified at the turn of the final quarter when county senior Jack O’Neill picked out Jerry O’Connor to billow the net and catapult Clooney-Quin to a seven point cushion at 1-14 to 0-10.

It would be the clinching blow as a buoyant Clooney-Quin topped the group in style when outscoring a flagging Mills by 0-7 to 0-2 for the remainder and ensure a relegation battle for their opponents.

That result also meant that it was a winner-takes-all showdown for the second quarter-final spot from Group 3 in a repeat of the 2024 semi-final between Cratloe and Feakle in Tulla at the same time.

With a whopping 80 scoring chances over the hour, it was a frenetic end-to-end shoot-out that would be have as many misses as scores, with the sides level eight times before Cathal Lohan popped up with a worthy injury-time winner for Cratloe at 2-18 to 2-17.

Amazingly, Cratloe fired 20 wides and still managed to prevail as they fought back from a four point second half deficit to regain full parity with a Marc O’Brien goal at the three-quarters mark at 2-13 to 2-13.

Owen McGann’s first quarter brace of majors sandwiched a scrambled goal from Conor Ryan as a wind-assisted Feakle shaded matters by the interval at 2-7 to 1-9.

However, while the 2024 champions dominated the third quarter, despite facing into the conditions, Eoin Deegan’s goalkeeping heroics for Cratloe kept the leaders at arm’s length before making a full recovery in a blistering finale.

Level four times in the final 10 minutes, a draw seemed likely until defender Lohan arrowed over from halfway to inch Cratloe into Sunday’s quarter-final draw.

In Group 1, Inagh-Kilnamona and Clonlara ended up sharing the spoils as well as both business end berths after maintaining their unbeaten starts at 0-29 to 0-20 in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg.

With Inagh-Kilnamona the only team guaranteed a quarter-final place before a ball was pucked this weekend, a more determined Clonlara hit the ground sprinting to score eleven of the first 14 points, four from Ian Galvin, to power eight clear by the 22nd minute.

Crucially, Inagh-Kilnamona did bounce back off the ropes with a five point unanswered haul to lessen the half-time damage to just four at 0-12 to 0-08. 

However, 12 second half wides would elongate their full recovery as it took until the 49th minute for Aidan McCarthy to inch Inagh-Kilnamona in front for the very first time at 0-15 to 0-14.

Needing to get something out of the game to fend off the threat of a Tony Kelly inspired Ballyea who were breathing down their necks as the second half developed, Clonlara dug deep to peg back Inagh-Kilnamona three times in the final minutes before a monster Micheál O’Loughlin free from his own half cemented the 2023 winners return to the knock-out series just behind their opponents in the Group 1 table.

It means that Ballyea’s brave bid just fell short as they did manage to prevail in a ten goal thriller with St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at 5-25 to 5-16 in Newmarket-on-Fergus but it wouldn’t be sufficient to catch Clonlara.

Clare captain Tony Kelly excelled with 2-14, 1-9 of which stemmed from play to push Doora/Barefield into the demotion series for a fourth successive season.

Sunday sees the culmination of Groups 2 and 4, with all eight teams in contention for the four remaining quarter-final places. 

Starting with holders Éire Óg and Broadford in Shannon at 1pm, Scariff and Crusheen also lock horns in Group 2 at the same time in Tulla before Group 4’s finale is between Kilmaley and Sixmilebridge takes place in Cusack Park at 4pm alongside neighbours Newmarket-on-Fergus and Wolfe Tones who face off in Broadford.