A draw in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg was enough for Inagh Kilnamona and Clonlara to take the two qualification spots despite Ballyea’s win over St. Joseph’s at the same time in Newmarket on Fergus. 

In a seesaw contest – not for the first time- Clon’ established early first half dominance through a virtuoso attacking display. Ian Galvin leading the line with 0-5, Micheál O’Loughlin matching that haul with 0-5 (4f) of his own, while Michael Collins (0-3), the returning Diarmuid Stritch (0-3), and John Conlon (0-2) further piled on  pressure and saw them lead by as much as eight points at one point in the opening period. However, Inagh/Kilnamona wrestled back control after the break, taking over the contest in the second half thanks to the constant threat of Aidan McCarthy, four points from the marauding Seán Rynne, and three crucial points over the hour from the impressive Conner Hegarty.

Two points in arrears approaching injury time, while Ballyea were worryingly putting daylight between them and Doora Barefield , Clonlara staged another dramatic late escape as O’Loughlin nailed two monster long-range scores to secure a 0-20 to 0-20 draw. The share of the spoils served both sides perfectly by guaranteeing their progression to the quarter-finals, where group winners Inagh/Kilnamona will meet Cratloe, while Clonlara advance as runners-up to face an unbeaten Kilmaley in what is set to be a cracking tie.

Facing a daunting 14-point swing in score difference to keep their championship hopes alive, Ballyea held up their end of the bargain by battling to a nine-point victory over St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield. Led by another masterclass from Tony Kelly who accounted for a massive atlly of 2-14 (1-09 from play), Ballyea’s charge was also ignited by Fiachra Kirby netting twice in the opening half. St Joseph’s—who have proven to be more than plucky throughout their three group defeats—hit back with a brace of goals from Thomas O'Connor, before an over-and-back rally of goals in the second half saw Niall Deasy raise a green flag for Ballyea cancelling Graham Ball's effort for the Parish, for whom goalkeeper Aaron Landy also dispatched a late penalty.

Ballyea’s big win and display ultimately proved in vain as events in HQ sealed their championship fate and positioned them in the 3rd spot. A gallant Doora/Barefield side must now dust themselves down and turn their focus toward a relegation battle where they meet Newmarket on Fergus.

 

 

Defending champions Éire Óg produced a devastating attacking display to sweep past Broadford on a 4-20 to 0-23 scoreline in Shannon. A blistering start paved the way for the Townies, with Marco Cleary’s goal setting the tone inside the opening five minutes alongside the ever reliable firepower from David Reidy, Danny Russell, and Shane O'Donnell to ruthlessly put Broadford to the sword.

While the East Clare men showed plenty of grit and kept the scoreboard continually ticking over with 23 points—spearheaded by the assured free-taking of Cian Moloney- the concession of two goals from the Cleary brothers, Marco and Luca,  as well as one at the end of a mazey run from O’Donnell left the size of their task too great. Niall O'Farrell, Paddy Donellan and Michael Vaughan cut a ten point gap to three at the midway point  but they simply had no answer to the holders' ruthless goal threat. O’Donnell was fouled for a penalty early after the interval which was converted by Danny Russell setting up a commanding victory that preserved Éire Óg’s position at the summit of Group 2 and will see them take on Wolfe Tones in three weeks time. 

The comeback story of the weekend undoubtedly belongs to Scariff who secured their place in the quarter-finals after pulling off a high-stakes, high-margin victory that came right down to what looked an unlikely nine point scoring difference entering their final round tie against Crusheen. 

The welcome return of Mark Rodgers bolstered Scariff’s attack. The county star turned provider winning an array of aerial battles over the hour. 1-08 from his brother Paul, 0-06 from the stick of Patrick Crotty, as well as four from Shane Kavanagh and two apiece from Keelan Hartigan, Rossa Keehan and Luke Madden crowned a fabulous display. 

Crusheen battled gamely in the second half and had cut their lifeline deficit back to two points following goals from Breffni Horner and Luke Ketelaar but Rory Ryan’s goal inspired another late Scariff flurry. The dramatic turnaround reversed both teams' championship trajectories in an instant: while Scariff earned a championship lifeline and advanced into the knockout stages where they play Clooney Quin, the heavy defeat condemned Crusheen to the relegation battle where they have been drawn against O’Callaghan’s Mills.

 

In the final round of Group 3, Clooney/Quin marched emphatically into the quarter-finals as group winners, while O’Callaghan’s Mills were plunged into a relegation battle. Clooney/Quin’s twelve point win cemented their credentials as serious contenders, ensuring they topped the table and bypassed any late-round complications. It was a tit for tat affair in the opening half until fortunes reversed dramatically in the lead up to half time. The Clare Cup champions failed to convert a host of goal chances finding instead the cross bar and the brilliance of keeper Keith Hogan to keep them out while Clooney Quin were much more clinical at the opposite end when a pin point Jack O’Neill deliver found the run of Jerry O’Connor who dispatched astutely.  The goal deflated O’Callaghan’s Mills feisty start and they trailed 1-14 to 0-10 at the half time break. 

From there-out Clooney were always in the ascendancy with O’Connor adding 0-04 to his goal and Jack O’Neill with 0-03 and Calum Hassett with 0-02 raiding for last season’s finalists.  Clooney Quin top the group and will play Scariff in the County Quarter Final. For the Mills the defeat confirmed a bottom-place finish, forcing them into the pressure cauldron of a relegation semi-final vs. Crusheen to preserve their senior status.

Meanwhile, the battle for the second qualification spot produced an absolute thriller between Cratloe and Feakle. In a tense, fiercely contested encounter marred by nervous misses on both sides, everything hung in the balance deep into additional time. Just as a stalemate seemed inevitable, Cathal Lohan produced a moment of magic—drilling a sensational injury-time winner from under the stand at Dr. Daly Park in Tulla to snatch victory at the death. 

Cratloe hitting a tally of twenty wides over the hour, responded well to Owen McGann’s first half goal when Conor Ryan poached for one of his own ten minutes from the break. However tormenter in chief, McGann burst through the middle and netted again to give Feakle a 2-07 to 1-09 half time lead. Feakle were the better side on the restart and enjoyed a five point gap on the 50 minute mark after four points in succession from Shane McGrath, Enda Noonan,  Eoghan Touhy and Martin Daly. Indeed the gap could have been wider had Daly’s two close range shots in succession  not been stopped wonderfully by Eoin Deegan entering the final quarter. From there Cratloe chipped away at Feakles lead and when Marc O’Brien’s shot nestled in the bottom corner ten minutes from the end to draw the teams level fans were spoiled with a frenetic finish where both sides wrestled for the lead and indeed both squandered it with some costly misses. 

Lohan’s wonder strike in added time booked Cratloe’s place in the last eight as group runners-up, bringing a dramatic and decisive close to Group Three. His side, still unbeaten in the campaign will face Inagh Kilnamona in the Quarter Finals while Feakle remain in third and bring their championship to a close.

Kilmaley maintained their perfect record in the TUS Clare SHC, defeating Sixmilebridge 0-25 to 1-18 at Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg to secure a third successive win and a place in the quarter-finals. 

The sides evenly matched early on, indeed Sixmilebridge had hit the post from a low Shane Golden and found Kilmaley keeper Bryan O’Loughlin in excellent form but Brian Culbert’s Kilmaley side took control after the break, scoring five points without reply . Tom O’Rourke and Sean O’Loughlin led the scoring with six points each, while centre fielder Sean Kennedy and half forward Cian Moloney added three apiece. 

Sixmilebridge battled hard and the reliable Jamie Shanahan finished with 1-7, but 13 wides and four missed goal chances ultimately proved costly. Kilmaley’s greater spread of scorers saw them keep the Bridge at arm’s length and complete a flawless group campaign.

Newmarket-on-Fergus secured a spirited 1-22 to 2-17 local derby victory over Wolfe Tones na Sionna at Glenomra Park in Broadford, but the final whistle brought heartbreak rather than celebration. Entering the contest needing a comprehensive win to overturn a steep scoring-difference deficit, the Blues produced one of their sharpest attacking displays of the campaign and looked to be on course for a great escape. Leading by seven points and with a numerical advantage after Aron Shanagher’s dismissal qualification was within their grasp but instead a spirited final quarter from the Shannon side paired their lead back to a two-point margin, falling short of the tally required to change their championship fortunes.

In a fiery contest Aron Shanagher’s brilliant solo effort put Wolfe Tones narrowly infront midway through the opening half but in truth Newmarket looked pacier and more dangerous throughout in attack where Sean Arthur (0-06) was immense alongside Peter (1-07) and Mikey Power (0-05). Peter’s goal midway through the second half stretched the gap to seven - the largest it had been in the tie but from the restart Wolfe Tones replied when Aaron Cunningham’s shot from an angle flew inside the near post. It inspired a late courageous rally from Barry Keane’s side with points from Cunningham and Evan O’Gorman to stay in touch and ensure qualification. 

Amazingly the two point deficit meant that all three sides behind Kilmaley finished on the same score difference of ‘0’ which meant the three way tie was decided on ‘points for’ – this too was agonisingly close but Wolfe Tones progressed with a tally of 50, Sixmilebridge’s total was 49 and Newmarket’s was 47. 

It means Wolfe Tones qualify for Quarter Finals where they will face reigning champions Éire Óg while Sixmilebridge go to third and Newmarket head for a relegation semi final against St. Joseph’s Doora Barefield.

The TUS SHC Quarter Final Draw

 

 TUS SHC Relegation Semi Final Draw