*Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield were the big winners from the opening weekend of GAA action for 2022 when completing an Under 17 double in the Minor Hurling and Football Leagues.
With these welcome competitions exclusively without inter-county contingents who will be embarking on their provincial campaigns in April, the Parish, off the back of a hugely encouraging 2021 season that included Under 15 Division 1 Football Championship honours, laid down an early marker with successive victories in the space of 24 hours.
On Saturday afternoon, they belied the difficult conditions to edge the opening Division 1 football spoils at the expense of Clondegad at 0-10 to 1-3 on home soil. 24 hours later, they made the short journey to Clarecastle and produced the performance of the weekend to come away with a commanding 1-24 to 0-9 Under 17A Hurling League triumph.
Eoin Lahiffe (0-11) and Eoin Ogie Fanning (1-8) were the chief destroyers for the visitors while Ian Williams, Mark O’Connor and defensive anchors Eoin McMahon and Francis Meaney were others to excel.
Being the only action of Group 2 of the Under 17A Hurling League that also involves Ballyea, Clonlara, Clooney-Quin and Cratloe, the fact that only one team emerges to the final after three rounds prioritises the need to hit the ground running.
In Group 1, Luke Fitzgerald was to the fore as was Ross Keane-Keating at the back as Éire Óg powered to an emphatic 7-13 to 2-6 win over Kilmaley while Inagh-Kilnamona and Sixmilebridge shared the opening spoils at 1-15 to 2-12. In a repeat of last year’s Under 15A decider that saw Sixmilebridge snatch a dramatic victory thanks to an injury-time Eamonn Breen goal, this time it was Inagh-Kilnamona who finished the stronger with the last two points.
Gearoid Barry arrowed over a monster free before Cathal Ryan slalomed his way through to fire a worthy leveller after Eamonn Breen, Callum Phelan and Gearoid Barry had swapped early goals.
There were only two other hurling ties played, with Parteen edging matters in an eight goal Under 17B opener beating Newmarket-on-Fergus by 4-9 to 4-6 while in the C grade, Whitegate eventually cemented victory over Tulla by 3-16 to 3-11. Kalum Fahy (1-6), Cian McDermott (1-1), Michael Heffernan (0-4) and Jake Gibbon (0-3) led the home charge for Whitegate while the lively Emmet Mulcahy (0-9) and Cathal Culloo (2-0) kept Tulla in touch in a worthy first contest.
In the top tier of the football version, Doora/Barefield lead the way in Group 2 while in a repeat of last year’s Minor Division 1 Final, Ennistymon again managed to prevail over Kilrush/Killimer by 3-4 to 1-6.
In Division 2, there were first round wins for Clarecastle (Group 1), St Joseph’s Miltown (Group 2), Naomh Eoin/O’Curry’s/Kilkee (Group 3) and St Breckan’s (Group 4). With only the group winners in both divisions advancing to the knock-out stages, this weekend’s Round 2 football ties will be decisive.
