*Keelan Hartigan was a standout player for Scariff/Ogonnelloe. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
SCARIFF/OGONNELLOE recorded a one point win over Éire Óg to seal their place in the U21A hurling semi-finals.
Scariff/Ogonnelloe 1-14
Éire Óg 1-13
Venue: O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge
A last four tie with St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield awaits Scariff/Ogonnelloe after they overcame Éire Óg by the smallest of margins under floodlights in Sixmilebridge on Friday night.
With the 2022 champions to meet The Parish in one side, it will be reigning champions Feakle/Killanena versus Inagh/Kilnamona in the other semi-final. As a result of their defeat, Éire Óg will now play Sixmilebridge in the shield semi-final.
Friday’s result highlighted the closeness of the teams involved in the race for this title. Three of the quarter finals were decided by the minimum margin while the fourth tie required extra time.
When Éire Óg reflect on this tie they will wonder if the result would have been different if they hadn’t lost senior player Oran Cahill to injury after a quarter of an hour.
The East Clare combination, winners of this title two years ago, built up a five point led by half time and held this for much of the second half.
With the game ticking into injury time a Rian Mulcahy free beat the Scariff/Ogonelloe defence and went all the way to the net to level the game.
Extra time looked to be on the cards but a late Scariff/Ogonnelloe free was converted by Ben Sweeney, sealing victory for the East Clare outfit.
Keelan Hartigan excelled for the winners while Patrick Crotty, Shane Kavanagh, Scott Cairns, Ben Sweeney and Gearoid Sheedy were others to impress on the night.
As mentioned the loss of Oran Cahill was a blow to the Ennis side on a night when Robert Loftus, Conor Perrill, Rian Mulcahy and James O’Dwyer did well.
Scorers Scariff/Ogonnelloe: Ben Sweeney 0-6 (5f), Keelan Hartigan 0-4, Gearoid Sheedy 1-1 (1 pen), Patrick Crotty 0-2, Liam Crotty 0-1
Scorers Éire Óg; Conor Perrill (0-7, 5 f); Rian Mulcahy (1-1, botth frees); Marco Cleary, James O’Dwyer (0-2) each; Eoin Guilfoyle (0-1)
Scariff/Ogonnelloe: Matthew Crotty, Aaron Collins, Scott Cairns, Paul McGee, Jack Ryan, Shane Kavanagh, Liam Crotty, Gearoid Sheedy, Patrick Crotty, Rossa Keehan, Tadgh Minogue, Sean Collins, Ben Sweeney, Keelan Hartigan, Mici Sheedy
Subs: Cathal McCaul for P McGee inj (9), Colin O’Grady for R Keehan (44), Eoin Heffernan for G Sheedy (60)
Éire Óg: Darragh Stack, Darren Moroney, Fionan Treacy, Roan McDermott, Robert Loftus, Jarlath Collins, Rian Mulcahy, James O’Dwyer, Luke Pyne, Eoin Guilfoyle, Eoin O’Regan, Luke Malice, Marco Cleary, Oran Cahill, Connor Perill
Subs: Bernard Keating for O Cahill (inj.,14), Michael Heneghan for L Malice (29), Andrew McElwee for E O’Regan (52), Jack Lynch for L Pyne (54)
Referee: Joe Mullins (Clonlara)
