Clarecastle’s James Doherty catches the sliotar. Photograph: Chris Copley
The race for the under 21 A, B and C hurling championship titles got underway at the weekend when some big wins were recorded.
Some teams lined out with weakened teams as players who are due to play in adult championship finals this coming weekend weren’t released by their adult team mentors.
Easy for Clarecastle
Clarecastle 5-23
Crusheen/Tubber 0-11
Venue: Tubber
Clarecastle had a comfortable win over a weakened Crusheen/Tubber side at Tubber on Friday night.
Injuries and the upcoming Clare senior hurling final involving Crusheen resulted in the absence of nine players from the Crusheen/Tubber line-up.
Tubber’s Senan Dunford, Pappy Taaffe and Brian Clancy were ruled out through injury while Lorcan Doolin was involved with Ballyvaughan in the junior A football semi-final.
Crusheen’s Eoghan and Murrough McMahon, Oisin O’Donnell, Luke Ketalaar and Diarmuid Mullins didn’t play because of their involvement in next Sunday’s Clare senior hurling final.
Clarecastle were on top from the off and emerged as comfortable winners helped by a hat trick of goals from James Doherty while Conor Halpin scored two goals.
Clarecastle: Cian Broderick; Niall Brigdale, Filip Wiecheinski, Barry Morrissey; Conor Griffin, Cian Galvin, Aaron Hayes; Conor Whelan, Evan O’Connell; Rory O’Connell, Conor Halpin, Evan Price; Oisin Whelan, James Doherty, Scott Brack.
Subs: Sam Browne for Wiecheinski (inj.); Noel Copley for Price;
Crusheen/Tubber: Tommy Fahy (Tubber); Oisin McNamara (Tubber), Cian Fogarty (Crusheen), Ronan Kearney (Crusheen); James Costello (Tubber), Cathal Droney (Tubber), Alan Lee (Tubber); Liam Clancy (Tubber), Glen O’Sullivan (Crusheen); Sean McNamara (Tubber), John O’Sullivan (Crusheen), Ronan Ketalaar (Crusheen); Oscar Dunford (Tubber), Dan Liddy (Crusheen), Joe Clancy (Tubber);
Subs: Tom Tynan (Crusheen) for Lee (inj); Thomas Roche (Tubber) for R.Kearney; Dylan Lyons (Crusheen) for Liddy; Tom Taaffe (Tubber) for J. O’Sullivan; Dara McKeogh (Crusheen) for S. McNamara
Referee: Kieran Liddane (Sixmilebridge)
A winning start for Sixmilebridge
Sixmilebridge 1-16
St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield 0-13
Venue: O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge
Outstanding performances from Dylan Downes and Dara Fitzgerald inspired Sixmilebridge to this first round victory at O’Garney Park on Saturday afternoon.
Fitzgerald, the St. Joseph’s Tulla Harty cup captain contributed 0-3 from wing back in a tie in which the only goal came from Luke O’Halloran whose effort from outfield went all the way to the net.
Sixmilebridge: Cian Fawl; Michael Carey, Leon Kelly, Dylan Downes; Evan O’Callaghan, Sean McNamara, Dara Fitzgerald; Fiachra Ó Broin, Oisin Rafferty; Adam Murray, Luke O’Halloran, Luke Keogh; David Kennedy, Colin Kelly, Colm Flynn;
Subs: Matthew O’Halloran for Rafferty; Seamus O’Connell for A. Murray; Evan Murphy for L Keogh; Noel Flynn for C. Flynn
St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield: Evan Creavan; Ian Williams, Paddy Nagle, Ciaran O’Driscoll; Frankie Meaney, Eoghan McMahon, Dara O’Callaghan; Darragh McMahon, Dara Nagle; Matthew Power, EoghanTalty, Senan Crosbie; Eoin Oige Fanning, Eoghan Burke Mike Nash.
Subs: Padraig O’Donovan for Nash; Tom curran for Crosbie
Referee: Aaron Hogg (Clonlara)
Inagh/Kilnamona lay foundation in opening half
Inagh/Kilnamona 3-25
Corofin/Ruan 3-8
Venue: Ruan
Inagh/Kilnamona laid the foundations for this victory in the opening half at the end of which they led by fourteen points, 2-13 to 0-5.
A number of Corofin players including Diarmuid Cahill and Marc O’Loughlin didn’t line out for the losers as they are members of the Corofin panel which will contest the intermediate championship final on this Saturday at Cusack Park. That said, Cillian McGroary lined out at centre back with Shane O’Brien and James Organ starting in attack.
Josh Guyler (2) and Ronan Mescall were the goalscorers for the winners while the Corofin/Ruan goals came from Shane Punch and Frankie Lyons.
Inagh/Kilnamona; Jack O’Connor; James Cullinan, Shane Woods, Colm Kearney; Robert Dowling, James Hegarty, Eoghan Foudy; Sean Rynne, Jamie Wynne; Keith Barry, Conner Hegarty Cathal Ryan; Josh Guyler, Ronan Mescall, Jack Mescall;
Corofin/Ruan; Keelan Mounsey (Ruan); Jason Power (Ruan), Tom O’Halloran (Ruan), Alan Woodford (Ruan); Dara McInerney (Ruan), Cillian McGroary (Corofin), Michael Cahill (Corofin); Piaras Ó Sé (Ruan), Oisin Madigan (Corofin); Shane Punch (Ruan), Ryan Power (Ruan), James Organ (Corofin); Jack McDonagh (Ruan) Shane O’Brien (Corofin), Frankie Lyons (Ruan)
Subs: Thomas O’Halloran (Ruan) for Madigan; Cian Doolin (Corofin) for Organ;
Referee: Niall Malone (Éire Óg)
Six first round games were played in the under 21 B championship which produced wins for Ballyea, Tulla, Banner, Éire Óg, Kilmaley and Broadford.
U21B Championship Rnd 1:
Ballyea 3-18 Clonlara 0-14
Tulla 1-19 Smith O’Briens 0-10
Banner 3-29 Crusheen 0-6
Éire Óg 1-15 Wolfe Tones 1-7
Kilmaley 1-11 O’Callaghans Mills 0-11
Broadford 1-18 Parteen/Meelick 0-9
In the C championship, there was one draw with St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield and Clarecastle sharing the spoils on Sunday.
Elsewhere in this championship Whitegate had three goals to spare over Sixmilebridge, while Éire Óg and Ballyea accounted for Inagh/Kilnamona and Wolfe Tones respectively.
Round 2 in the under 21 hurling championships will take place on the weekend of October 28/29 while the under 21 football championships will commence next weekend.
