Online Club Hurling Championship coverage brought to you by the Temple Gate Hotel—home to Chapter 24 Gastropub and Gate 96 Restaurant.
*Kilmaley’s Conor Cleary. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
When the need was greatest, it was Kilmaley that found that extra resolve to inch over the line for the crucial opening points of this year’s Clare SHC against Newmarket-on-Fergus.
Kilmaley 1-22
Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-17
Venue: Páirc na Gael, Ruan
Having led for a full forty minutes, Kilmaley saw their lead incrementally eroded by a rousing Newmarket-on-Fergus backlash that saw the Blues fire five unanswered points in as many minutes, three frees from the stick of chief marksman Peter Power to regain full parity at 0-16 to 0-16 entering the final quarter.
Substitute Eoin Enright and Colin Guilfoyle would subsequently trade scores to ensure that the sides were deadlocked heading into the last ten minutes. However, despite the wind at their backs and seemingly also in their sails, Newmarket simply couldn’t get their noses in front, a window of opportunity that Brian Culbert’s Kilmaley would snatch with both hands.
Indeed, their response would be seismic as Kilmaley re-established full control with a 1-4 unanswered blitz in just six minutes centred around an inspirational goal for Conor Cleary who started and finished a brilliant move with Mikey O’Neill to send his side as much as seven clear for the very first time.
Newmarket inevitably refused to yield and would get a timely lifeline in the 59th minute when Mikey McInerney volleyed to the net. However, it was to be their only score for the final 15 minutes as instead the talismanic Cleary raided for the insurance point to secure a fifth successive opening round triumph.
On the flip side it was a third first round reverse in a row for Newmarket who despite that stirring second half fightback simply couldn’t sustain that form for the remainder. They did have goal chances though, predominantly in the opening half when the lack of advantage perhaps cost them a pivotal green flag.
Mikey Power did carve out their best two goal sightings though, with goalkeeper Bryan O’Loughlin easily dealing with a tame effort before excelling with a point blank save from Power just before the break to maintain Kilmaley’s wind-assisted edge.
Kilmaley only carried a 0-13 to 0-10 edge into the break but they would only build on that in a superb start to the second period.
Tom O’Rourke was unerring from frees as was Peter Power for Newmarket but three Joe Carmody first half points allied to some tireless work from Mikey O’Neill. Daire Keane, Aidan McGuane, Joe Casey and Colin Carmody proved essential for Kilmaley to remain in the driving seat.
Their bench also impacted as Eoin Enright and James Fitzpatrick would also get on the scoreboard in that crucial final quarter and overall Kilmaley merited victory as they only ever trailed once in the entire contest and that was after only three minutes.
Joint-captains Peter Power and Eanna Crimmins stood out for Newmarket as did Sean Arthur, Stephen Casey, John Feehily and Mikey McInerney but they didn’t get enough out of their attacking division as only Colin Guilfoyle scored more than one from play for Mike Cummins’ side.
Indeed, with the conditions at their backs, eight Tom O’Rourke points helped Kilmaley utilise the conditions best in the opening period to open up a four point lead. That O’Loughlin injury-time save was vital though as despite seeing Peter Power put over the resulting free for an earlier foul on Sean Arthur in the build up, a relieved Kilmaley still held the whip hand at the interval at 0-13 to 0-10.
Three further O’Rourke frees on the resumption stretched the gap to five by the two-thirds mark, only to be dragged outside their comfort zone by a much-needed Newmarket revival that began with eye-catching posts through Colin Guilfoyle and Sean Arthur from each wing before Peter Power arrived over a trio of frees to level matters for only the fourth time in the 48th minute.
There would be a fifth but Newmarket failed to capitalise upon their healthy position and a more experienced Kilmaley, who had pushed eventual champions Éire Óg all the way in last year’s semi-final, didn’t need to be asked twice as they quickly filled that vacuum with points through crowd favourite Daire Keane and substitute James Fitzpatrick before Conor Cleary finished the all-important clinching goal in the 56th minute.
Kilmaley are up and running ahead of a second round showdown with Wolfe Tones but the greater energy needs to be expended by Newmarket who shouldn’t require any motivation against their favourite neighbours Sixmilebridge as they seek to finally end their four match losing streak in a fortnight’s time.
Scorers for Kilmaley: Tom O’Rourke 0-12 (10f, 1’65), Conor Cleary 1-1, Joe Carmody 0-3, Daire Keane 0-2, Mikey O’Neill 0-2, Eoin Enright 0-1, James Fitzpatrick 0-1
Scorers for Newmarket-on-Fergus: Peter Power 0-11 (11f), Mikey McInerney 1-0, Sean Arthur 0-2, Colin Guilfoyle 0-2, Niall O’Connor 0-1, Eoin Guilfoyle 0-1
Kilmaley
1: Bryan O’Loughlin
2: Joe Casey
4: Colin Carmody
22: Martin O’Connor
5: Aidan McGuane
6: Mikey O’Malley
7: Daire Keane
8: Tommy Barry
11: Mikey O’Neill
15: Sean O’Loughlin
10: Cian Moloney
18: Joe Carmody
13: Tom O’Rourke
14: Conor Cleary
19: Colm Killeen
Subs
21: Eoin Enright for O’Connor (35, inj)
17: James Fitzpatrick for Killeen (46)
12: Eanna McMahon for S. O’Loughlin (46)
20: Oisin Looney for Moloney (51)
Newmarket-on-Fergus
1: Paudie Guilfoyle
17: Stephen Casey
3: Jack Enright
2: Mark Delaney
20: Niall O’Connor
6: Eanna Crimmins
7: Liam O’Connor
11: John Feehily
15: Sean Arthur
10: Mikey McInerney
13: Eoin Guilfoyle
14: Colin Guilfoyle
18: Dara McInerney
19: Mikey Power
12: Peter Power
Subs
24: Eoin Hayes for D. McInerney (41)
9: Damien Lyne for N. O’Connor (46)
21: James Freeman for M. Power (59)
8: Shane Lynch for E. Guilfoyle (59)
4: Paudie McMahon for C. Guilfoyle (60)
Referee: John Bugler (Whitegate)
