*David McNamara picks out a pass as Mossy Gavin tries to get a block in. Photograph: Ruth Griffin TO EMERGE from the ‘Group of Death’ unscathed was no mean achievement as Éire Óg completed a flawless group campaign in a far from flawless war of attrition with Ballyea in Cusack Park.
*Ballyea’s Niall Deasy. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill BALLYEA ‘always knew it was going to go down to the wire’ in the Group of Death.
*Breffni Horner leaves Eoghan Thynne behind. Photograph: Ruth Griffin. CRUSHEEN beat St. Joseph’s Doora/Barefield by 10 points to make the last eight again in the race for Canon Hamilton.
CONOR DEASY’s late equaliser secured Sixmilebridge’s place in the Clare SHC quarter-finals and dumped rivals Newmarket-on-Fergus out of the championship.
*Lorcan Fitzpatrick of Sixmilebridge. Photograph: Gerard O’Neil SIXMILEBRIDGE are preparing for a “massive battle” against rivals Newmarket-on-Fergus in the final round in Group 4 of the Clare SHC.
*David Fitzgerald and Inagh/Kilnamona can only advance if they defeat Broadford. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill HEADING into the final round of group games in the TUS Clare senior and intermediate hurling championships this weekend its highly likely that score difference will come into play in determining the qualifiers from, at least, some of the groups.
*Scariff captain Mark Rodgers tries to shake off the challenge of Eoin Donnellan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill DRAWING with Broadford in an East Clare derby saw Scariff go “through every single emotion”.
*Sean O’Connor clears his lines. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS are treating their final group game in the TUS Clare SHC as “a knockout game”.
*Eoghan Gunning clears his lines for Broadford. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill BROADFORD’s “curve is on the way up” according to their coach as they currently remain unbeaten in the Clare SHC.
*David Reidy and Jathan McMahon get tangled in possession. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill COUNTY CHAMPIONS, Clonlara face the prospect of being “a quarter-final or in relegation trouble,” manager Donal Madden pointed out following their loss to Éire Óg.
