08 June 2008
Posted in
Hurling -
Intermediate Hurling
Clooney/Quin 3-14 Clarecastle 4-5
Clooney/Quins Intermediate hurlers made it a dream weekend for the Clubs hurling teams when they had a comprehensive over Clarecastle in Newmarket..........
A two-goal haul for James Casey and eight points from the stick of Derek Ryan put the team on the way to victory....................
This game was played in perfect weather conditions, with the Newmarket pitch in superb form. The opening score came from an unusual source, in that Trevor Lee, who was on as a temporary sub for the injured Ronan Gallagher, popped over a lovely score for the Clooney lads in the fourth minute. This was followed by a Derek Ryan free in the sixth minute which was quickly followed by a Clarecastle point from Colin Higgins.The game remained tight and tense as both sides struggled to settle to the fast pace. However, the Clooney nerves were eased as goal-poacher Peter Skehan pounced on a loose ball and flicked the ball to the Magpies net in the 18th minute. This score was soon followed by an excellent James Casey goal as he fetched a monster clearance from Clooney net-minder Patrick “Bosco” Cunningham before rounding his marker and unleashing a bullet of a shot to the Clarecastle net. Another Ryan free in the 27th minute was followed by a point from Clarecastle full forward Eamonn Concannon a minute later. From the puck-out, it was time for Casey to take control once again when he received the ball well outside the 20 meter line but he took off on one of his now trademark runs and again found the Clarecastle net with another sizzler of a shot. This score was quickly followed by a Padraig Ward point. With Clooney on top in most sectors of the field and the clock now in injury time, they suffered a severe lapse in concentration, and the Magpies struck for two goals in a minute, which rocked the Clooney lads to the core. These goals were quickly followed by a point from Clarecastle substitute, Packie Healy. The half-time whistle sounded, much to the relief of the Clooney players who were now on the ropes, the scoreboard reading Clooney/Quin 3-5 Clarecastle 2-3.From the throw-in for the 2nd half, Clarecastle corner forward, Bernard Scanlon pointed, much to the delight of the Clarecastle Faithful, who were now back to within four points of the Clooney men. Derek Ryan steadied the ship with a free, and this was followed by 10 minutes without a score, until Cathal Hannon pointed for Clooney. Another Ryan free was quickly followed by a Trevor Lee point, who was now on in place of the injured Donnacha Murphy. Two frees in quick succession from Ryan stretched the Clooney lead but then the Maggies struck again, Eamonn Concannon hammering the ball home.The Clooney lads didn’t panic and popped over the score of the day, when Cathal Hannon was fed a ball deep into the corner forward position, where he secured possession, before picking out the unmarked Derek Ryan 40 meters from goal with as perfect a pass as you will ever see. Ryan made no mistake. Clarecastle substitiue, Packie Healy wasn’t in the mood to lie down and he replied with a fine point from play. This score prompted Clarecastle into one final push to pull the game out of the fire, and this they nearly did, when they netted their fourth goal from a deflected free from Bernard Scanlon as the game went into stoppage time. A terrific solo and point off his left side by Padraig Ward eased the Clooney nerves and extended the lead to five, before the same player surged forward once again deep into the Clarecastle defence, before being fouled 30 meters from goal, Ryan converting his seventh free of the day to complete the scoring.
This was a good start to the campaign for the Clooney/Quin team, as Clarecastle are an extremely difficult team to beat at any Level in a Championship. To be fair to them, their side was decimated by the call-up of five of their team to the Senior team the evening before, but, in true Maggie style, they battled to the Death.
Next up for Clooney/Quin are Meelick in Round 2 of the Championship.
The Clooney/Quin scorers were as follows;
Derek Ryan(0-8, 7 frees), James Casey(2-0), Peter Skehan(1-0), Trevor Lee(0-2), Padraig Ward(0-2) Ronan Gallagher and Cathal Hannon (0-1 each)......
