Senior Hurlers Draw With Kilmaley

When the dust settles after Clooneys latest Senior Hurling Championship game, it will be felt that having a four point lead deep in injury time, victory was in the bag. However, this would be very unfair on the Clooney lads as they had battled hard against a seasoned Senior team all through a game that swung in favour of each team several times over the hours’ action.
The game began with a drizzle floating in the air, with Clooney having the assistance of the diagonal breeze. Alan Markham opened the scoring in the first minute from a free, Brian Shally levelling a full 7 minutes later from a 65 in a low scoring game. Markham edged Kilmaley back in front in the 10^th minute but Brian Shally sparked Clooney back to life when he goaled from a 20m free to put the Clooney boys in front in the 12^th minute. From the puck-out the experienced Kimlaley players then stepped up to the plate with Colin Lynch receiving from Alan Markham and slotting a fine score to take the sting out of the Clooney goal. Shally from a free extended the Clooney lead following a foul on Mickie Daffy, with Daffy firing over a fine point as he bore down on goal in the 14^th minute.
In the 17^th minute, Conor Neylon did his best Joe Canning impersonation, when he slotted a sideline cut from 35m for an excellent score but Shally received an excellent pass from Cathal Egan and threw over a beauty of a score off his left side, to put Clooney/Quin 1-4 to 4 ahead.
Colin Lynch and Cathal Egan exchanged scores by the 25^th minute, with the final five scores of the half falling to the team free-takers, Markham with three and Shally with two to leave the half-time score 1-7 to 0-8.
The second half commenced with a re-jigged Kilmaley line-up, which saw Diarmuid McMahon move from wing forward where he had been well held by Enda Harrisson in the 1^st half, to midfield in partnership with his County colleague, Colin Lynch.
The switches worked to great effect as Kilmaley went from being two down at the break to lead by two by the 5^th minute, blitzing the Clooney boys with two points each from Markham, one a free, and Diarmuid McMahon who was using his aerial abilities to great effect. However, Kilmaley then lost Colin Lynch to a red card following a foul on Sean Conheady, he having to leave the action also due to injury. Brian Shally pointed the resulting free, but McMahon once again struck, hitting his third point from play in just 8 minutes, Kilmaley now two up, 13 to 1-8.
Shally landed a 65 to reduce the arrears as the Clooney/Quin lads then got stuck in, and played some terrific hurling, with a point from play by John Earls, followed by three Shally frees to put Clooney a goal to the good. Then Pa Reynolds charged forward and hit a beauty from the left side to put Clooney in the driving seat with 9 minutes remaining.
Markham from a 65 cut the defect back to the goal, but Brian Shally then pointed his 10^th placed ball of the match as the game went into injury time.
Four down, Kilmaley made a final push to save the day, but the Clooney boys held firm as further time passed. With everyone expecting the final whistle, a ball broke into the Clooney square and, following a lot of efforts to clear or score, the ball eventually fell to Kilmaleys full forward, Seamus Hurley, who pulled on the loose ball which flew through a forest of legs and nestled in the Clooney net. The puck-out was expected to draw the final whistle, but incredibly, it didn’t come, and as Clooney attacked deep into Kilmaley territory, the ball was flicked to Conor Neylon who used his speed and made for the Clooney goal. Under pressure, he struck for the equalising point, but his effort seemed to drift wide of the post, but, to the amazement of the mentors and spectators on that side, the point was awarded. Game level, with no time for the puck-out. Game over and Kilmaley had snatched a draw in a most unlikely fashion.
It was good fortune for Kilmaley but somewhat cruel on Clooney/Quin who had probably done enough for the win. However, it was not to be, and they now face a play-off with Clarecastle to decide who finishes runner-up in the Group and, more to the point, who gets to the Quarter-Final stage of the County Championship.
Final Score – Clooney/Quin 1-15 Kilmaley 1-15
Scorers: Clooney/Quin; Brian Shally 1-11(1-7 frees, 3 65’s) Mickie Daffy, Cathal Egan, John Earls and Pa Reynolds, 1 each.
Kilmaley – Alan Markham 8(6 frees, 1 65) Diarmuid McMahon 3, Seamus Hurley Goal, Colin Lynch 2 and Conor Neylon 2(1 sideline).
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