Brave Cratloe fall short in Quarter Final.
Newmarket on Fergus 1-13 v 0-15 Cratloe
Those in the know and close to Cratloe hurlers know our own shortcomings. The script last week read that we’d all travel to Sixmilebridge and head home happy once we were competitive and didn’t flop. A ‘top of the ground side’ like our opponents but in the end our lack of physicality would turn us in. But we werent ready for none of the above to transpire and still have the heartbreak of watching the rest of 2008’s championship from behind the wire.
Credit firstly to Newmarket. The men at the top of Clare Hurling’s roll of honour must be sick of dodging past heroes on the street. They havent won a championship in 27 years and yet it’s doubtful that any other club in Clare starts a season with more pressure on them, most of which is from inside their own parish boundary. On Saturday, they played second fiddle to a side under a lot less pressure for the majority of the contest but had enough in reserve to climb above the parapet when it most counted.
What arrived before-hand was a reality check though.
Cratloe led this quarter final tie from inside the third minute when Oige Murphy cancelled out Paudie Collin’s early free, all the way to 58 minutes on the scoreboard. The bigger surprise was that they held sway in the majority of physical stakes too. The achilles heel of being dominant under our own puck-out was recovered with a masterful opening half from Aidan Browne who volunteered the role of making more scores than he was at the end of. Two of them from play from his brother Damien who converted frees with aplomb in the opening 35 minute. Cratloe also righted another shortfalling that has followed the side throughout the year, being first to the break of the ball. Late harmless tackles made heroes from plenty of opposition freetakers since the start of the Clare Cup. Yet on Saturday Cratloe trailed the free count by 12 to 4 at half time. A heavy share of them ‘mysterious’ to say the least. Barry Gleeson was another to shine in the first half and with Conor McGrath had points each and a Newmarket full back line watching their movements rather than that of the ball.
When Newmarket backtrack they should be thankful for the return of Enda Kelly to the fold this season. Kelly offers height missing from the ‘Blues’ attack in the last two seasons, and the corner forward, repaid his invitation back to Diarmuid O Leary’s plans with a goal one minute before half time to amazingly leave the sides level after all the underdog’s dominance.
Cratloe were not done defying the script however and Aidan Browne scored a reply to leave one between the sides at the interval. 1-6 to 0-10.
Further pressure inside the second period saw a Conor McGrath point and two frees from Damien Browne stretch Cratloe’s hopes. Newmarket on Fergus crucially kept in touch however, with a brace from Colin Ryan and a Paudie Collins effort from all of 70 yards. Cratloe only scored a solitary point inside the last ten minutes and as their dominance pulled up, Newmarket’s chests inflated. The introduction of former County hurler Bernard Gaffney reaped reward with the levelling point on 56 minutes before the attacker, plagued with injury, broke a ball to Colin Ryan to strike effectively the winning score with two minutes on the clock.
Cratloe did have two late chances from frees late on but both were won way outside of either Damien Browne’s or Michael Hawes’ radar and the full time whistle after the second dropped short closed the day on a heartbreaking defeat for a Cratloe side who were within touching distance of only a third appearnce in the last four of the Co. SHC.
Crueller still is the reality that all the huffing and puffing in Saturday’s hour of hurling will be well forgotten come the next fortnight as the flare of the Semi Finals take place. Only Cratloe need to know how close they are though….and it’s farily close. Lets hope a long winter doesn’t dilute the thought.
Newmarket on Fergus are a step closer to ending their wait and take on St. Josephs as their reward. The other Semi sees the winners of Crusheen and Clarecastle take on the weekend’s surprise package, Clonlara, who now carry the fight for South East Clare.
Ar Aghaidh Linn
Cratloe:
S Hawes, P Gleeson, B Duggan, D Ryan, S Ryan, M Hawes, J O Gorman, M Óg Murphy (0-3), S Collins, D Browne (0-9), A Browne (0-1), S Chaplin, B Gleeson, P Chaplin, C McGrath (0-2) – L Markham 47 mins, J Enright 48 mins, G Ryan 50 mins.
Newmarket on Fergus 1-13 v 0-15 Cratloe
Those in the know and close to Cratloe hurlers know our own shortcomings. The script last week read that we’d all travel to Sixmilebridge and head home happy once we were competitive and didn’t flop. A ‘top of the ground side’ like our opponents but in the end our lack of physicality would turn us in. But we werent ready for none of the above to transpire and still have the heartbreak of watching the rest of 2008’s championship from behind the wire.
Credit firstly to Newmarket. The men at the top of Clare Hurling’s roll of honour must be sick of dodging past heroes on the street. They havent won a championship in 27 years and yet it’s doubtful that any other club in Clare starts a season with more pressure on them, most of which is from inside their own parish boundary. On Saturday, they played second fiddle to a side under a lot less pressure for the majority of the contest but had enough in reserve to climb above the parapet when it most counted.
What arrived before-hand was a reality check though.
Cratloe led this quarter final tie from inside the third minute when Oige Murphy cancelled out Paudie Collin’s early free, all the way to 58 minutes on the scoreboard. The bigger surprise was that they held sway in the majority of physical stakes too. The achilles heel of being dominant under our own puck-out was recovered with a masterful opening half from Aidan Browne who volunteered the role of making more scores than he was at the end of. Two of them from play from his brother Damien who converted frees with aplomb in the opening 35 minute. Cratloe also righted another shortfalling that has followed the side throughout the year, being first to the break of the ball. Late harmless tackles made heroes from plenty of opposition freetakers since the start of the Clare Cup. Yet on Saturday Cratloe trailed the free count by 12 to 4 at half time. A heavy share of them ‘mysterious’ to say the least. Barry Gleeson was another to shine in the first half and with Conor McGrath had points each and a Newmarket full back line watching their movements rather than that of the ball.
When Newmarket backtrack they should be thankful for the return of Enda Kelly to the fold this season. Kelly offers height missing from the ‘Blues’ attack in the last two seasons, and the corner forward, repaid his invitation back to Diarmuid O Leary’s plans with a goal one minute before half time to amazingly leave the sides level after all the underdog’s dominance.
Cratloe were not done defying the script however and Aidan Browne scored a reply to leave one between the sides at the interval. 1-6 to 0-10.
Further pressure inside the second period saw a Conor McGrath point and two frees from Damien Browne stretch Cratloe’s hopes. Newmarket on Fergus crucially kept in touch however, with a brace from Colin Ryan and a Paudie Collins effort from all of 70 yards. Cratloe only scored a solitary point inside the last ten minutes and as their dominance pulled up, Newmarket’s chests inflated. The introduction of former County hurler Bernard Gaffney reaped reward with the levelling point on 56 minutes before the attacker, plagued with injury, broke a ball to Colin Ryan to strike effectively the winning score with two minutes on the clock.
Cratloe did have two late chances from frees late on but both were won way outside of either Damien Browne’s or Michael Hawes’ radar and the full time whistle after the second dropped short closed the day on a heartbreaking defeat for a Cratloe side who were within touching distance of only a third appearnce in the last four of the Co. SHC.
Crueller still is the reality that all the huffing and puffing in Saturday’s hour of hurling will be well forgotten come the next fortnight as the flare of the Semi Finals take place. Only Cratloe need to know how close they are though….and it’s farily close. Lets hope a long winter doesn’t dilute the thought.
Newmarket on Fergus are a step closer to ending their wait and take on St. Josephs as their reward. The other Semi sees the winners of Crusheen and Clarecastle take on the weekend’s surprise package, Clonlara, who now carry the fight for South East Clare.
Ar Aghaidh Linn
Cratloe:
S Hawes, P Gleeson, B Duggan, D Ryan, S Ryan, M Hawes, J O Gorman, M Óg Murphy (0-3), S Collins, D Browne (0-9), A Browne (0-1), S Chaplin, B Gleeson, P Chaplin, C McGrath (0-2) – L Markham 47 mins, J Enright 48 mins, G Ryan 50 mins.
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