Cratloe and Inagh/Kilnamona to launch 2010 championship on Saturday.
Clare Senior Hurling Championship Round One.
Cratloe v Inagh Kilnamona
Cusack Park 1;30pm, Saturday May 8th.
It comes with the territory. When Barry Duggan lifted the Hamilton Cup last October, his side stepped out into the open and the snipers took aim. Good-feeling doesn’t covet champions all that long and you can be sure the same neutrals that hollered for Cratloe in Cusack Park in the Autumn didn’t delay plotting their downfall.
The draw for the 2010 championship was no kinder. Two sides eying revenge for one point defeats in last years group stages, another from across the Garney who are only itching to end our reign, and then there’s Inagh/Kilnamona – first up, next Saturday.
On the back of massive underage progress in the three seasons since their fusion, ‘the `Combo’ haven't dawdled at making an impression at Senior level either. For the past two years Inagh/Kilnamona have emerged from their group and counted themselves unfortunate not to take the scalp of Kilmaley in 2009 before Cratloe eventually did. On their journey to that Quarter Final they lost out to the then County Champions Clonlara by two points before having plenty to spare against Tulla, Scarriff and O Callaghans Mills.
If experience at the latter stages of the championship hindered Inagh/Kilnamona in 2009 take it for granted that manager Eugene Foudy wont be offering that as a pardon for this season. Patrick Kelly and Eamonn Glynn are current members of the Clare Senior panel while Conor Tierney along with Glynn helped Clare’s U21 triumph last summer. The comeback of Tony Carmody to club hurling in the past two rounds of the Clare Cup has caught the eye of the local press and when lined out with Ronan O Looney, Cathal Lafferty and Ger Arthur it is obvious that Inagh/Kilnamona have firepower in their ranks that will trouble any opposition ……if allowed.
In those last two Clare Cup Rounds they recovered from a sluggish start in the competition to defeat both Sixmilebridge and Tulla bouying their confidence for the pending tussle wit Cratloe.
Cratloe too had been laboured in getting their league campaign going and to date have recorded only one victory but that was a timely win last time out against a hitherto unbeaten Clarecastle with some heartening signs of the energetic play that made them formidable last year .Its fair to say that a long 2009 kept the supporters lenient but championship and this group in particular has no mercy and a 'recovery' win further on is extremely hard to spot if one doesn't come on Saturday.
With having to wait 125 years for their first County Senior crown Michael Deegan will be impressing onto his outfit not to give it up without a fight. Injuries have kept Barry Duggan, Aidan Browne and John O Gorman out of Clare Cup action and a broken collar bone suffered by John Murphy last week further weakened Cratloe’s line up.
The Blue’s remaining talent is ready for action however and as it took so long to get here, winning one county championship will hardly have turned them off from making the most of their spell in the limelight. Both Podge Collins and Enda Boyce impressed for Clare’s Minors in their victory over Tipperary on Wednesday and may well have pushed themselves into Cratloe’s starting fifteen while Oige Murphy, Sean Collins, David Ryan and Michael Hawes have all intercounty experience to benefit from throughout the Spring. Whether Cratloe have been able to strengthen their panel surrounding those big names will be found out on Saturday.
Throw in for the tie is at the early time of 1;30pm and the game takes place at Cusack Park, a venue kind to Cratloe in ’09. The Referee for the game is Newmarket on Fergus' Seanie McMahon.
‘Glory Cratloe’. Ar Aghaidh Linn
Clare Senior Hurling Championship Round One.
Cratloe v Inagh Kilnamona
Cusack Park 1;30pm, Saturday May 8th.
It comes with the territory. When Barry Duggan lifted the Hamilton Cup last October, his side stepped out into the open and the snipers took aim. Good-feeling doesn’t covet champions all that long and you can be sure the same neutrals that hollered for Cratloe in Cusack Park in the Autumn didn’t delay plotting their downfall.
The draw for the 2010 championship was no kinder. Two sides eying revenge for one point defeats in last years group stages, another from across the Garney who are only itching to end our reign, and then there’s Inagh/Kilnamona – first up, next Saturday.
On the back of massive underage progress in the three seasons since their fusion, ‘the `Combo’ haven't dawdled at making an impression at Senior level either. For the past two years Inagh/Kilnamona have emerged from their group and counted themselves unfortunate not to take the scalp of Kilmaley in 2009 before Cratloe eventually did. On their journey to that Quarter Final they lost out to the then County Champions Clonlara by two points before having plenty to spare against Tulla, Scarriff and O Callaghans Mills.
If experience at the latter stages of the championship hindered Inagh/Kilnamona in 2009 take it for granted that manager Eugene Foudy wont be offering that as a pardon for this season. Patrick Kelly and Eamonn Glynn are current members of the Clare Senior panel while Conor Tierney along with Glynn helped Clare’s U21 triumph last summer. The comeback of Tony Carmody to club hurling in the past two rounds of the Clare Cup has caught the eye of the local press and when lined out with Ronan O Looney, Cathal Lafferty and Ger Arthur it is obvious that Inagh/Kilnamona have firepower in their ranks that will trouble any opposition ……if allowed.
In those last two Clare Cup Rounds they recovered from a sluggish start in the competition to defeat both Sixmilebridge and Tulla bouying their confidence for the pending tussle wit Cratloe.
Cratloe too had been laboured in getting their league campaign going and to date have recorded only one victory but that was a timely win last time out against a hitherto unbeaten Clarecastle with some heartening signs of the energetic play that made them formidable last year .Its fair to say that a long 2009 kept the supporters lenient but championship and this group in particular has no mercy and a 'recovery' win further on is extremely hard to spot if one doesn't come on Saturday.
With having to wait 125 years for their first County Senior crown Michael Deegan will be impressing onto his outfit not to give it up without a fight. Injuries have kept Barry Duggan, Aidan Browne and John O Gorman out of Clare Cup action and a broken collar bone suffered by John Murphy last week further weakened Cratloe’s line up.
The Blue’s remaining talent is ready for action however and as it took so long to get here, winning one county championship will hardly have turned them off from making the most of their spell in the limelight. Both Podge Collins and Enda Boyce impressed for Clare’s Minors in their victory over Tipperary on Wednesday and may well have pushed themselves into Cratloe’s starting fifteen while Oige Murphy, Sean Collins, David Ryan and Michael Hawes have all intercounty experience to benefit from throughout the Spring. Whether Cratloe have been able to strengthen their panel surrounding those big names will be found out on Saturday.
Throw in for the tie is at the early time of 1;30pm and the game takes place at Cusack Park, a venue kind to Cratloe in ’09. The Referee for the game is Newmarket on Fergus' Seanie McMahon.
‘Glory Cratloe’. Ar Aghaidh Linn
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