Clare Senior Hurling Championship 1st Round - Saturday 30th July 2022

Eire Og 3-15 Kilmaley 3-18

After a stirring comeback in the 2nd half, the Eire Og seniors just failed to catch the Clare Cup champions, Kilmaley, in their opening round senior hurling championship game today in Cusack Park. The game was played in appalling conditions, with slick wet conditions under foot which made the first touch impossible.

Kilmaley got out of the blocks quickly in the 1st half and built up a strong lead with a succession of points after the throw-in. Kilmaley showed why they are the reigning Clare Cup champions with great point taking while Eire Og struggled to get to grips with Daire Keane in the corner who flashed 1st goal to the net after a defensive mix-up. Kilmaley piled the pressure on and built up an 8 point lead at half-time despite a David Reidy penalty after Shane O’Donnell was wrestled to the ground bursting through the Kilmaley defense. With an 8 point deficit at half-time, things looked bleak for the Townies.

But Matt Shannon and his management team called upon the spirit of the Eire Og lads who seized the initiative in the 2nd half with early points to narrow the gap. The Townies piled on the pressure and were able to narrow the gap to 2 points but Kilmaley kept adding points from frees and burned down the clock to keep Eire Og at bay. A final goal from a Danny Russell free reduced the gap to 3 points at the final whistle.

While Eire Og fans may be disappointed in the final result, it’s worth bearing in mind that last year they lost to Newmarket in the 1st round in the pouring rain down in the ‘Bridge but went on to make the semi-finals. They lost today to a well-drilled Kimaley team who are the deserved Clare Cup champions and looked to have had plenty of hurling under their belt so more to come from the Eire Og senior hurlers with their next outing against Scariff (who lost today to Clooney-Quin) in 2 week’s time.