This article is from page 60 of the 2011-08-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 60 JPG
Crusheen 3-10 – Newmarket-on-Fergus 1-11 at Cusack Park, Ennis
GREAT backs, middling forwards.
That’s the perceived wisdom around much of Clare hurling country about 2010 county senior champions Crusheen, but it could be said that this theory was finally blown out of the water on Saturday evening thanks to a storming final ten minutes of their dramatic clash with Newmarket-on-Fergus.
By any yardstick, hitting 2-3 is hugely impressive. Crusheen were that in a rousing finish that saw them turn a 1-10 to 1-7 deficit after 50 minutes into a comprehensive five-point victory over the shell-shocked Blues.
It was brilliant stuff by a Crusheen side, but hugely disappointing for a Newmarket side that looked to be on their way to a second victory in the campaign when a goal on the stroke of half-time from Colin Ryan gave them the impetus to kick on in the second half.
That strike put them 1-5 to 1-4 ahead at the interval after Crusheen had looked much the better team, with their defence being outstanding in the face of what Newmarket could throw at them.
However, there were cracks in the Newmarket full-back line as early as the tenth minute when Joey Meaney robbed Stephen Kelly in possession, jinked his way clear and slammed to the net from 14 yards.
Ultimately it was these full-back line frailties that came back to haunt the Blues in the end, with both Crusheen’s match-winning goals in the final moments coming via route one ball over the full-back into space for Gerry O’Grady and Paddy Meaney to provide the killer blows.
Crusheen’s impressive first half showing against the wind was franked by some good points from play, with Patrick Vaughan, Fergus Kennedy and Gearóid O’Donnell on the mark by the 32nd minute as they moved 1-4 to 0-5 clear.
Save an early Martin O’Hanlon point, the Blues’ only scorer up to then was Colin Ryan with three frees, before he struck his all-important goal in the 33rd minute after being put through by the impressive Shane O’Brien.
From there Newmarket were never headed until Gerry O’Grady’s 56th minute goal. The sides were level early on thanks to a Gerry O’Grady point, and again on 40 minutes after Patrick Vaughan punished a slack Kieran Devitt puck-out with a point, by the 50th minute the Blues looked to be motoring to the two points.
A fine Enda Kelly point put them 1-7 to 1-6 clear in the 41st minute, while David Barrett then chipped in with two by the 43rd. Fergus Kennedy stemmed the tide with a point at the three quarter stage, but it looked to be the Blues’ day when wides from David Forde and Cian Dillon was followed up by a Colin Ryan sixth point to leave his side three clear entering the last ten minutes.
However, the hour of need is when the confidence of being county championship roared to the surface. Within five minutes they were level thanks to points from Vaughan (2) and Paddy Meaney, before Gerry O’Grady put them on the high road.
Fergus Kennedy was the provider with a sublime 40-yard pass over the defence to the former Clare captain, who then rifled past Kieran Devitt. The Blues did reduce the deficit with a Sean O’Connor point, but last year’s goal hero from the county final, Paddy Meaney, finally killed them off when running on to a long ball from Ciaran O’Doherty and hammering home.