11 March 2012
Going into Sunday’s National Hurling League game in Ennis team manager Jerry Wallace had said he wanted his side to be competitive in their meeting with Clare, and during the first half of the game they certainly were. However after the change of ends the home team got on top and despite losing Donal O’Donovan to a straight red card they ran out convincing winners by 0-20 to 0-12.
In a highly competitive first-half there was little to choose between the sides and with Neill McManus totally dominant at midfield Antrim gave as good as they got.
Clare had the first two points on the board but once PJ O’Connell opened Antrim’s account in the seventh minute they began to find some confidence. Shane McNaughton brought them level from a free and while Nicky O’Connell edged Clare back in front, two excellent points from McManus put Antrim 0-4 to 0-3 in front after fourteen minutes.
Points from John Conlon, Colin Ryan and Cathal McInerney put the home side two in front before McManus cut the gap to the minimum again following Antrim’s best move of the match on twenty-four minutes.
Conor McGrath gave Clare a two point cushion once again but McManus and Karl Stewart replied for the Saffrons to square the game, only to see McGrath restore Clare’s lead in first-half injury time.
CAUGHT COLD
The Antrim management must have been pleased with their team’s first-half display but the Saffrons were caught cold at the start of the second-half as Clare hit five unanswered points in the opening eight minutes to leave them a mountain to climb. Shane McNaughton got their first score of the second-half in the forty-fifth minute when he sent over a free from sixty metres and two more points from the same player in the next six minutes had the gap back to four.
Donlon and McNaughton exchanged points to keep the gap at four, but following a bad miss from Karl Stewart in the sixty-first minute the Saffrons were made to pay dearly as Clare hit four points in two minutes to put the game beyond Antrim’s reach.
Things got worse for Antrim when Neill McManus received a second-yellow card near the end, but in truth it had no bearing on the outcome of the game at this late stage as Clare deservedly kept their 100% record intact as they moved clear at the top of the Division 2 table.
Scorers for Clare: N O’Connell (0-6) 4 f’s, C McGrath (0-6) 4 f’s, C Ryan (0-3), C Morey (0-2), J Conlon, D Keane, C McInerney (0-1) each.
Scorers for Antrim: S McNaughton (0-5) f’s, N McManus (0-4) 1 f, K Stewart, PJ O’Connell, C McFall 90-1) each.
CLARE: P Kelly, D O’Donovan, C Dillon, C Cooney, B Bugler, P O’Connor, E Barrett, N O’Connell, P Donnellan (Capt.), J Conlon, D Keane, F Lynch, C McInerney, C McGrath, C Ryan.
Subs: C Morey for McInerney (59), J Clancy for Lynch (69), L Markham for O’Connell (69).
ANTRIM: C O’Connell, A Griffin, C Donnelly, K McGourty, K B McShane, N McAuley, S McCrory, N McManus, M Gettens, K Stewart, M Herron, C McFall, S McNaughton, C McCann, PJ O’Connell.
Subs: K Sheeran for McCann (half-time), D Lynch for McFall (46), D Hamill for O’Connell (67).
