Clare SHC semi-finals: Inagh-Kilnamona and Kilmaley through to final

Clare SHC semi-finals

Inagh-Kilnamona 1-24 Éire Óg Ennis 2-14

Kilmaley 0-25 Scariff 1-11

Having had twelve different Clare SHC winners in the previous 22 years, there’s the possibility of a thirteenth after Inagh-Kilnamona set up a novel derby final with Kilmaley in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg in Ennis on Sunday week.

Having only contested one final since becoming a permanent amalgamation in 2008, Inagh-Kilnamona are only sixty minutes away from a first Clare senior hurling crown since Kilnamona last won the last of three titles 118 years ago.

They will go in as slight favourites to end that famine after dethroning holders Éire Óg in comprehensive fashion with a 1-24 to 2-14 victory on Sunday afternoon. The Ennis side had bridged a 35 year gap themselves twelve month ago and backed by a flawless ten match championship run along with being Shane O’Donnell’s club swan song, Gerry O’Connor’s side were seemingly gunning for glory once more.

However, their seesaw relationship with neighbours Inagh-Kilnamona meant that neither side has been able to put back-to-back victories together and that’s exactly how it played out once more in what was their fifth knock-out stage showdown in just six seasons.

Éire Óg powered to a ten point triumph in last year’s quarter-final but found themselves struggling to keep pace with a patently determined Inagh-Kilnamona side bent on exacting full revenge. Indeed, Inagh-Kilnamona never trailed at any stage and would soar by as much as nine in front with the aid of the conditions and even more impressively ten in the third and four quarters.

Central to that command performance was 2024 All-Ireland Senior winner Aidan McCarthy who was a powerhouse of playmaking and score-taking both from frees and open play. Raiding for 13 points, his timely scores were almost metronomic boosts to his side’s confidence and the main reason why Eugene Cullinan’s side are back in a first final since 2021.

Seven first half points incrementally put daylight between the sides in a half that produced no goal sighting apart from a controversial injury-time Fred Hegarty lob that was aimed at goal and initially given as a point but subsequently waved wide at 0-14 to 0-07.

Fred Hegarty did loft over a brilliant lineball from 45 metres but the key protagonists on each side were Aidan McCarthy and Shane O’Donnell who proved unmarkable throughout.

Éire Óg’s best chance of a reprieve came after only 90 seconds of the resumption when a monster Darragh Stack restart was flicked by the impressive Darren O’Brien into the path of Danny Russell to unleash a bullet. Goalkeeper Eamonn Foudy could only parry the ball but captain David Reidy couldn’t connect with the rebound while a second effort through Luca Cleary would be blocked by a resilient Inagh-Kilnamona last line.

Instead, the leaders stretched the gap to an unprecedented ten points by the 34th minute thanks to points from Aidan McCarthy and Fred Hegarty and nothing but a comfortable Inagh-Kilnamona success seemed on the cards as the clock ticked inexorably down.

Éire Óg did grab a lifeline at the three-quarters mark when Marco Cleary collected an Oran Cahill delivery and cut inside his marker to roof to the net at 0-20 to 1-11. However, within four minutes, Inagh-Kilnamona had clinically slammed the door of opportunity shut when Aidan McCarthy snatched a Kevin Hehir pass out of the sky on the 65 metre line and bore down on goal before offloading to Fred Hegarty to finish to the net at 1-21 to 1-12.

David Reidy did grab a consolation goal in the 58th minute after a superb Darren Moroney interception but fittingly it was Aidan McCarthy that finished the job at both ends of the pitch, scoring two of their last three points while also being the one to block a last gasp David Loftus shot.

It was a similar statement of intent from their nearest and dearest neighbours Kilmaley at the same venue 24 hours earlier as they fired the last six points to canter to a 0-25 to 1-11 semi-final victory over Scariff.

Having not contested a Clare Senior Hurling Final since they last won the Canon Hamilton trophy in 2004, it was a long overdue reprieve that was copper-fastened by the hurt of agonisingly being pipped to the post in last year’s semi-final by eventual champions Éire Óg.

Much like Inagh-Kilnamona though, Tom O’Rourke’s unerring freetaking were a pivotal guiding light to a Kilmaley team that has lost three previous semi-finals in 2015, ’18 and ’25. O’Rourke picked off twelve points four of which came in the opening seven minutes to sandwich Scariff’s settling goal.

Stemming from a Liam Crotty delivery that was expertly fielded and dispatched to the waiting Rory Ryan to finish low to the net, it should have been the spark to kickstart the East Clare side’s challenge but instead only seemed to anger Kilmaley.

Tom O’Rourke and Brian McNamara both grabbed braces to edge their side back in front at 0-9 to 1-4 by the 24th minut. So even though eight wides hampered their progress and the Rodgers brothers Paul and Mark regained full parity by the 28th minute, a more more consistency Kilmaley would respond with the last three points of the half through O’Rourke and Cian Moloney (2) to take a 0-12 to 1-06 edge into the dressing rooms.

Scariff did have their chances to alter that narrative, especially Mark Rodgers break in the opening minute of the new half that was matched by a spectacular full length stop by goalkeeper Bryan O’Loughlin.

Instead, a relieved Kilmaley picked off four of the next five points through O’Rourke (2), Sean O’Loughlin and Daire Keane to extend their advantage to six by the two-thirds mark at 0-16 to 1-07.

With Scariff getting incrementally more desperate, Kilmaley just had to thwart any potential goal threat starting with a perceptive interception from goalkeeper O’Loughlin on a Rory Ryan pass destined for Paul Rodgers at the edge of the square.

Shane Kavanagh had a 20 metre free repelled while Scariff substitute Patrick Ryan pulled his shot wide of the target with the goal at his mercy entering the final ten minutes.

Meanwhile however, Kilmaley weathered the storm before hitting their injury-ravaged opponents with a devastating final flourish of eight of the last nine points to run out facile winners.

Tom O’Rourke scored another two frees while immense triumvirate Conor Cleary, Brian McNamara and Daire Keane along with replacements Eanna McMahon, Colm Killeen and Eoin Enright fleshed out the final margin to eleven and their variety of scores to ten for Brian Culbert's final bound side.

A much-anticipated novel derby final between Kilmaley and Inagh-Kilnamona awaits back in Cusack Park on Sunday week, with history guaranteed for the winner and a long winter of introspection for the vanquished side.