'Gunner Mullane strikes to help sink Cratloe
Monday November 16 2009
Munster club specialists Ballygunner are back in the final, but not before they were pushed all the way by a determined Cratloe side in Walsh Park yesterday.
In the end it was the influence of the Ballygunner subs which carried the day.
First-time Clare county champions Cratloe were taking on the 11-times kingpins of Waterford and the Banner side will feel that they left the game behind with some bad wides when they were in the ascendancy in the opening half.
There was an early scare for Cratloe when Sean Hawes had to be alert to deny Stephen Power, before Damian Browne opened the scoring for the Clare outfit from a free.
Cratloe were the better side in the opening 10 minutes and added three more scores to surge 0-4 to 0-1 ahead, through Cathal McInerney, Browne and the excellent Sean Collins
Ballygunner's Paul Flynn then saw a goal effort from a free saved on the line. Ballygunner began to come more into the game when they tightened up their rearguard and by the 23rd minute the sides were level, with Flynn scoring two points and Pauric O'Mahony and Brian O'Sullivan on target as well.
The sole reply came from Martin 'Ogie' Murphy.
The home side took the lead for the first time in the 25th minute from a Flynn free, as Fergal Hartley began to shore up the 'Gunner's half-back line.
The tempo of the game decreased for the final minutes of the first half as Cratloe began to waste chances. Clare U-21 star Collins made up for this, however, with a tremendous score from 70 yards to level the game, before Power and Browne exchanged scores on the stroke of half-time to leave it 0-7 apiece at the break.
Six minutes had elapsed in the second half before Collins, with a brace of scores from play in the space of a minute, putCratloe two ahead. By the end of the third quarter the sides shared 20 points.
With 10 minutes to go, a resurgent Waterford side went three clear, as Brian O'Sullivan, Wayne Hutchinson and a sideline cut from Andy Maloney were on target. Two points from Liam Markham and 'Ogie' Murphy, however, narrowed the deficit to the minimum. Second-half sub JJ Hutchinson scored a second point before the only goal of the game came from Barry Mullane at close range to send Ballygunner five clear.
The Cratloe spirit kept them in the hunt as they made Ballygunner fight a rearguard battle, with two late scores from Browne and a fifth point from play by Collins narrrowing thr gap.
But Ballygunner held on to qualify for a seventh Munster final appearance -- with Newtownshandrum.
In the final minute, Cratloe corner-back David Ryan was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Best for the winners were Hartley, Wayne Hutchinson, Andy Maloney, JJ Hutchinson, Alan Kirwan, Stephen O'Keeffe and Colin Kehoe. Collins was the player to watch throughout for Cratloe with Sean Chaplin, Sean Hawes, John O'Gorman, Markham and Barry Duggan also doing well.
Scorers -- Ballygunner: P Flynn 0-5 (0-5f), B Mullane 1-0, B O'Sullivan, JJ Hutchinson, A Maloney 0-2 each,P Mahony, W Hutchinson, S Power 0-1 each. Cratloe: D Browne 0-6 (0-6f), S Collins 0-5, M Oige Murphy 0-2, C McInerney, L Markham 0-1 each.
BALLYGUNNER -- S O'Keeffe; P Mahoney, A Kirwan (capt), V Molloy; W Hutchinson, F Hartley, T Power; C Kehoe, S Walsh; S O'Sullivan, A Maloney, P Mahony; B O'Sullivan, P Flynn, S Power; Subs: JJ Hutchinson for T Power, R Cunningham for Walsh (inj), B Mullane for Power.
CRATLOE -- S Hawes; P Gleeson, B Duggan (capt), D Ryan; J O'Gorman, M Hawes, L Markham; M Oige Murphy, S Chaplin; S Collins, J Enright, D Browne, C McInerney, G Ryan, C McGrath. Subs: P Collins for Ryan.
REF -- John Sexton (Cork)
Irish Independent
