Kilmurry-Ibrickane have beaten Cratloe in the Clare Senior Football Championship for the fourth year in a row and in the process James Murrihy’s charges become the first name in the draw for the Semi-Finals of 2022.
It was a family affair for the South East Clare men in the opening period with all of Cratloe’s first half scores shared between Collins siblings Podge (0-02) and Sean (0-01) as well as McInerney brothers Cathal (0-3,2f) & Jack(0-02) finding the target.
Clare marksman Keelan Sexton meanwhile led the way for the Quilty outfit kicking four first half points with Ciarán Morrissey’s opening score and a Dermot Coughlan major on fifteen minutes completing their tally while two amazing interventions from goalkeeper David Sexton ensured the sides where deadlocked on the interval at Kilmurry-Ibrickane 1-05 to Cratloe’s 0-08.
Cratloe where dealt a major blow just two minutes after the restart when a black card for Podge Collins saw the champions of 2014 temporarily reduced to fourteen men for the next ten minutes.
Kilmurry-Ibrickane exploited their opponents difficulty for maximum gain scoring 1-03 in the process including a Keelan Sexton goal on forty-two minutes putting daylight between the sides leaving the score at 2-08 to 0-09.
To their credit Cratloe were resilient in pursuit of their comeback and a Conal O’Hanlon goal in additional time followed by a Podge Collins point left just one score between the teams at 2-13 to 1-13.
Just moments from the final whistle, Cratloe netminder Padraig Chaplin then received his marching orders after venturing to the opposite sixty-five metre line before taking Daryn Callinan to the floor in unceremonious fashion to prevent a Kilmurry-Ibrickane counter attack
However for the second occasion, the Bricks made hay on their numbers advantage with Caoilfhinn O’Dea goaling in the final minute of additional time to leave the result beyond all doubt.
It finished on a full time score in Cusack Park of Kilmurry-Ibrickane 3-13 to Cratloe’s 1-13