Clare finish League on a high as Antrim add to Laois woes
CLARE finished their
Allianz Hurling League campaign with a victory over Kilkenny, although the previously-unbeaten Cats had already secured top spot in Division 1B.
Brian Lohan will be pleased with the home win leading into the Championship, and they had their noses in front for most of a game they eventually won 4-20 to 1-25 at Cusack Park.
His opposite number will not be hearing any alarms sounding after this either, and Brian Cody’s side could still claim a League title if they meet the side that tops Division 1A this afternoon later in the summer, with any Championship meeting doubling as a League final.
If this was billed as a shootout between Clare’s Tony Kelly and the magnificent TJ Reid, those players did not disappoint, with the Banner man’s 2-5 just edging the Kilkenny top scorer’s nine-point haul.
Clare led 2-6 to 0-5 after Kelly scored goals either side of the water break, the first after receiving a pass from Aidan McCarthy and firing into the net. He added a second goal from a penalty.
Reid then came to the fore for the visitors, with his frees, along with points for the likes of Adrian Mullen and Walter Walsh to reduce the seven-point deficit to just one at the break.
The sides kept pace with each other for most of the third quarter before another two-goal burst from Clare put them back in charge.
David Reidy went on a brilliant solo burst and struck the net, before Aron Shanager’s goal put Clare 4-14 to 0-21 to the good.
Kilkenny substitute Martin Keoghan then managed to score before Reid put the Cats ahead from three placed balls.
Clare finished the stronger,
although they were indebted to Eibhear Quilligan for a goal-saving stop from Reid.
Elsewhere, Laois finished the campaign with no wins after a 2-23 to 1-22 defeat at Antrim, while Wexford ended with a four-point win over Dublin at Wexford Park.
The Dubs mounted a comeback when Donal
Burke scored a penalty after Aidan Nolan was given 10 minutes on the sidelines for bringing down Rian McBride, but Wexford would not be denied and Nolan came back on to get a point as the Model County ran out 0-25 to 1-18 winners.