Clarinbridge rarely troubled in booking place in decider

Clarinbridge 3-12

Salthill/Knocknacarra 2-6

Ivan Smyth in Loughrea

CLARINBRIDGE struck 2-4 without reply between the 17th and 34th minute as they eased to a comfortable nine-point victory over Salthill/Knocknacarra in the County Junior A hurling semi-final in Loughrea on Sunday.

For Salthill/Knocknacarra the damage was done in the first half as despite the sides sharing the opening six points, Clarinbridge took control thereafter to open a 10-point interval advantage. The men in maroon and white should have led by more as they struck nine first half wides but they held on in the concluding 30 minutes to book a spot in the final against Skehana-Mountbellew/Moylough or Craughwell.

Salthill/Knocknacarra reached last year’s Junior A final but their performance on Sunday evening was lethargic with their first touch not up to the standard required throughout. Despite Salthill/Knocknacarra showing admirable resilience and reducing their deficit to six points in injury time, they could not get any closer as Clarinbridge’s Oisin Shannon found the net with the final puck of the sliotar.

To Salthill/Knocknacarra’s credit, they did manage to outscore their opponents by 2-3 to 1-5 in the second half as their cause was not aided by losing their centre forward Mike O’Donnell to injury in the fifth minute. Their full back Darragh Joyce was also forced to retire injured before half time.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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