BALLYEA 1-12 NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS 1-16

Ballyea’s reign as Clare and Munster club champions is over after they were overcome by an experienced Newmarket-on-Fergus team in the Clare SHC quarter-final in Cusack Park this evening (Saturday).

Ballyea had defeated The Blues in a ferociously physical Round Two Losers game last year en route to the club’s historic success but this evening Newmarket were the sharper and more dynamic side despite the gallant effort of Fergal Hegarty’s men.

The game turned on a Ronan Goode goal three minutes before half-time which gave Newmarket their first lead of the night and one which they would not relinquish.

Goode proved to be the game’s most influential figure. After being lucky to escape with only a yellow card for a dangerous and late tackle on Tony Kelly in the opening quarter, he was shrewdly switched from midfield to full forward by the Newmarket management. Not only was he less likely to pick up a second card operating away from the battle zone that was the middle third but he would cause consternation inside with his physical presence and by the 40th minute he had two points as well as a goal to his name to go along with winning a couple of key frees for former county marksman Colin Ryan to convert.

With Good essentially playing at 14, Newmarket would end up with a tally of 1-14 from their full-forward line, 1-6 from play. Ballyea, in contrast, would just scrape a solitary point from the same line of the field. Instead the county champions were again heavily dependent on the dynamic duo of Niall Deasy and Tony Kelly for scores, although the latter would be held scoreless after half-time, with even a penalty effort of his in added time being foiled by The Blues’ goalkeeper, Ronan McCormack.

Just like in the previous Sixmilebridge defeat, Ballyea actually registered the first four points of the game. Although Newmarket had been on top in the opening 10 minutes playing with the aid of a slight breeze, they had failed to convert any of that possession into scores; then, with his first shot of the game, Niall Deasy scored with a fine effort from play from out on the touchline before a minute later pouncing on a long ball around the square to strike to the net.

Even when Colin Ryan finally got Newmarket off the mark with a 13th minute free, Ballyea responded with a fabulously-worked team score, Eoghan Donnellan winning an overhead ball to lay off to Pearse Lillis outside him for a point. And that was the pattern pretty much for the next 10 minutes, with Ryan and Kelly twice trading points. With eight minutes to go in the first half, Ballyea were 1-4 to 0-4 ahead and looking strong. But then Newmarket made their power play, striking 1-3 without reply.

First Mike McInerney became their first player other than Ryan to fire over a point. Shane O’Brien quickly followed him. Then Goode struck for goal. Ryan then slotted over another free, and even when Deasy replied with one himself in added time, Good made sure that Newmarket were the ones finishing the half on a high note, firing over a point to give his side a 1-8 to 1-5 interval lead.

Ballyea would respond as you would expect: with tenacity and heart. Shortly upon the resumption, Gary Brennan won a terrific ball overhead and struck over a fine point. But the same zest and energy as last year wasn’t quite there. With six minutes to go Newmarket had stretched their lead to five, 1-15 to 1-10.

Ballyea would keep fighting, and had a Kelly penalty found the target, the margin would have been down to one heading into injury time, but McCormack managed to tip it around the post. Even when Deasy converted the resultant ’65, the game was effectively over; with so many bodies – and big bodies at that - back, a seasoned and crafty side like the 2012 county champs weren’t going to leak a goal.

And so, our season – or you could say the past two seasons, given the lads have hardly had a break the past 18 months – ends.

What a run it’s been.

BALLYEA: Kevin Sheehan; Joe Neylon, Jack Browne, Brian Carrigg; Gearoid O’Connell, Paul Flanagan, James Murphy; Tony Kelly (0-2), Stan Lineen; Niall Deasy (1-8, 0-5 frees, 1 65), Gary Brennan (0-1), Tadhg Lynch; Mark Coughlan, Eoghan Donnellan, Pearse Lillis (0-1). Subs: Martin O’Leary for Coughlan (29 mins), Aonghus Keane for Lynch (47 mins).

NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS: R McCormack; E O’Brien, J McInerney, S Kelleher; N O’Connor, E Barrett, E Keogh; R Goode (1-2), S O’Connor; M O’Hanlon, S Kelly, S O’Brien (0-2); C Ryan (0-9, 8 frees), M McInerney (0-3), E Hayes. Subs: C Guilfoyle for O’Hanlon (50 mins), S O’Brien Jnr for M McInerney (59 mins)

Referee: G Hoey