Inagh-Kilnamona secure maiden title against neighbours Kilmaley in Clare cracker
Clare SHC final: Inagh-Kilnamona 2-18 Kilmaley 1-14 The Clare Senior Hurling Championship continues to be the Disneyland of childhood dreams as Inagh-Kilnamona remarkably became the 13th different title winners in just 23 years in getting their hands on the Canon Hamilton Cup for the first time at Cusack Park in Ennis. The fact their breakthrough came at the expense of their nearest and dearest neighbours Kilmaley, who started that proud statistic back in 2004, added to a historic day for the combo, who only became a permanent amalgamation in 2008. Having suffered more than their fair share of heartbreak over the past 18 years, including a late final reverse against Ballyea in 2021, Eugene Cullinan’s side finally found redress with a powerful finish to sink Kilmaley. With the tense derby decider still level entering the final 10 minutes, at 1-12 apiece, David Fitzgerald put incremental daylight between the sides with three timely points from halfway, while captain Aidan McCarthy and playmaker Sean Rynne stretched their newfound advantage to four before 2026 All-Ireland under-20 winner Fred Hegarty put the result beyond doubt with a spectacular clinching goal at the death. Outscoring their flagging neighbours 1-6 to 0-2 in the final 15 minutes, the merits of victory for Inagh-Kilnamona were clear, while Kilmaley will rue missed opportunities. With the wind at their backs for the opening period, Kilmaley started confidently and were 1-3 to 0-1 clear by the end of the opening quarter when Sean O’Loughlin broke through for an opportunist strike in the 14th minute. Inagh-Kilnamona’s jitters were wiped away when Aidan McCarthy snatched an Eamonn Foudy monster free out of the air before kicking to the roof of the Kilmaley net to slash the arrears to the minimum by the 20th minute. A timely hook by Mark Callinan on the raiding Cian Moloney denied Kilmaley a reprieve, and while they managed to keep their noses in front by the break, 1-8 to 1-7, it didn’t seem enough with the strength of the wind. Kilmaley defiantly clung on, but Cian Moloney was denied another goal in the early stages of the second half when his shot was superbly tipped away by Foudy. Two minutes later, Hegarty inched Inagh-Kilnamona into the ascendancy for the first time, and while the neighbours would be locked together on three further occasions, the tide was slowly turning towards the green and gold as the half progressed. Three inspirational points from Fitzgerald gave huge energy at the right time, and while Colm Killeen made an impact off the bench for Kilmaley, including a shot cleared off the line by James Hegarty, the gap only widened as the clock ticked down. O’Loughlin was twice denied a second goal by Foudy, but Inagh-Kilnamona had no such issues at the other end. Despite only scoring two goals in their previous five games, they made up for it with Fred Hegarty’s last-gasp major to seal their maiden title. INAGH-KILNAMONA: E Foudy; S Woods, K White, C Rynne; K Hehir, J Hegarty, D Cullinan; M Callinan, S Rynne (0-1); D Fitzgerald (0-5), K Guyler, J Guyler; F Hegarty (1-5), A McCarthy (1-5, 3f), D Mescall (0-1). Subs: G Barry for J Guyler (38), N Mullins (0-1) for Mescall (43 mins), J McCarthy for Cullinan (54), J Mescall for Callinan (56), B Foudy for White (63). KILMALEY: B O’Loughlin; C McGuane, J Casey, C Carmody; A McGuane, M O’Malley (0-2f), D Keane (0-1); T Barry (0-1), S Kennedy; B McNamara (0-1), M O’Neill (0-3), C Moloney; T O’Rourke, C Cleary (0-1sl), S O’Loughlin (1-3, 1f). Subs: E Cahill for Kennedy (43 mins), C Killeen (0-2) for O’Rourke (44), E Enright for O’Neill (57), J Fitzpatrick for Moloney (58). Referee: N Malone (Éire Óg).