Clare 1-27

Carlow 0-14

Tony Kelly scored a dozen points, including six from play, as Clare opened their Allianz Hurling League Division 1 campaign with a facile victory over Carlow at Cusack Park.

Just six points, 0-9 to 1-12, separated the sides at half-time, but Brian Lohan's men found an extra gear after the restart to run out 16-point winners. The visitors couldn't have asked for a worse start when Shane O'Donnell scored the only goal inside two minutes. All six Clare forwards had got on the scoresheet by the 18th minute, with Kelly, O'Donnell, Ian Galvin and David Reidy causing endless problems for the over-worked Carlow rearguard.

Martin Kavanagh registered six of Carlow’s nine first half points, with John Michael and Chris Nolan accounting for their other scores in that opening period. 

Kavanagh and Kelly exchanged frees after the restart before points from David McInerney, David Fitzgerald and O'Donnell extended the Banner's advantage. New Clare captain John Conlon and 19-year-old wing back Aidan McCarthy scored two points each in the closing stages as Carlow's misery was compounded by the 61st minute dismissal of Edward Byrne for a dangerous challenge on McCarthy.

Clare - D Tuohy; J Browne, C Cleary, E Quirke; A McCarthy (0-2), P O’Connor (0-1), S O’Halloran; D McInerney (0-1), T Kelly (0-12, 7f); I Galvin (0-1), D Fitzgerald (0-2), D Reidy (0-1); R Taylor (0-1), J Conlon (0-3, 1f), S O’Donnell (1-2). Subs: D McMahon (0-1) for I Galvin, L Corry for E Quirke, S Morey for D Reidy, C Guilfoyle for S O’Donnell, N Deasy for D Fitzgerald.

Carlow - D Jordan; R Smithers, P Doyle, M Doyle; K McDonald, D English, D Byrne; R Coady (0-1), E Byrne; JM Nolan (0-2), M Kavanagh (0-8, 7f), J Nolan; A Amond, P Coady, C Nolan (0-3, 1f). Subs: S Whelan for D Byrne, T Joyce for A Amond, M Malone for P Coady, C Tracey for JM Nolan, J Kavanagh for M Kavanagh.

Referee - L Gordon.

Tweet

Most Read Stories