Clare maintained their 100% record with a 1-15 to 1-12 victory over Galway in Division 1A of the Allianz NHL this afternoon. The visitors were without former All-Star goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald, suspended by the Higher Education Council over comments about referee Pat Horan, who also took charge of today's match and Ger O'Connell, wearing number 16, started in goal.
A gale force wind ensured this would be a game of two halves and Clare raced into a six point lead after 19 minutes before the Tribesmen got off the mark with a Eugene Cloonan free from 60 metres. Alan Markham and Colin Lynch both went close with goal-bound efforts soon after but the Galway defence stood firm.
Galway regularly put themselves under pressure with poor puck outs into the wind and Clare finally got the goal their first half dominance deserved when full forward Frank Lohan, a former All Star defender, rifled the ball past Liam Donoghue in the Galway goal on 30 minutes.
Cloonan replied before the break with a goal from a 20 metre free, smashing past O'Connell and four defenders as the hosts trailed by 1-14 to 1-03 at the interval.
Galway began the second half with two quick points but Sean McMahon replied for Clare's only score of the half with a 50m free. Galway continued to overhaul what had been a fifteen point deficit with Cloonan at the centre of most of their play, but despite the sending-off of Clare's Brian O'Connell on the hour, the hosts failed to bridge the gap and eventually lost by three points. `
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIV 1A
Galway 1-12 1-15 Clare
Kilkenny 2-14 2-10 Laois
Dublin 2-11 6-17 Waterford (Played Saturday)
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIV 1B
Antrim 2-05 0-14 Cork
Offaly 1-06 1-13 Limerick
Wexford 1-13 4-18 Tipperary
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIV 2A
Kildare 0-19 2-16 Down (Played Saturday)
Westmeath 3-14 0-09 Roscommon (Played Saturday)
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIV 2B
Kerry 2-15 0-12 Meath
Mayo 3-13 0-07 Clare (Played Saturday)
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIV 3A
Longford 0-05 1-10 Sligo
Donegal 0-05 0-06 Leitrim
ALLIANZ NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE DIV 3B
Monaghan 0-04 0-11 Fermanagh
Tyrone 3-12 1-05 Cavan
Filed by Shane Murray
