Favourites Clane claimed another Kildare senior football championship title at Newbridge yesterday. The winners, fielding eight players with inter-county experience, won their second title in three years and their 17th since the competition began.

The game was closely contested and it was only in the second half that Clane looked like certain winners.

Denis O'Connell gave Clane an early lead, but Niall Buckley, one of Sarsfields' best players on the day, equalised.

This set the trend for much of the first half, and the sides were level on four occasions before the interval.

Sarsfields took the lead in the 21st minute, but points by Paul McLoughlin and Martin Lynch late in the first half gave Clane a lead they never lost. They were ahead 0-5 to 0-4 at the half-time interval. Clane made a strong start to the second half with points by McLoughlin and John Chatten. Although Sarsfields got back to within a point they never got back on level terms. McLoughlin converted three placed balls during the afternoon and his first from play gave Clane a three-point lead with 10 minutes left.

Sarsfields pointed twice after this score, but Clane produced four more points.