Cloonan departs on high note

Connacht Club HC: Athenry 2-16 Ballyhaunis 0-7 Galway forward Eugene Cloonan scored 1-6 before retiring with an injury in the…

Connacht Club HC: Athenry 2-16 Ballyhaunis 0-7 Galway forward Eugene Cloonan scored 1-6 before retiring with an injury in the second half of this one-sided Connacht club championship senior final at Charlestown yesterday. Cloonan struck 15 minutes into the second half to leave Mayo's Ballyhaunis, chasing a 12-point deficit, 2-10 to 0-4.

Athenry capitalised on a goalkeeping error after seven minutes, David Donohue scoring into an empty net.

Pierce Higgins got Ballyhaunis off the mark with a point in the 14th minute but Athenry pulled 1-10 to 0-4 clear. When Cloonan landed his side's second goal early in the second half, the game was over.

ATHENRY: M Crimmins; T Kelly, D Cloonan, J Feeney; B Higgins, B Feeney, MJ Quinn; B Hanley, L Howley; A Poinard (0-2), J Rabbitte (0-3), E Caulfield; D Moran (0-3), E Cloonan (1-6) , D Donohue (1-2). Subs: D Carroll for Higgins (half-time), M Donnellan for E Cloonan (38 mins), S O'Brien for Kelly (48 mins), P Hardiman for Hanley (53 mins).

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BALLYHAUNIS: M Walsh; D Walsh, P Healy, P Carney; P Lynch, J Tynan, B Keogh (0-1); P Higgins (0-2), T Buckley; H Carney, K Higgins (0-3), D McConn; C McCrudden, T Phillips, P McConn (0-1). Subs: J Powers for Carney (half-time), L Lyons for McCrudden (45 mins), H McKermitt for T Phillips (53 mins).

Referee: M Carroll (Roscommon).