Only two teams are guaranteed their place in the knockout stages of the Clare senior hurling championship following this weekend’s action.
The relegation scrap is also heating up, with three recent finalists now in a battle to save their senior status
Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch rounds up the action
In what was the final game of a hectic hurling weekend, Whitegate produced arguably the result of the round as the East Clare men saw of the challenge of 2020 beaten finalists O’Callaghan’s Mills by a single point.
That result leaves the Mills rooted to the bottom of Group One, with a relegation battle now a very real prospect for the Fireballs.
Whitegate need just one more point from their remaining two games to seal their safety, and manager Terence Fahy is hopeful they can use the victory as a stepping stone for the rest of the campaign
Elsewhere in Group One, Inagh-Kilnamona produced another impressive display as they made it three wins on the trot to seal their quarter final spot with victory over Clonlara.
A late Cian Moriarty goal left just a point between the sides before the Combo kicked for home, and manager Eugene Cullinan praised the character his side showed to dig out the result
In Group Two, last years intermediate champions Scariff took a major step toward consolidating their top tier status with Mark Rodgers accounting for 1-18 of their tally in a 2-23 to 2-21 win over Clarecastle.
Ballyea are sitting in top spot in Group Three after a comfortable win over Crusheen, with the 2014 finalists now on the verge of the trapdoor battle.
Group Four is the most finely balanced, with all four teams still in contention for quarter final spots.
Feakle are holding the aces as they sit top of the group after a battling win over Newmarket, while Eire Óg got back into the race as they saw off the challenge of Clooney-Quin, with the 2017 finalists bottom of the standings heading into the final round.
