*Marco Cleary scores a goal for Clare. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
CLARE’S U20 hurlers have qualified for a third Munster final in four years, reversing last week’s defeat to Cork to overturn the Rebels in their own backyard.
Clare 3-20
Cork 2-17
Venue: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh
A constant throughout Clare’s five championship outings has been their sheer character and refusal to give in, it was evident when they claimed late wins in the first three rounds and it was to the fore when they withstood a strong Cork comeback in the second half to seal their spot in the provincial decider.
An unanswered 1-6 saw Clare respond superbly to Cork’s second goal to emerge as winners on an evening, producing a powerful finish to tee up a Munster final showdown with Tipperary on Wednesday next in TUS Gaelic Grounds at 19:35.
When Cork drew level on forty one minutes after hitting 1-3 on the bounce, the home support among the attendance of 2,578 began to make their presence felt.
Thomas O’Connor equalised twice following on from this before Cork hit their second goal via Barry O’Flynn, the Banner defence was slow to retreat to help the full-back line with O’Flynn grabbing the ball from a ruck before finishing to the net.
Momentum and energy was all with Cork but somehow it was Clare that kept them scoreless from here to the finish and struck 1-6 of their own to not alone emerge as winners but to leave the hosts shellshocked and silenced in their own ground.
Marco Cleary had Clare’s third goal putting them back on track, arriving immediately in response to O’Flynn’s goal and serving as the perfect tonic to get the winners back on track. The move stemmed from superb tackling from Matthew O’Halloran in defence to turn over possession, Thomas O’Connor teeing up Cleary at the other end.
Harry Doherty, Ronan Kilroy and four Fred Hegarty scores then saw Clare have the perfect finish.
Doherty’s score saw Clare regain the lead, Seán Arthur playing a wonderful ball to Marco Cleary who recycled back to the Clarecastle attacker.
Level five times inside the opening eighteen minutes, Clare created their biggest lead of the evening when Paul Rodgers expertly finished to the net on nineteen minutes. James Hegarty’s quick free broke off Thomas O’Connor, Rodgers was razor sharp to snap the break before finishing to the net.
This was Clare’s fourth goal chance, Rodgers had a shot stopped by Oisin Walsh with Marco Cleary and O’Connor having efforts go wide within the space of sixty seconds.
Cleary made no mistake when he had a second chance on goal, bagging a major on twenty six minutes. Robert Loftus making an exceptional catch at the other end of the field before the ball was supplied to Cleary who took on his man and tucked the sliotar into the net.
This second goal had Clare 2-9 0-11 in front at the interval and every score was going to matter against a talented Cork outfit.
Fred Hegarty struck the first two scores of the second half, Zach Biggane and Michael Collins traded efforts before Clare four wides in a row as Cork struck for 1-3.
There would be another three wides in succession from Clare following Cleary’s second major but crucially the points also followed to send Terence Fahy’s side back into a Munster final.
James Hegarty’s return to the heart of the defence really steadied the Clare ship, Matthew O’Halloran excelled and was well able to curb Cork senior Barry Walsh with Eoghan Gunning emerging with an amount of possession.
Further up the field, Thomas O’Connor proved to be very effective in his finest hour in saffron and blue, his Parish clubmate Graham Ball took control in the final quarter when hoovering up possession after possession while the hard-working Ronan Kilroy set the standard again.
Scorers Clare: F Hegarty (0-8 5f), M Cleary (2-0), R Kilroy (0-3), T O’Connor (0-3), P Rodgers (1-0), D Costelloe (0-2), R Hayes (0-1), R Keane (0-1), M Collins (0-1), H Doherty (0-1)
Scorers Cork: B O’Flynn 1-3, Johnny Murphy 1-2, James O’Brien 0-4 (0-1 f), Z Biggane, Barry Walsh (0-1 f) 0-2 each, D Heavin, C Noonan, F O’Brien, J Counihan 0-1 each.
All photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Clare:
1: Mark Sheedy (Sixmilebridge)
2: Eoghan Gunning (Broadford)
3: Robert Loftus (Éire Óg)
4: Joe Casey (Kilmaley)
7: Matthew O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge)
6: James Hegarty (Inagh/Kilnamona)
19: Ryan Hayes (Tulla)
8: Daniel Costelloe (Ballyea)
9: Ronan Keane (Killanena)
12: Fred Hegarty (Inagh/Kilnamona)
11: Ronan Kilroy (Banner)
10: Michael Collins (Clonlara)
13: Marco Cleary (Éire Óg)
14: Thomas O’Connor (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
15: Paul Rodgers (Scariff)
Subs:
20: Graham Ball (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for Casey (27 (inj)
18: Harry Doherty (Clarecastle) for Collins (42)
23: Seán Arthur (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for Rodgers (44)
24: Daire Neville (Cratloe) for Kilroy (61)
17: Seán Boyce (O’Callaghans Mills) for Cleary (63)
Cork:
1: Oisin Walsh (Youghal)
2: Denis Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers)
3: Matthew Barrett (Carrigtwohill)
4: Darragh Heavin (Russell Rovers)
5: Michael T. Brosnan (Glen Rovers)
6: Colm Garde (Lisgoold)
7: David O’Leary (Ballincollig)
8: Ben Walsh (Killeagh)
9: Conor Noonan (Kanturk)
11: John Murphy (Mallow)
10: Zach Biggane (Charleville)
15: Barry Walsh (Killeagh)
13: Finn O’Brien (Erin’s Own)
12: Johnny Murphy (Dromina)
14: Barry O’Flynn (Sarsfields)
Subs:
23: Craig O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh) for F O’Brien (15)
21: James O’Brien (Cloyne) for O’Sullivan (26)
19: Jack Counihan (Watergrasshill) for Fitzgerald (HT)
20: Jack O’Brien (Douglas) for John Murphy (49)
24: Mark O’Brien (Douglas) for Biggane (56)
Referee: Alan Tierney (Tipperary)
