Shorten steers De La Salle into knockout stages

LAST year’s beaten finalists De La Salle Macroom will contest the knockout stages of this year’s Corn Ui Mhuirí after a facile victory in yesterday’s Group B clash in Rathkeale.

After a draw in their opening game against Intermediate School Killorglin, the Cork outfit knew a win here would secure their passage to the last eight. They achieved that objective in style with an outstanding performance.

They racked up 2-6 inside the opening 20 minutes on a day which was a chastening experience for West Clare Colleges. The combination outfit who draw their players from schools in Kilkee, Kilrush, Kildysart and Kilmihil were participating in the blue riband of Munster Colleges football for the first time, yet struggled to cope with the slick combination play and greater experience of their opponents. They battled gamely throughout and were rewarded with a few scores in the second-half. Midfielder Alan Dalton and centre-forward Eoin Donnellan battled throughout in a bid to turn the tide. But De La Salle were clearly the superior force.