Cork struggling against Banner

Clare 0-9 Cork 0-7

Clare have broke free for a 0-9 to 0-7 half-time lead in today’s Guinness All-Ireland SHC semi-final at Croke Park.

The Banner men, who were forced to start Andrew Quinn at the top of the right due to Barry Nugent’s niggling hamstring injury, have shackled the champion Rebels well-and-truly off their stride.

Influential Cork forwards Brian Corcoran and Joe Deane have both been held scoreless so far.

Although midfielder Colin Lynch notched three wides in the opening 8 minutes, Clare kept pace with Cork, who had Jerry O’Connor, Timmy McCarthy, skipper Sean Og O hAilpin, Ben O’Connor and John Gardiner to thank for their early five scores.

Niall Gilligan squared the game up at 0-5 apiece on 18 minutes before Clare opened up the first of their two-point leads.

Tony Griffin and Gilligan pointed, in between a brilliant 22nd-minute save on the bounce from Davy Fitzgerald at the other end from the advancing Tom Kenny, for a 0-7 to 0-5 buffer.

Diarmuid McMahon and Tony Carmody struck Clare’s closing points of the half, but Cork have kept in touch with a sideline cut from Ben O’Connor and the closing score of the half, on 33 minutes, from Sarsfields’ Kieran Murphy.