Tipp's U-21s ease through

Tipperary won their first match at the Under-21 grade since 2001, beating Clare 5-8 to 0-7 in Kilmallock this afternoon, to ease through to the Cadbury's Munster U-21 football championship final.

Peter Creedon's Tipp side will tackle Cork in the April 7 decider after they simply annihilated Clare who had a nightmare outing after their shock win over Kerry in the last round.

Tipperary's electric full-forward line of Timmy Dalton, Barry Grogan and Brian Mulvihill bossed this one-sided semi-final, sharing out four of their side's five goals.

Clare began brightly however with Stephen Monaghan pointing inside the first minute of play. Unfortunately for the Banner supporters, that proved to be their team's only score from play in the opening half.

David Ryan, the goal hero from the win over Kerry, did tag on three frees but Clare had a mountain to climb as they trailed by 3-1 to 0-4 at the interval.

The key for Tipp was their three-goal blast between the eighth and 21st minutes. Senior panellist Mulvihill teed up the first for Grogan who netted on the rebound.

Aherlow clubman Grogan returned the favour when he dummied for corner man Mulvihill to slot home in the thirteenth-minute for a 2-1 to 0-1 Tipp lead.

That buffer was stretched to 3-1 to 0-3, nine minutes from the interval, when Timmy Dalton's miscued free bounced kindly for Philip Austin and the Borrisokane-based wing forward walloped home past the dive of Greg Lyons.

Tipp pushed further ahead on the restart when Dalton floated over a brace of frees and then excellent passing from Grogan and Mulvihill set up Austin for a point from 30 yards out.

David Connole gave Clare a sliver of hope with a well-taken over, but when defenders Christopher Aylward and Brian Fox sallied forward to nab a point apiece, the Premier county's victory was assured.

Paul Nagle cracked over Clare's final two points, the second a free, but the Banner's afternoon ended in further disappointment when they were whittled down to 13 men due to two late red cards.

Defender Eoin Lyons was dismissed for his second bookable offence - a heavy 52nd-minute challenge on Tipperary substitute Martin Dunne, while three minutes from the finish, goalkeeper Lyons hauled down Mulvihill to earn his second yellow card and gift the victors a penalty.

Only moments before the penalty award, full-forward Grogan, set up by senior panellist George Hannigan, steered home his second goal and Timmy Dalton then made no mistake from the spot to claim Tipperary's fifth goal of a very fruitful afternoon.

Judging by this stellar showing, Cork, who have won the Munster U-21 title for the past three years, might just meet their match in next month's final.

Meanwhile, Tony Kernan could be sidelined for Crossmaglen's All-Ireland club football final replay against Dr Crokes next weekend after he injured his leg in the Armagh Under-21s' 1-8 to 0-9 Ulster championship defeat of Tyrone in Lurgan today.

Kernan, used as a substitute in the drawn game against Crokes, had to be helped from the field after falling awkwardly in a challenge. A goal from Whitecross clubman Neil McSherry helped Armagh send the defending champions Tyrone out of this year's competition.

Points from Kernan and Kevin O'Rourke saw the Orchard county's youngsters to a 0-5 to 0-3 half-time lead at Davitt Park. McSherry netted in the 37th-minute.

Tyrone captain Raymond Mulgrew kicked all of his side's first half points, while substitute Niall McGinn helped himself to five frees in the second half.

In this afternoon's other quarter-final ties, Derry had the edge on Antrim, winning 0-13 to 1-7 at Celtic Park while Fermanagh needed extra-time to see off Down by 1-15 to 0-16 in Lisnakea.