Clare and Kerry take Under 21 Hurling titles

Shane O'Donnell, Clare, in action against Matthew Donnelly, Antrim. Pic: Sportsfile

Clare and Kerry claimed Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling titles at Semple Stadium this afternoon.

11,148 watched on as Clare claimed back-to-back 'A' titles and a third in five years following a comfortable 2-28 to 0-12 win over Antrim.

Antrim were the first Ulster side to contest this decider and always found it an uphill task against a Clare outfit which contained four starters from last Sunday's drawn Senior decider against Cork.

David McInerney, Colm Galvin, Tony Kelly and Padraic Collins were all included in the Banner lineup for today's match, with Galvin and Kelly showing particularly well at midfield, sharing six points from play equally in this game.

Clare led throughout, and held a 2-16 to 0-4 interval advantage with Davy O'Halloran and Shane O'Donnell netting their goals.

Man of the Match O'Halloran's 23rd minute strike handing Clare a 1-13 to 0-2 lead at this stage.

Kelly extended Clare's advantage to 15 points soon after, before Ciaran Clarke broke a 13-minute scoring deadlock for Antrim.

However, Clare were strong before the break with the Banner County taking a 2-16 to 0-4 interval advantage, with Shane O'Donnell netting their second goal.

Clare opened up a 22-point lead inside seven minutes of the restart, and although Antrim worked hard with scores from Chris McGuinness, Clarke and Niall McKenna, the reigning champions weren't going to be beaten.

Cathal O'Connell led the charge for the Munster outfit with 11 points, including 10 from placed balls, with substitutes Jarlath Colleran and Enda Boyce, and defenders Seadna Morey and Alan O'Neill among the scorers in the second half.

Brendan O'Leary, left, and Padraig Boyle, Kerry, celebrate at the final whistle. Pic: Sportsfile

Meanwhile, Kerry staged a strong finish to earn the Bord Gais Energy All-Ireland Under 21 B Hurling title, with a 1-21 to 4-10 win over Kildare at Semple Stadium.

Padraig Boyle led the charge for the Kingdom bagging 1-7, with his goal in the fourth minute of injury-time handing Kerry a one-point lead late on.

Joe Walsh's side were reduced to 14-men at this stage following the dismissal of Thomas Casey, but Boyle's goal, coupled with a late insurance point from substitute Philip Lucid handed Kerry their sixth title in this competition.

Earlier, a hat-trick of goals helped Kildare to a 3-3 to 0-7 lead after 22 minutes, with Paddy McKenna and Niall Kenny (2) bagging the Lilywhites goals.

Evan Dempsey extended Kildare's lead to six points, with seven minutes to go before the interval, but Kerry stormed back into contention.

Boyle and Gerry Keegan swapped scores, before Kerry hit six unanswered points.

Captain Brendan O'Leary led by example with a superb point from 65 metres out, with scores from Paul McGrath (2); Boyle, O'Leary and midfielder Brendan Brosnan ensuring an 0-14 to 3-5 interval score-line.

Kildare moved 4-6 to 0-15 ahead inside five minutes of the restart thanks to a Ryan Casey goal, and while the sides were well matched on the scoreboard over the following 20 minutes, Kildare continued to stay on top.

A fifth point from captain Mark Delaney handed Kildare a 4-10 to 0-20 lead late on, but Kerry failed to give up, with Boyle's rocket of a goal, and Lucid's late-point ensuring a two-point win.