David Reidy hits 1-12 as Limerick set up Munster SHL final date with Cork

[team1]Limerick[/team1][score1]1-27[/score1][team2]Clare[/team2][score2]1-19[/score2][/score]

Limerick advanced to a Munster Senior Hurling League decider against Cork next weekend on the back of a very comfortable eight-point victory over a sluggish Clare side this Sunday afternoon in Sixmilebridge.

A brilliant display of shooting throughout by David Reidy as he plundered 1-12 provided the platform for the reigning Munster and National League champions in a contest where they were never headed.

The tone was set in the opening quarter when Clare struggled badly in coming to terms with the pitch of the game, a failing which allowed a rampant Limerick side hit 0-8 on the bounce in a ten-minute spell up to the 16th minute as they built up an impressive 0-9 to 0-1 lead.

It effectively decided this contest, because while Clare battled back in the second quarter when hitting five out of the last seven points and were only 0-13 to 0-9 adrift at the break, the wind that aided the Shannonsiders was always going to come into play on the turnover.

And so it did, with a 55th minute goal from Reidy finally helping them turn the screw on a Clare that relied on a haul of 0-11 from Niall Deasy to stay competitive in the second half.

A late Aron Shanagher goal did endsure Clare kept the margin between the sides to single digits, but the gap in standard between the sides was still a great one.

Scorers for Limerick: D Reidy (1-12, 9f, one ’65), A Breen (0-4), T Morrissey (0-4), R Connolly (0-2), J Considine (0-2), R Hanley (0-1), D O’Connell (0-1), D O’Donovan (0-1).

Scorers for Clare: N Deasy (0-11, 6f, two ’65), A Shanagher (1-1), D Ryan (0-2), S O’Halloran (0-1), M O’Neill (0-1), C Guilfoyle (0-1), T Kelly (0-1), L Corry (0-1).

LIMERICK: B Hennessy; T Condon, M Casey, A Costello; B Nash, D Morrissey, P O’Loughlin; R Connolly, R Hanley; D O’Donovan,T Morrissey, C Boylan; A Breen, D Reidy, D O’Connell. Subs J Considine for Hanley (51), D Dempsey for Boylan (54), G Mulcahy for O’Connell (54), B O’Grady for Condon (59), B Ryan for Reidy (64).

CLARE: E Quilligan; P Fitzpatrick, C Cleary, A McCarthy; M O’Malley, J Browne, S O’Halloran; T Kelly, S Golden; A Shanagher, R Taylor, D Ryan; C Guilfoyle, N Deasy, M O’Neill. Subs D McMahon for Ryan (44), S McMahon for O’Neill (44), G Cooney for Taylor (54), L Corry for O’Malley (58).

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Tipperary)