Cork continue winning start with impressive win over Clare in Munster Minor hurling championship

WINNING START: Not just a historic first Cork victory over Clare on away soil but also significant to keep pace with Waterford at the helm of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship in Dr. Daly Park in Tulla. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Munster Minor HC: Clare 3-17 Cork 3-24

Not just a historic first Cork victory over Clare on away soil but also significant to keep pace with Waterford at the helm of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship in Dr. Daly Park in Tulla.

With both sides on the back of opening derby victories, one perfect record simply had to fall, with the Rebels stepping up to the mark in impressive style to complete a twelve point turnaround.

Their superior movement, pace and scoring prowess proved too heady a cocktail for the home side to contend with as full-forward Callum Coffey raided for a hat-trick of goals which allied to Craig O’Sullivan’s unerring placed balls, combined for a handsome tally of 3-15 between them.

Having battled back from an early five point deficit against the conditions, Fergal McCormack’s side only trailed by the minimum at the break but with time to regroup and re-arm, completely flipped the script in a dominant third quarter surge of 1-9 to 0-2 to soar nine clear.

Cork flexed their muscles even further when poacher Coffey subsequently fired a third goal entering the final ten minutes to stretch the margin to eleven. However, their hopes of posting a second successive double figure triumph were curtailed when John Barry scored a fortuitous home goal in injury-time to lessen the final damage.

It was a blistering start too though, with three goals scored within the first seven minutes alone to set a scorching early pace. Last year’s inside Clare duo Liam Murphy and Paul Rodgers made their first starts of the new campaign, combining for the former to pick off two goals in the first five minutes to power the hosts five clear.

Crucially, Cork’s response was immediately as the elusive Cormac Deane collected the puck-out and managed to slalom his way through the Banner defence before offloading to Coffey to find the left corner of the net at 2-2 to 1-3.

Further goal sighting at either end for Rodgers and O’Sullivan would be snuffed out as the sides went blow-for-blow for the remainder of the half when level six more times before a John Barry 20 metre free inch the home side into a 2-08 to 1-10 interval lead.

Now backed by the conditions, Cork resumed in commanding fashion with eight of the first nine points, six of which stemmed from the superb Craig O’Sullivan, as the visitors repeatedly turned over possession to soar 1-18 to 2-09 in front by the two-thirds mark.

Wing-backs Michael T Brosnan and Colm Garde were outstanding throughout while roaming centre-forward Cormac Deane was an inspirational playmaker for the Rebels in turning the screw on their hosts.

The decisive moment came at the turn of the final quarter when an Ian O’Brien effort was expertly stopped by goalkeeper Tom Walsh at one end only for substitute Sean Coughlan to tee up Callum Coffey for a Cork goal at 2-19 to 2-10.

That six point swing would be further magnified when Coffey grabbed a clinching third major six minutes later to perfectly tee up a juicy top-of-the-table showdown with fellow unbeaten side Waterford in a fortnight’s time, the same night that Clare will need to resurrect their provincial hopes away to neighbours Limerick.

Scorers for Cork: C Coffey 3-1; C O’Sullivan 0-14 (6f, 2’65); C Deane 0-3; E O’Shea 0-2; M T Brosnan, R Dineen, T A Walsh, E Connolly 0-1 each 

Scorers for Clare: John Barry 1-5 (3f); Liam Murphy 2-2; Paul Rodgers 0-5 (1f); Z Phelan 0-2; I O’Brien, C Daly, J Gibbons 0-1 each 

CORK: T C Walsh (Aghada); D Heavin (Russell Rovers), D Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers), C Lawton (Midleton); M T Brosnan (Glen Rovers), B Carroll (Dromina), C Garde (Lisgoold); T A Walsh (Carrigtwohill), J Counihan (Watergrasshill); R Donovan (Fermoy), C Deane (Killeagh), R Dineen (Erin’s Own); C O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), C Coffey (Na Piarsaigh), E O’Shea (Ballinhassig) 

Subs: S Coughlan (Passage) for Counihan (42), S Ring (Carrigtwohill) for Donovan (52), E Connolly (Dungourney) for Dineen (54), C Hanratty (Carrigaline) for T A Walsh (59), S Carroll (Midleton) for O’Shea (62) 

CLARE: L Talty (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield); C Gunning (Broadford), N Doyle (Éire Óg), D Murrihy (Inagh-Kilnamona); Z Phelan (Sixmilebridge), E Crimmins (Newmarket-on-Fergus), J O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge); G Ball (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield), E Cleary (Ballyea); G Marshall (Parteen-Meelick), J Barry (Inagh-Kilnamona), I O’Brien (Cratloe); J O’Donnell (Broadford), P Rodgers (Scariff), L Murphy (O’Callaghan’s Mills) 

Subs: C O’Doherty (Cratloe) for Gunning (23, inj), R Ralph (Clarecastle) for O’Donnell (ht), J Gibbons (Whitegate) for Marshall (44), C Daly (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for O’Brien (49), J Keane Hayes (Kilmaley) for Cleary (56) 

Referee: C O’Donovan (Tipperary)