Clare finish strong against Cork to book Munster U20 hurling final spot

BATTLE: Cork's Finn O'Brien and Clare's Joe Casey tussle for possession. Pic: Eddie O'Hare.

Clare 3-20 Cork 2-17

A stunning closing act from the Banner youngsters. By no means a perfect closing act given there were four Clare wides and a further point attempt short interspersed among their unanswered 1-6.

It was a closing act, though, that proved more than sufficient to advance them to the Munster U20 final.

For the second year running, a Clare-Cork Munster U20 semi-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh went the way of the visitors.

For the second year running, a Clare-Cork Munster U20 semi-final hinged on a late Clare goal and Cork’s inability to raise a flag of any description across the closing 14 minutes.

For the second year running, the provincial decider will be contested by Clare and Tipp. Added to the last two Harty Cup finals being contested by Clare and Tipp nurseries, these two counties continue to set the pace at underage level in Munster.

Cork hit the front for the first time in the second half on 50 minutes. Barry O’Flynn won possession in a ruck, spun away, and goaled superbly.

The scoreline read 2-17 to 2-14 to Noel Furlong’s young troops. And yet they would not add to their tally in the near quarter of an hour that still had to be played.

Around two minutes or so after O’Flynn’s strike, the captain teed up Barry Walsh for a third Cork goal. The Cork senior couldn’t control the pass and the chance disappeared.

A mere half a minute later and Clare were back on level terms. Thomas O’Connor flicked Marco Cleary through the gap and the corner-forward duly obliged.

In this play did the game turn. In the nine minutes after O’Flynn’s goal, Cork failed to get a single shot away. Clare, on the other hand, showered themselves in scoring opportunities.

The everywhere Fred Hegarty, Daniel Costelloe, and Ronan Kilroy struck three successive wides following Cleary’s goal.

Cork's Barry Walsh shoots over a point from Clare's James Hegarty and Daniel Costello. Pic: Eddie O'Hare.

Sub Harry Doherty ensured there wasn’t a fourth straight miss. His was the first of six successive Clare points in the final eight minutes. Ronan Kilroy’s third arrived next. The final four belonged to Hegarty, the half-forward so effective when operating deep inside Clare’s own 65-metre line.

We counted 12 Clare shots to Cork’s three from the 52nd minute onward. From a position of three down, a saffron and blue tsunami completely overwhelmed the hosts.

Trailing by three heading for the hour-mark, O’Flynn struck low for an equalising green flag. Banner custodian Mark Sheedy repelled the drive.

First-half green flag openings were exclusive to the visitors.

Cork had engineered eight goal opportunities in the round-robin fixture last week, taking four. They didn’t engineer a single one from play in the first half. There was a free, just outside the 20-metre line, that Barry Walsh opted to go low from. Clare ‘keeper Sheedy was equal to the shot, with sub James O’Brien flashing over the rebound.

At the far Blackrock End, the Cork full-back line came under sustained pressure. The Clare approach was obvious and straightforward. Pepper deliveries atop towering full-forward Thomas O’Connor.

Just past the quarter-hour mark, O’Connor pulled down the incoming delivery. His overhead swing didn’t carry sufficient contact. Marco Cleary pulled on the breaking ball, his shot drifting narrowly wide of an open Cork goal.

Little over two minutes later, the other Clare corner-forward, Paul Rodgers, was denied by Cork No.1 Óisin Walsh.

The deliveries and chances continued to rain. On 20 minutes, the sustained pressure told. O’Connor broke the latest high ball to Rodgers who buried.

O’Connor was superb in far more than the fetching and breaking department. His 25th minute point, where he negotiated three Cork defenders out the field, oozed class. Marco Cleary’s goal thereafter, where he beat two Cork defenders and avoided a third, shoved their lead to seven-strong.

The interval scoreline had them 2-9 to 0-11 in front. Five wides and a sixth short in the 13 minutes after half-time threatened to derail Terence Fahy’s side.

But that stunning finish, where they thrived amid the tiring chaos, allied to holding Barry Walsh to a single white flag from play, powered them into next Wednesday’s decider.

Scorers for Clare: F Hegarty 0-8 (5fs); M Cleary 2-0; R Kilroy, T O’Connor 0-3 each; P Rodgers 1-0; D Costelloe 0-2; R Keane, M Collins, H Doherty, R Hayes 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cork: B O’Flynn 1-3; J Murphy (Dromina) 1-2; James O’Brien 0-4 (1f); B Walsh (1f), Z Biggane 0-2 each; D Heavin, C Noonan, F O’Brien, J Counihan 0-1 each.

CLARE: M Sheedy (Sixmilebridge); E Gunning (Broadford), R Loftus (Éire Óg Ennis), J Casey (Kilmaley); M O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge), J Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona), R Hayes (Tulla); D Costelloe (Ballyea), R Keane (Killanena); R Kilroy (Banner), M Collins (Clonlara), F Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona); P Rodgers (Scariff), T O’Connor (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield), M Cleary (Éire Óg Ennis).

SUBS: G Ball (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield) for Casey (28, inj); H Doherty (Clarecastle) for Collins (43); S Arthur (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for Rodgers (46); S Boyce (O’Callaghan’s Mills) for Ball (48-49, temp); D Neville (Cratloe) for Kilroy (62); S Boyce (O’Callaghan’s Mills) for Cleary (64).

CORK: Ó Walsh (Youghal); D Heavin (Russell Rovers), M Barrett (Carrigtwohill), D Fitzgerald (Bride Rovers); MT Brosnan (Glen Rovers), C Garde (Lisgoold), D O’Leary (Ballincollig); Ben Walsh (Killeagh), C Noonan (Kanturk); J Murphy (Mallow), Z Biggane (Charleville), B Walsh (Killeagh); F O’Brien (Erin’s Own), Johnny Murphy (Dromina), B O’Flynn (Sarsfields).

SUBS: C O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh) for F O’Brien (16 min, inj); J O’Brien (Cloyne) for O’Sullivan (27); J Counihan (Watergrasshill) for Fitzgerald (HT); J O’Brien (Douglas) for John Murphy (Mallow, 50); M O’Brien (Douglas) for Biggane (57).

REFEREE: A Tierney (Tipperary).