*Photograph: Joe Buckley
CLARE’s U20 hurlers have exited the Munster championship after conceding eight of the last ten scores in their showdown with Cork.
Cork 1-19
Clare 1-17
Venue: O’Garney Park, Sixmilebridge
For the second week in a row, Clare’s U20 hurlers came out on the wrong side of a contest they should have claimed victory in. It was the concession of 1-01 without reply at both the beginning and end of their first round tie versus Limerick, this time missed chances again proved costly but an improved showing overall came in tandem with failing to see off a team when they had the chance.
An enhanced movement of the ball was evident in Clare’s approach from the off. Their three first half scores from play all arose from well worked moves, Cian Galvin finding Patrick Crotty for his first on fourteen minutes, a short puckout from Cian Broderick to Ian McNamara who picked out Jack Kirwan, he linked up with Conner Hegarty who picked out the accurate Diarmuid Cahill on seventeen minutes.
Cahill’s quick hands after receiving the sliotar from Oisin Clune fed Hegarty who gave Shane Meehan his first involvement of the game and he pointed to give the hosts a five point lead on twenty minutes.
Seven wides in the opening half prevented Clare from building a more sizeable advantage despite keeping Cork scoreless from play. Management to their credit introduced Keith Smyth for Shane Punch after the Ruan missed his fourth placed ball, Killanena’s Smyth was deadly accurate and finished the evening as Clare’s top scorer with 0-06 to his name.
A distance of four points at half time would have relished the Cork management led by Donal O’Mahony having known they were still in with a shot despite playing second fiddle. That belief was clear to see from the resumption with the Rebels producing a much improved display to their sluggish start.
Brian Keating pointed Cork’s first score from play on thirty three minutes and within a further ten minutes they took the lead for the first time when Diarmuid Healy swung on the ball in the air and beat Cian Broderick in the Clare goal. The sequence for the goal arose due to poor Clare support play out the field leaving a player isolated, this was one of the weaker aspects of their display over the hour.
Their response to the goal was admirable, Shane Meehan produced a fantastic individual run before neatly leaving the sliotar in the bottom right corner of the Cork goal. They followed this with a rally of two points in succession but Cork slowly began to find their groove and hit over eight of the final ten scores to seal their place in the provincial semi-finals and leave Clare struggling to comprehend how for the second game in the space of a week they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Positives can be taken from the Clare performances for sure but it is worth nothing that at the minor grade, this panel of players reached a Munster final, the history books will show that at U20 they failed to win a championship game. Adam Hogan produced yet another exemplary display at full-back and shows he has all the hallmarks to wear number three at senior level while captain Conner Hegarty led from the front and strengthened the argument that he too has the hurling worthy of featuring on the senior panel.
Scorers Cork: B Cunningham (0-08 7f 1’65)), B O’Sullivan (0-03), E O’Leary (0-03 3f), D Healy (1-00), B Keating (0-02), J Cahalane (0-01), E Twomey (0-01), C Walsh (0-01).
Scorers Clare: K Smyth (0-06 5f), S Punch (0-04 4f), S Meehan (1-01), P Crotty (0-03), D Cahill (0-01), C Hegarty (0-01), O O’Donnell (0-01)
Cork:
1: Brion Saunderson (Midleton)
3: Kevin Lyons (Ballygarvan)
4: Ciarmhuc Smyth (Midleton)
2: Cathal McCarthy (Sarsfields)
6: Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers)
5: Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s)
7: Luke Horgan (Glen Rovers)
8: Michael Mullins (Whitechurch)
9: Brian O’Sullivan (Kanturk)
12: Denis McSweeney (Blarney)
10: Brian Keating (Ballincollig)
15: Brian Cunningham (St Finbarr’s)
11: Jack Cahalane (St Finbarr’s)
13: Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold)
14: Daniel Hogan (Sarsfields)
Subs:
24: Colin Walsh (Kanturk) for McSweeney (HT)
23: Eoin O’Leary (Glen Rovers) for Cunningham (47)
22: Jack Leahy (Dungourney) for Healy (57)
17: Darragh O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig) for McCarthy (57)
19: Mark Howell (Douglas) for Downey (57)
Clare:
1: Cian Broderick (Clarecastle)
2: Ian McNamara (Killanena)
5: Diarmuid Mullins (Crusheen)
3: Adam Hogan (Feakle)
4: John Conneally (Clooney/Quin)
6: Cian Galvin (Clarecastle)
7: Oisin Clune (Feakle)
8: Colm O’Meara (Clonlara)
9: Conner Hegarty (Inagh/Kilnamona)
12: Cormac Murphy (O’Callaghans Mills)
11: Patrick Crotty (Scariff)
13: Shane Punch (Ruan)
10: Jack Kirwan (Parteen)
14: Shane Meehan (Banner)
15: Diarmuid Cahill (Corofin)
Subs:
18: Keith Smyth (Killanena) for Punch (26)
20: Oisin O’Donnell (Crusheen) for Kirwan (35)
17: Keelan Hartigan (Scariff) for O’Meara (46)
21: Gearoid Sheedy (Ogonnelloe) for Murphy (53)
24: Oran Cahill for D Cahill (58)
Referee: Conor Doyle (Tipperary)
