*Oisin O’Donnell. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
Keith Smyth and Senan Dunford starred as Clare knocked Waterford out of the Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship in Dungarvan tonight.
Clare 2-26
Waterford 0-18
Venue: Fraher Field, Dungarvan
By Tomás McCarthy
Free taker Smyth struck 1-9 while target man Dunford got 1-3 from play as the Banner picked up their first win of the campaign and moved onto four points in the provincial standings.
Jack O’Neill (0-4) and Sean Rynne (0-3) also impressed as Terence Fahy’s team blitzed their opponents 1-15 to 0-7 in the second half. Tom O’Connell was Waterford’s top performer with four points from play.
Dunford’s 26th minute goal left Clare 1-11 to 0-11 to the good at the break. Oran Cahill grabbed a Waterford puckout and fired the ball into Gearoid Sheedy. He crossed for Dunford who flicked home. The Tubber man finished the half with 1-2 and also had a goal disallowed. Smyth added another free. He nailed five in the opening half.
Patrick Fitzgerald (free) and Tom O’Connell pointed in injury time for the Déise. O’Connell was Waterford’s most threatening forward with three points from play. Clooney/Quin’s Jack O’Neill booted the sliotar over the bar with the last play of the half.
Clare moved seven up early in the second period as their running game tore the Déise defence apart. The nippy O’Neill added two to his tally with Smyth (free), Dunford and Kennedy also on target.
The home team rallied as O’Connell closed the gap to four. That was as near as Gary O’Keeffe’s side got. Michael Mullaney forced a save from Clare number one Aaron Shanahan on 40 minutes and Ian MacNamara stopped the rebound from Kevin Cullinane.
At the other end, Smyth was denied a solo goal by Cian Troy on 44 minutes. Terence Fahy’s men pulled away again as O’Neill, Daithi Lohan and Patrick Crotty worked the umpires. With nine minutes left, Smyth batted to the roof of the Waterford net to clinch Clare’s first win of the provincial series, they remain unbeaten following dramatic draws with Tipperary and Limerick.
Scorers for Clare: Keith Smyth 1-9 (8fs), Senan Dunford 1-3, Jack O’Neill 0-4, Sean Rynne 0-3, Oisin O’Donnell 0-2, Oran Cahill, Daithi Lohan, Patrick Crotty, David Kennedy, Keelan Hartigan 0-1 each.
Scorers for Waterford: Patrick Fitzgerald 0-7 (6fs), Tom O’Connell 0-4, Conor Keane, Charlie Treen 0-2 each, Michael Mullaney, Joe Booth, Evan Foley 0-1 each.
Clare
1: Aaron Shanahan (Tulla)
2: John Conneally (Clooney-Quin)
3: Adam Hogan (Feakle)
4: Ian MacNamara (Killanena)
5: Jarlath Collins (Éire Óg, Inis)
7: Daithi Lohan (Wolfe Tones Na Sionna)
6: Oran Cahill (Éire Óg, Inis)
15: Jack O’Neill (Clooney-Quin)
8: Sean Rynne (Inagh-Kilnamona)
10: Oisin O’Donnell (Crusheen)
11: Patrick Crotty (Scariff)
14: Keith Smyth (Killanena)
13: David Kennedy (Sixmilebridge)
21: Gearoid Sheedy (Ogonnelloe)
19: Senan Dunford (Tubber)
Subs
18: Colm Cleary (O’Callaghan’s Mills) for Kennedy (41)
23: Keelan Hartigan (Scariff) for Sheedy (45)
9: Conor Whelan (Whitegate) for Dunford (54)
24: Oisin Clune (Feakle) for Cahill (55)
17: Ronan O’Connor (Feakle) for Rynne (61)
Waterford
1: Cian Troy (Ballygunner)
2: Jamie Power (Modeligo)
3: Cormac Cantwell (Ballygunner)
4: Rory Dobbyn (Ballyduff Lower)
5: Michael Mullaney (Stradbally)
6: Mark Fitzgerald (Passage)
7: Oisin Walsh (Fourmilewater)
8: Willie Beresford (Abbeyside)
9: Kevin Cullinane (Passage)
10: Joe Booth (Colligan)
11: Conor Keane (De La Salle)
12: Tom O’Connell (Brickey Rangers)
14: Charlie Treen (Abbeyside)
13: Patrick Fitzgerald (Ballygunner)
15: Francis Roche (Clonea)
Subs
21: Liam O Siothchain (An Rinn) for Roche (HT)
19: Fionn Hallinan (Fourmilewater) for Beresford (41)
23: Luke Horgan (Ballygunner) for Keane (48)
20: Evan Foley (St Mollerans) for Cullinane (54)
Referee: Kevin Jordan (Tipperary)
