Banner march on despite 18 wides

Clare 3-13

UL 1-13

A tally of 18 wides on a day when the team scored 3-13 highlights Clare’s dominance over University of Limerick in the Waterford Crystal cup hurling quarter-final at O’Garmey Park in Sixmilebridge on Sunday.

Understandably, there will be some concern at the high number of wides but weather conditions were atrocious and must be taken into consideration.
Clare deserved this victory but the result was in doubt to the very end. The students held a two-point advantage at half time after playing with the aid of a strong breeze.
Ten minutes into the second period, Clare had moved five points clear after scoring 1-4 without reply. It looked like they were about to pull away but a bad defensive blunder presented UL with a goal opportunity, which they accepted and, within a few minutes, the margin was down to the minimum, with 10 minutes to play.
Five minutes from time the margin was still the same before a goal from Clare substitute Seadna Morey – he is also eligible to play for UL – killed off the Limerick college’s hopes.
In the final minute of normal time, full-forward Alan O’Neill killed off any lingering hopes of a win for the students when he scored Clare’s third goal.
The game was played before an attendance of 484 on a pitch that was in remarkably good condition despite the weather conditions of the previous three days.
The teams were level five times in the opening half before the students pulled two clear to go to the break 0-8 to 0-6 in front. In the final play of the half, they had a great goal chance but corner-forward Eamonn Murphy saw his effort go narrowly wide after he was challenged by advancing goalkeeper Patrick Kelly.
Clare had created a couple of goal chances during the half but a combination of poor finishing and some good defending on the part of the students ensured that the visitors kept a clean sheet in the opening half.
The second half was six minutes old when Nicky O’Connell converted a ’65 and Clare added three points in the next three minutes to go two clear. It was all Clare at this stage and they struck for the game’s first goal in the tenth minute of the half when Nicky O’Connell finished off a fine move.
Ten scoreless minutes followed before Fergal Lynch stretched Clare’s lead to six points, with 15 minutes still to play. A minute later goalkeeper Patrick Kelly saw his attempted pass intercepted and Kieran Morris, the game’s top scorer, struck for a goal that provided a big boost to the visitors.
They piled on the pressure and points from Morris and substitute Geoff Brennan cut Clare’s lead to the minimum with just under 10 minutes to play.
Clare missed a couple of excellent point chances before Tony Kelly found the range after taking a pass from Nicky O’Connell. Adrian Ryan replied for the students to again cut the margin to one.
Three minutes from the end of normal time, Seadna Morey, to the delight of the home support, scored Clare’s second goal and when Alan O’Neill found the net in the final minute of normal time, UL’s hopes of going on to play Cork in the semi-final were gone.
Brendan Bugler and Conor Cooney got through a lot of good work in the Clare defence. Nicky O’Connell was always prominent at midfield. Playing his first competitive game at senior level for Clare, Alan O’Neill worked hard at full-forward, while another senior debutant, David O’Halloran, showed some very good touches at corner-forward.
Clare players Paul Flanagan and Conor Ryan did a lot of hurling in the UL defence, while up front Kieran Morris’ accuracy from frees ensured that they remained in contention to the end.

Clare: Patrick Kelly (Inagh-Kilnamona); David McInerney (Tulla), James McInerney (Newmarket), Conor Cooney (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Brendan Bugler (Whitegate), Pat Donnellan (O’Callaghan’s Mills, captain), Patrick Kelly (Clarecastle); Nicky O’Connell (Clonlara), Colin Ryan (Newmarket); Fergal Lynch (Clooney-Quin), Tony Kelly (Ballyea), Enda Barrett (N ewmarket); Davy O’Halloran (Éire Óg), Alan O‘Neill (St Joseph’s), Cathal O’Connell (Clonlara).
Subs: Shane O’Donnell (Éire Óg) for C O’Connell; Patrick O’Connor (Tubber) for P Kelly (Clarecastle); Seadna Morey (Sixmilebridge) for Ryan; Jonathan Clancy (Clarecastle) for O’Halloran.
Scorers: Nicky O’Connell (1-2, 0-1f); Cathal O’Connell (0-4, all frees); Seadna Morey, Alan O’Neill (1-0 each); David O’Halloran, Fergal Lynch (0-2 each); Colin Ryan, Tony Kelly, Enda Barrett (0-1 each).

University of Limerick: Niall McGrath (Tipperary); Paul Flanagan (Ballyea), Dan Morrissey (Limerick), Pa Ryan (Tipperary); Thomas Ryan (Limerick), Conor Ryan (Cratloe), Paddy Stapleton (Tipperary); Michael Fennelly (Kilkenny), Shane Golden (Sixmilebridge, captain); Paraic Walsh (Kilkenny), Adrian Ryan (Tipperary), Cathal Malone (Ennistymon); Kieran Morris (Tipperary) David Butler (Tipperary), Eamonn Murphy (Waterford).
Subs: Brian Stapleton (Tipperary) for Butler; Geoff Brennan for Fennelly; Paul Kelly (Tipperary) for Malone; Eanna Murray (Tipperary) for Murphy.
Scorers: Kieran Morris (1-6, 0-6f); Adrian Ryan (0-2); Shane Golden, Paraic Walsh, Cathal Malone, David Butler, Geoff Browne (0-1 each).

Referee: John Sexton, Cork.